New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-26
A WORD TO A DOUGHFACE.

A WORD 10 A DOUGHrASE'
Our recent articles on the sectionalism OF
the South seem tn have greatly disturbes the
amiable serenity of The Buffalo Commercial Id
r,,..s,y In the hight of its agitation that jour
no, docs NOT st,rd upon ceremony 1t begins
with charging US with ne guilt of arrogance
wsnt of csndOr, sophistry, absu.e i'' ""U >
norance: and presently it even asks if we arc
"crazy." Not Festus himself was more trou-
bled by the words of truth and soberness which
Paul spoke forth on certain occasion, even to
the bringing against the Apostle charge of
madness, than The Buffalo Commercial seems to
be by these recent utteEances of The TRIBUNE.
In series of articles it has attempted ram
bling sort of answer TO them, shooting or try ng
to shoot behind it as it runs, though oftener
woUnding itself than US.
For the behavior of the South at the first
Presidential election this apology is attempted
John Adams, according to The Buffalo Ad1sr-
tiser, was not supported for Vice-President with
the same unanimity as Washington for Pres-
dent merely because "he had not so strong q
"hold on the confidence of the cOuatry."
Perhaps it would be WELL" The Adrertiser sug-
gests, before complaining because he (John
"Adams) old not receive more southern votes,
"to explain why he did not get more North
"trn ones" Now, considering tho charge
which The Buffalo Adrertiser has yentured 10
mske against The TRIBUNE of "want of can
" DOR" this is pretty sharp practice. The
point to which we called attention in the Goa
duet of the Southern Electors was not that they
did not vote for John Adams, but that they ex-
hibited an unwilir gness to vote for any Northern
man, and that, too, even for the second place,
when they we're sure that Southern man would
have the first. Even The Buffalo Commercial
seems to concede that this would have been no
more than reasonable, since it insists that
in fact every Southern Electoral vote for
Vice President was given for Northern men
q" eretpt those which Electors bestowed as
compliment on some distinguished citizen OF
"their own State" On examination, how
ever, it will be found that this :" Ompliment to
distinguished citizens Of their own State"
was not, on the part Of the Southern Electors,
the reception but the rule-and being such, it
strongly eyinces the sectionalism then and ever
since prevailing at the South. Maryland gave
her six votes for X. II. Harrison, a citizen Of
her own. South Carolina gave six OF her
seven votes for John Rutledge. Georgia
distributed four of her FIVE votes among
three distinguished citizens" of her own,
distinguished no doubt az home, but out of
Georgia very little known. North Carolina was
not yet in the Union. Virginia, as she could
not constitutionally give her second ballot to
asy citizen of her own, divided it among four
Northern candidates; so that out of the whole
of these twenty eight votes for a second candi-
date, the whole number cast from Maryland
southwark, only twelve were given to Northern
candidates, land ten of those by one State,)
while the other sixteen, though the case imper
atiyely demanded compliment to the North,
were, in thoroughly sectional aGd even State
spirit, bestowed as " compliments to distin-
"guisbed citizens of their own States"
Nor is it perfectly fair on the part of this
apolOgist for Southern sectionalism to take tbls
election by itself. 1t was but one in a series of
twelve, during the whole Of which the Southern
States obstinatsly refused to vote for any North
ern man for President. IL therefore Is hpt 70
be replied to, nor explained as an isolated fact
but in connection with eleven subsequent facts,
such as, taken together, leave very little doubt
as TO the intense sectionalism Of the South dur
ing that entire period, and as to which tais But
fslo spologist offers no explanation whatever.
A similar attempt is made to get rid OF the
pressure of another single fragment Of our Gu
mulative argument. We had made the follow
ing statement:
"Tbe speakersbip of the House Of Representatives
except for year two and with tho arrangement
Of tbe Committees Of that body the CAef J4sticeSkp
If ne Court Of the United States, and majority OF
me seats On that bench, have been held ever since
Jtfersons's triumph by Shareholders who thus have
had the coDtrol-smal minority they were-of al
the great departments OF the Federal Government
Executive, Legislative and Judicial"