The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-05-20

nomination (which in many eases s equivAsnt 70 his
election), may they not Try their hand In procuring
the alton and election Of tool for tho Presi-
dency whom they can use for their purposes, and
TO the deriment Of the naiioni Suppose for instance
the Derby ministry, and the Rothschilds. and Ba-
rings wanted 10 have elected after their own
heart; and il money Is 70 rule the roast" what IL
10 prevent their placing half million Of dollars in
the hands Of some honorable politician to ope-
rate upon the Bsltimsrc Convention OR, suppose
the Emperor Of Russia the Emperor Of Aus
tia had some nefarous design in vew or wished to
have friend at the helm Of State, what more easy
than TO communicate with the Russian Minister,
Bodisco, at Washington, or with Mr. Belmont, the
Austrian Charge in this city, instrucing them To
expend, If necessary, million Of dollars TO accom-
plish the object of these governmental Or. lastly,
suppose the Pope, concciving The grand scheme Of
the salvation Of the entire Of This hcretca country
by converting it TO popeyy, was willing TO do
small evil to effect greet good, and raised, among
his Catholic subjects in Europe, two or three mil
lions Of dollars TO Purchase the election Of Douglas
or Cass, or any other candidate when he might
ascertain to be favorable to the promotion Of the
views Of his Holiness, would there he any greater
difficulty in applying the money at Baltimore, or at
some influential State convention, than there L.
now in applying il at the primary elections in
/ this city!
We do not say that any Of these eas<s will BE-
r0Ilizcd, but there IL peril and the facility with
which corruption il practsed In the ward and dis
trct nominations shows that IL il not impossible on
a larger scale, and where there would be actually
fewer TO bride. Every friend of those republic
can institutions which were ecmented by the best
blood of our revolutionary ancestors, ought to lift
his voice and all his influence against this sys-
tenn, and strike at it where only it can be wounded
efectuay-n it's first inception, in the ward pri-
mary elections. What the remediesl
In the first place, honest men ought 70 attend the
primary elections, and not leave them in the hands
Of rowdies and scheming politicians; and they ought
always to vote for the best men. In the second
place, there ought to be registration established,
by which no man could sail under false coors, or
deposit vote at primary election, unless he be-
longed to the ward, and belonged TO the party 10
which he proessed to belong; and the inspectors Of
the election ought to have the power to administer
an oath to every voter, and perjury in such cases
ought to be made as much criminal offence as il
would be in any legal proceeding If this cannot be
done, or, being done does not check the evil there
is but one remedy remaining, and that is the stump
| nominations, selfnominations, that prevail
in the South and West. The primary elections.
as carried on in this city, and in the North gene
rally, may be for the convenience Of party and for
the interest of politicians, but they arc unknown to
the constitution; and when they threaten to sub
vert the very design of that constitution and to null
lily most cherished institutions, it is high time
for the people to consider whether they ought not
either to abolish them, take them out Of the
hands Of the wire pullers into their hands.
They have the powor if they will only exert it, and
to this complexion it will come at last. Meantime,
political SYSTEM beautiful and free, and
well adapted to guard against despotism the one
hand and the RIGHTEOUSNESS Of the mob the other,
is go abused and so perverted from its original do
sign, as to become the source Of public demoraza-
ton, the reproach Of the United States, and the
laughing stock Of the enemies of republican instu-
| tions all over the world.