Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-04-07
The Presidential Candidate I

The PesnsyirdRidh has forth with formal
announcement that Mr.. Buchanan is candidate for
the Presidency, and that " Pennsylvania has no sc
cond choice" In this connexion, the world is favor
ed with long biographical sketch of the distinguish
ed statesman, in which all the praseworthy achieve
ments OF his life duly chroncled. What these
achievements are, confess after n digcnt peru
sal OF tho Biography, totally unknown to Be
sides his birth-which is brought down to date to
make him only &C years old-we had heard he was
the rise Of 76-besides the invaluable information.
that he elected to the Legislature in lslI-to
Congress in ls20-sent minister to St Petersburg in
ls32-elected 10 the Senate in ls34-remained there
till '45-when he made Secretary of State 10y
Mr.. Polk--and sent to England in 53--besides this,
We can collect nothing from the biography. What
the man said and what he did is left to the magna
ton Of the reader. We are not told that he set
in life flaming Federalist that he continued Fed
erast until ls24--when he, along with Timothy
Pickering and the rest of the old FedersliStS, went
over to General jackson, and thereby became white
washed and thoroughgoing Democrat We find no
mention of that famous 18th July grafton, in which,
it is said he declared if he had drop Of Democrat
c blood in his veins he would open them, and let it
out-nor that other, not less significant passage in
letter to political friend, that it might be necessary
to mount the Democracy to ride it to perd ton
These and similar spicy passages in the career of the
Democratic aspirant are carefully omitted. But
Pierce Douglas and the rest of the born Democrats
will neither omit forget them.
AstoMr Buchanan'S chances for the nomination, we
have no better data for opinion, than readers
His friends saw he will he the strongest in the Con-
vention on the first ballot. But that circumstance,
the past be any criterion, is no argument in favor
OF a happy issue. Others, however, deny that he
will have anything like the strength represented -
A statement which copy this morning from the
Herald gives him the delegates from Michigan Ohio,
Iowa, Wisconsin aud Louisiana. The DouglaSites
claim all these their own peculiar property-and
with good show of reason. As to his being the Sc
cond choice in all the Southern States, that is vehe
mently denied.
Mr. Douglas who gave il out that he would not be
in the ring has recently entered the lists, and is
struggling with the vigor of young giant for the
victory. There those however, who say, this is
all sham. That the little giant is too Shrewd man
To stake his fortunes on the party of the linus
against the Outs-that he does not desire the noi-
nation in '56-but in go That he prefers that
some Southern friend should take the chances of Il
drubbing this time while he will he putting himself
in running trim for the next heat As Gov. Wise is
supposed to be opposed 10 any S0nfhfr" Candidate
and especially to from Virginia; Mr.. Douglas
is death against any Northern candidate and par
ticuarly Mr. Buchanan These SagaciouS specula-
tors are of opinion, that Mr. Douglas is working
cretly for Mr. Huntcr--that their friends hum
bugging Pierce with the idea that he is the man,
while they straining every nerve for the goal In
the meantime, Boyd, Guthrie, Davis, Cushing Wise
and all the small fry, relying upon luck and their oh
security, and the known Partially of Demo cratic
Conventions for drag nets, that rake the bottom,
in high hopes that the claShng Of the big bugs Viii
defeat all Of that set and enable Of themselves to
be- dragged up To the light of day.
The signs promise lots of fun.