The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-08-15
THE PRESIDENTIAL CANvASS-THE
PROSPECTS.


The Baltimore American, an old line Whie
paper, concludes long article upon the
subject of the canvass with the following
remarks:
ooking ut the aspect presented bv the
canvass few months since and that in which
il now forces itself upon pub ic attention, the
most blind believer in party power ar the
most thorough dependent upon the virtues of
sectional agitation cannot fail 10 see that
these parts n and fanatica defrncps are fast
falling before the earnest manifestations of
the peoples aill. Mr.. Fillmore, from being
considered the candidate merely of frag.
mertarv party, whose chances We're to b.
calculated solely with reference tn the amount
of damage he might do to other candidates.
without the possibility of effecting anything
for himself, has grown Ia be the leader of the
field, and every day adds to the strength of
the conclusion that the real hrunt of the fight
is to be between him and the hosts of nboli
tion sectionulism. AT the South the fillibns.
tering planks of the Cincinnati platform, put
in 60 please the Soule and Qnit,pan segment
of the party, have greatly injured il with the
MISSES. Mr.. Buchanan, personally unpopular
there, is still further damaged by his afiirma
ton of the squatter sovereignty plank of che
platform, whilst the action ot the Democratic
majority of the Senate has shown that those
features of that platform tn which the party in
the South has clnng with the strongest fdeli.
", are not Tor moment held binding when
a local purpose or u political advantage il Ia
be achieved by their abandonment. AT the
South the caiise of the d.. ocraiic party is
clouded By apathy ana distr,,st. Maryland
and Louisiana. Kentucky and Tennessee are
given To Mr.. Fillmore, almost BY common
consent; his chances in North Carolina and
Georgia are daily frightening; Missouri will
tall to him bv the hopeless division of the
Benton and Aiehis"n Democracy, and even in
the GibraIter of Virginia the raraest nnG
unanimous movement OF the Old Line Wings
is making Mr.. Buchanan's success probe.
matical.
At the North the Democrats are in even n
worse case. The great element of strength.
the foreign vote, is irr.trirvably divided, and
almost every day keeps up the record of the
detection Of papers aud lenders who have
heretofore been the prominent advocates aud
upholders of political democracy. The freesoi
heresy has indeed attacked the very vitals OF
the party, and br"kei'. confused and disuaypd,
il is no longer in condition to maintain the
fight with even a srmblance d. purpose and
energy. The Indications are indeed nnrrring
that If Mr. Fillmore was not in the field Mr..
Fremont would sweep the entire North. In
the position of the former, however, il is thai
the country finds lis safety. As the other
parties weaken and distract erch other BY the
vi"lenre of partizanship and the ultrasm OF
sectional agitation, the, moderation Of his
position and the constitutional rquipoise OF
his claims are having their effect IN attracting
Ia his support those wbu d-sirr 10 preserve
the country from th,se extremes, aud who
see in The fair record OF hs fofmcr service the
guarantee that he is the man to perform the
grateful and patriotic task. The movement.
already so powerfully originated in his favor,
is destined to gain strength as the cnnvass
progresses s, and we have n right to the hope
that the result in November next " i'll declare
that the people have not been unnEdiuI of
the dangers to which th. cou TRY is exposed
nor negl,cIful of safe and honorable means
Of av"ding them. aiffe f,ern.