The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1853-05-28
SAINT PAUL. MINNESOTA TERRITORY SATURDAY MAY % 1s53
Position of the Whig Party.

1t Is very common boast of the LocOfocos
that Gen. Pierce has been elected President by
the almost unanimous vote of the people. II
one might believe their statements. the Whis
party is not only dead, but annihilated. Sena-
tor Underwood. of Kentucky, in a brief speech
IN the United States Senate, q few weeks ago.
made an cfectual answer TO this kind of brar-
gadocia, by proving, from the official returns,
that Gen. Pierce had received the support O,
less than one-third of the voting population OF
the Union! We make the following extract
from his speech:
MR.. PRESIDENT Il am a matter OF fact man.
| desire to make a few remarks in reply to what
has been said by the Senator from Arkansas,
who has thought it proper to make an attack
upon the Wing party. L wish to vindicate that
party, in very few words, from the charges
he has made against it, and to prove that it is
not in that miserable minority which he has as
signed to it. l shall turn the tables upon him
by a few plain facts, showing that his party is
| exactly in that position. Now, sir, how many
votes did Gen. Pierce receive? Look at the t;-
bies which have been published, and you will
find that he received less than 800, 900. How
many voters are there in the United States -
Sir, for other purposes applied at the census
bureau to ascertain the number of free white
males over the age of twenty one years, and
found there were in ls50--the date of the CEN
sus--upwards of 4.S00,000. You have, then
less than one-third of the voting population of
the United States, who elected the candidate
of the Democratic party. And yet we are per-
pctually taunted with the declaration that We
the Wings, have been overwhelmed with de-
feat, and that you, the democrats, are in a tri-
triumphant ajOrty. Thus the democratic par
ty contriye to make a triumphant majority, by
elccting their candidate with the votes of less
than One-third of the voting population of the
United States. Such is the state Of facts Sir
you might get every electoral vote, provided
you could get a majority of one in the popular
vote in each State of the Union--and q majori-
ty of one has sometimes elected the Governor
OF State-1 say you might get every electoral
vote save those of one State, and yet lie in 4
considerable minority of the people of the Uni
ted States. l arose to state these facts, and to
show this boasting party, which is constantly
taunting us with being in q miserable minority,
that when the amount of support which it re-
ceived is compared with the whole voting pop
ulation of the United States, that party occu-
pies the very position which it SO constantly at
tempts to assign to U.S.
1t may be said, in reply, that if the whole
population had voted, the relative proportion
which each party would receive would have
been the same, and that it is the only reply
which can be made to the facts l have present
ed. The fact that the people did not go to
the polls and vote, shows q dissatisfaction, if
may be allowed the expression, with both the
great parties; and if had time, could show
the foundation of that dissatisfaction. But |
will not go into it. l will, however, state the
fact, that in the State of Kentucky, where the
whole voting population was 10000 in 1852
according to the official report of the State Au-
ditOr, only ,6l7 went to the polls in the late
Presidential election, leaving 51,3SS OF nearly
one-third who did not vote at all. know some
of the reasons which kept them at home, but
will not go into that subject now. There is no
ground for contending that the proportion of
votes would have been the same had all the yo-
ters gone to the polls.
Sir, General Pierce is in minority Of AZ 900
in the New England States, of the actual votes
given, if you will put the votes which the gem
tlcman who occupies the seat to my left, {Mr.
Hale0 received, with those of Gen. Scott
And if you take New York, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Delaware and Marylan with them he
will still be in minority of more than $4,000
of the votes actually given. You may carry on
these calculations throughout the whole Allan
tic States, and twill be found that Gen. Pierce
did not obtain half the votes in these States
Sir, these boasts which are made here, by way
of taunting us on all occasions have no facts
upon which they can rest. Sir deny that the
Whig party lack confidence in the virtue and
intelligence of the people. l deny it and call
for proof