Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-02-11
what the Figures Prove.

WHAT t08 A8ulG Asovc.
In reply to an article in the southsids Demo-
crat, which labors to show from an analysis OF
the final vote for Speaker that the National Amer
leans could have defeated the election Of Banks.
and are therefore responsible for it, the Peters.
burg Intelligencer makes the following conclu.
sive statement: -
Every body knows that the adoption Of the
plurslify rule necessitated the election the first
vote under IL; & therefore, il Is upon the change
in the mode Of ballottng that the whole question
Of guilt hinges. Now let us see how this matter
stands. The Banks men voted in a body for that
rule, with the exception Of l.. ID. Campbell, who
had not been up 10 the time steady supporter
Of Banks.l They numbered l03. They lacked
six to secure its sdcpiion--and where did they
get themi From the '.treacherous National Know
Nothinrs" or from the patriotic ranks OF tn"
Democracy They did not get single vote
frunn the FIRST aasaed party-Do-nof one-nn'
they did get twelve FROM the Democracy. being
six more than they wanted and thus the plurality
rule vas carried! On the final ballot which our
necbbors have taken So much pains to analyse
the vote stood for Banks 1903. lthe entire Black
Republican phalanx e1cept4 for Aiken 100 lin
GLIDING all the democrats except2 and oil the Ma
,ionals except6.) Fuller 6, Campbell 4, and
Wells /. The aggregate vote was 2l4. Now,
if the Black Republicans who voted for Camp
bell had vstetl for Banks il weuld have made the
the vote for the latter l07. 1.-THE six Fuller men
had voted for Aiken il would made his vote lOo
and Banks would still have been elected But
there is a very important crcum stance thatshouid
be noted in this connection. and this is that hv"
denserafs we're absent mot counting Richardson
who tied off, or Aiken, the candidate or Gen.
Bayly, who is in Cuba,) who if they had been
present and voted, might by the aid OF the Full
Ter men, have elected Aiken and defeated Banks.
There were, also. on the other had, SIX anti Ne
brdskd men absent who would no doubt, have
voted for Banks, and thus have elected him.
So under any aspect Of the case the six Fuller
men are not cbargeable with the imputaton ct
having prevented the election of Aiken or hav-
ing aided ia the election OF Banks. Are not the
flee absent Democrats at least as guilty IN the
premises as any othersi Why is IL, then, that
the National Americans. who could not have
secured Aken's election on the last ballot il they
had voted for him, in consequences OF the alb.
sence of five Of his own party and the refusal OF
another TO vote for him-wby is it. we say that the
attempt is now So industriously being made to
saddle Banks election upon the National Amer
loans. not one Of whom voted for him, or for the
Plurality rule, which they knew was u democrat
ic oontriyance to elect biml The object is pal
pabe. 1t is To throw dust into the eyes Of the
people, as to blind thcm 10 democratic deliquen
cies and msdoings. Wit, the fact staring the
nation in the face that the democracy could have
elected William Smith and refused to do that
they could have secured the co operation of the
National Americans at any stage of the proceed
ings by simply abstaining from the wanton and
extreme deaunciations which they increasingly
hurled ut that gallant little party, which stood
durDgsi.33 ballots as a break water against tho
waves OF ianaiicism, upon which the Black Re-
publicans had pat their candidate aHoat-with
the furthsrfsct that ut least fire their own num-
Der lodged. the final vote and thereby opened the
way to Banks triumph: with these aud other o.
qually glsring facts before the eyes Of the nation,
we do think that of all reck less and desperate eX
pedien.s eyer saw resorted to bya sinking
party this Of tina democ ratio press charging that
triumph to ihe fyeachery of the Natioaal Ameri-
cans is about the most reckless and desperate.