The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-12

lore the 2oth OF the month, YET IL lateIy arrived
on the 9TH, and never hardly later than the
goth. The Peninsula and Oriental Company
are now building five new vessels, and altogether
when their feet is complete, it will amount to
nearly 40 stear2ers This company's screw
steamer Formosa, destined to covey the mails
between Singapore and Sydney, arrived at
Southampton on Sunday last, after rapid voy.
age from the Clyde, ana starts for Australia on
the 7th Of August next The same coDpany's
screw stamer Madras bound for the Bosphorus,
has just made the voyage from Southampton to
Malta in nine days, which shows to what extra
ordinary speed screw steamers are attaining.
Fom the London Times, June "a
The Effect In England Of the Nomination Of
| General Pierce for the Presidency.
| The neighing of horse the flight Of birds,
height OF stature strength Of arm, or length OF
beard, have in various ages and countries served
| to determine the choice and election of rulers
over mankind. But even these expedients Of
| barbarOus or superatiious nations led them in
all probability to results less sudden and unex-
pected than the modern ballot box, rs it is used
10 the United States, for that singular engine of
popular election positively brings about the ex
clusion Of all the most prominent candidates,
and as necessary consequence, the election Of
some person whose abilities and former ser
vices had hitherto kept him in condition Of
relative obscurity. The principle of hereditary
monarchy is perhaps not easily to be reconciled
with abstract considerations of pure reason ap
piled to the transmission of sovereignty over u
free and intelligent people Nothing appears
more simple than to gay, "et such nation elect
the worthies of its citizens to rule over it, des
TIMES and to direct its policy" Yet experience
| oh that haraHitorv t,. g..
thousand of years, and under very different
phases of civilization, produced less uncertainty
and anomaly than the elective system 1t is
based uron tradition, and justified by experiences:
but it is still more forcibly recommended by
the startling ahsurdities and the perplexing re-
suits OF opposite system, as applied by certain
republican States under our own eyes. Popl-
lar election has just given, for instance Louis
Napoleon to France; and it has suddenly raised
a gentleman of New Hampshire, of whom
nothing was known in Europe till Yesterday,
and who was only known in America as a
respected member of the legislature, to the ex
allied position Of candidate of the Democratic
party for the Presidency of the United States.
| The possibility of success in this form of cleo
ton by universal suffrage, necessarily depends on
two trials. The candidate must first be chosen
and accepted as the sole candidate of his party
throughout the country; and secondly, the
party which has thus adopted him must obtain
the majority over it's antagonist at the regular
and decisive election required by the Constitu.
ton. But the preliminary election, conducted
under private arrangement, and binding only by
the obligations of party honor, is indispensable
to ultimate success, for if either party we're di.
vided in the choice of its representative, the vic
tory would remain with the other side; and in
nOipt of fact olthnurh
formal election decides the contest Of parties
the previous convention settles the still more
delicate and important question of persons At
this stage of the electoral proceedings it might
therefore, be conceived that personal merit would
have the utmost weight, as all the candidates
submitted to this trial are supposed to represent
| the same political opinions. Yet the recent de
| termination of the Democratic convention at
Baltimore has again proved, as had been previ-
Dusty shown upon the election of Mr.. Polk in
| 1874, that it is easier for an untred man to at.
tain the summit of political power by such
process, than for man of the highest standing
in the country to overcome the jealousy of his
| rivals. Monte 'queu has said that the principle
OF absolute monarchy il fear, and that of aris-
tocracies is honor To speak in the same gen.
eral tel s,.the principle of Democracy is envy.
Envy IL the true name of that passion for equal
ity which they sometimes indulge, even by the
sacrifice of freedom and the prescription of
greatness; for, by the operation of universal
suffrage and the nechanicism of popular cleo
tons, it ia easier to insure the defeat of rival
than to secure the return of friend.
Such is the result which these caucus cleo
tons in the United States frequently exhibit
By the form and rule Of theit proceedings the
candidate who obtains the vo.as of two.thrds
of the delegates is to be proclaimed the candi
date OF the whole party, and accepted by the
rest. We will suppose that two or more can.
ddates OF emlnence, such as Mr.. Buchanan and
General Cass, are the favorites, as the minor
competitors drop off after the frat ballot. AS
long as there is third party on the list, there
may be hope that his votes will be transferred
to the other principal candidates, so as to give
one of them the requisite votes. But suppose
that when only two names remain, one has 60
and the other 40 votes out of IOO-67 being
the number required to make majority The
contest RACES with violence and pertinacitv. but
with no result. hatever is to happen, neither
side will pass over to it's immediate rival end
the passion for excluding him outweighs and
mitigates the sense of its own failure In this
way 40 or 30 ballots take place. Parties be-
come weary and irritated and fall into the state
OF men ready to adopt any compromise which
WI saw ''o" iiom poSltlVe OeIeab. Az mat |
moment comparatively small body of voters,
who have kept their counsel, and purposely
thrown away their votes on other candidates in |
earlier ballots may by good management turn
the whole election in favor Of their own secret
candidate. Ia the present instance this man.
Gnvre has been skilfully performed BY the
elec'oneering dexterity of the men Of Virginia
and as they started General Frank Pierce at the |
critical moment, he became in very short time
the term of compromise between the rival fac
tons, and was chosen with a degree of unani. |
nifty that BODIES well for his ultimate success
as President of the United States.
AS far as we are able to collect information
respecting gentleman who is thus raised to a
more prominent position than he has before oc
cupied, the lot has in this instance fallen well
and the chances of success areas we suppose
them to be-n favor Of the Democratic candi- |
date, we greatly prefer Gen. Pierce to either
General Cass, Mr.. Douglas, or Mr. Buchanan