New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-16

The August Elections are over, and the returns
50 far received that the results substantially de-
telmined. AS the first elections held sDce tae
Presidential tickets were completed, they have
significance rarely accorded to State contests. II
they do not determine the issue of the great strug
ee they OF least indicate ts bearing and character.
If they 60 not show US who will be elected, they
at least declare who are the real candidates between
whom the Electoral Votes will be divided For
when the country is divided iutO organized and
clearly defined parties, ali experience shows that
,hoee Votes are ever practically divided between
the two highest Let US now run over the recent
State + ections to see who they now are:
KFNTUCKy wss the earliest, the mos. decided,
the most constant, of the Wing Slave States. She
never failed to go Wbig IN the STATE Elec ion imme
diately preceding Presidential struggle, and had
chosen no other than Wing Legislature for &
quarter of century preceding last year, when
she went "Americsn" throughout, electing a
Governor, half Dozen other Safe Officers, six
out Of ten Members Of Congress and both branches
Of the Legislature Of thst stripe by aggregate ma
iorites Of between -Four and Five Thousand
Votes The poll was very heavy in fact, theheaviest
ever taken in the State-aDd the result uneqayo-
cal as it we'll could be- Now. it il undsputed
that the recent Election shows a great change aud
that the supporters Of Buchanan have achieved a
triumph over those of Fillmore, showing popular
change Of some Seven or Eight Thousand votes.
OF course, the defeated party cry out per
sonal considerations, "local causes " no
test" ave shall reverse this in November"
&c, as defeated parties usually do; but they ad-
duce no good grounds for believing that these
psrations of defeat are any more cogent now than
they usually are. The contes. was for judges,
Sheriff., &c, AID, while il is quite suppOsable that
some particular candidate for Sheriff or Judge is
beaten or successful on personal grounds it were
absurd to imagine that the American candidates
were generally Odious, while their opponents were
uniformly popular. The simple fact is that the
Americans, with the State Government com
pletey in their power ID the Presidential struggle
iust at hand, have been beaten. They will doubt
less try to recover their ground in NOvember-with
what prospect of success, every one can jddge.
We consider it little-a very little-better than
that of the floating log which went over Niagara
Falls yesterday to find itself drifting by Grand
Island again.
NORTH CAROLYN. ranks next to Kentucky as
Southern Wing State, having given Clay about
1900 majority in the disastrous struggle of "A and
Taylor over 5000 in that of 4. Pierce carried it
over Scott by less than 7v0 majority; but this was
when everything had gone or was going by the
board, and when but moderate vote was pOlled.
Perce's vote was inst about the same as POks
eight years before, when he was beaten 1000 by
Clay.
Now the State las gone for the Duchsnecrs, in
spite of the Ostend Manifesto and the Fllous.
teriDg plsnks in the Cincinnati Platform, which
must be intensely distastetul to steady old con-
aryatve State Ike North Carolina, by the largest
majority ever obtained by any party in thorough
" contested election. II cannot he said that tbs
was q merely lo,al contest, IS Governor and
Legislature were chosen, and We see no reason 10
Relieve that Mr. Gilmer the American cand-
date for Governor, was not every whit as strong
as hi. party is. Mr.. Fillmore viii be. There
was every reason why whoever wants to bea.
Buchanan should have voted :or Gilmer. The poll
is heavy-we believe the heaviest ever taken
in the Stste-the candidates for Governor AMI
Legislature nun well together-snd there is fear
iul stesdlness aud eyeDness in the gains for the
Buchanan party. Hall 4 dozen Counties-no.
more-src the conspicuous exceptions. The ma
ior,y IN the Legisa a.ure, as well as on Governor,
is larger than spy parry hes bad before in that
S.ste within our Remembrance. There can no
longer lie reasonable doubt as to the yoe Of NoriL
Carolina.
MIsso, ri offered a chance for revolution which
the old Wbig party could never have failed to
prtfit by. At the two preceding Congressional
Elections. the Wigs chose decided majority Of
the Members, through the division If their adver-
saries. Now the Americans have failed to do
this, though the same opportunity was given them.
In ST. Louis, the regular or Ant. Benton Democ-
rscy helped Kennets all they dared, yet Blair is
elected. The BtntonaDs on the other hand.
helped Li1dley, vet be too is run out OF the old
Whie Members, only Csruthers is reelected, aud
he runnioc As Democrat. Bu, two "Americans"
arc chosen In the Stssc, while their Governor and
sl their Safe Ticket are beaten several thousands
by the Anti ntous. though the Benton ticket
drew off some Twenty Thousand votes. There i,
DO longer u shadow ci reason Tor believing that
Fillmore c,n carry Missouri.
ARKANSAS has for nearly two !esrs been the
theater of Know Nothing preparation aud drlliag
E. the contest irs. orcr. A. o,c tine, il Ma be-