Washington sentinel., 1856-05-27

y
to the Cincinnati Convention, and various rea
sons are suggested why some other candidate
than Mr. Buchanan should obtain the nomina
tion. The reason for this is quite apparent
Our opponents have long since discovered that,
with Mr.. Buchanan as Our nominee, they must
depend entirely upon their own strength for
success, and that an exposure of their weak
ness would utterly destroy their party. They
have hitherto been strong only by conglomera-
tion; but the old National Wings will have mo-
thing to do with either Know-nothingism or
Abolitionism, if Mr.. Buchanan be run as the
candidate for the Presidency. This fact is
manifest all over the country. The Leesburg
Democratic Mirror truthfully says, that the de-
sign of the opposition press in every portion of
our Union, in deprecating the claims Of James
Buchanan to the Presidency, while they set
forth ingeniously the merits of some, and openly
eulogise the noble character Of others Of our
great men, is too obvious to escape the obser-
walton of any one of ordinary intelligence, and
too palpable and gross to advance their cher
ished desires. Their wish, of course, is under
any circumstances whatever, that the Demo
cratic party should nominate their most un-
available man; but having themselves made q
feeble nomination and placed it upon plat
form Of vague generalties too weak for the
South and not strong enough for the North,
their desire in this respect is greatly infamed.
Nothing could be more palatable or cause q
greater degree of rejoicing and exultntion in
the Know-nothing ranks, than that the Demo
| cratic Convention to assemble at Cincinnati
| should cast overheard the man who is freest Of
Imaginary sin; and to this end, their efforts
are uniformly and vehementy directed to de-
probation of the political character Of one of
the Oldest most learned, patriotic and certainly
NEST available members of our party. This
course Of our opponents cannot fail to convince
any sensible Democrat that Mr.. Buchanan is
considered by the opposition as our strongest
man, whose nomination it is their policy to
defeat; for, unless their attack upon him at this
time be intended to defeat his nomination, it
certainly must be looked upon as both ungen-
erous and senseless and if they wish his nomi-
nation defeated, the Democratic party may de-
pend upon it that it is not because he is the
weakest man we have, but because he is the
one iohOns they hare most reason to fear.
We have some half dozen men whose ac-
knowledged ability and broad patriotism render
them the pride and boast. and glory of our
party; men whose commanding talents and
uniform nationality, exercised in defence Of the
constitutional right of every section of the
Confederacy, have SO endeared them to grateful
hearts throughout our entire country, as to
cause them to manifest an unwillingness to
yield their favoritism. Our foes, taking ad-
vantage Of this yirtuous spirit, to beget confu-
sion in our ranks, and to overthrow our party,
marshall all their art and inesse to foster this
preference, and to seal particular sections to
the fortunes of their favortes. If this can only
be effected, our choicest men may be slaugh-
tered in the Nominating Convention, and we
shall then have to fall back upon Just what our
enemy SO eagerly crave-the nomination of
secOnd-rdte man.
While with admirable dexterity our oppo-
nents magnify the claims of others whose
nomination at this time they know to be beyond
probability, they with equal skill deteriorate
Mr.. Buchanan, whose selection, by the Conven-
| tion, would, without the slightest doubt, f1
their defeat. They know that to defeat Mr..
Buchanan in this way, is, to defeat all other
prominent men before the Convention; that,
if delegates 60 to Cincinnati with precon.
ceived and memorable intention of adhering to
their favorites in opposition to Mr.. Buchanan
without any disposition to give him their sup
port under any considerations whatever, the
inevitable result of such a course must be to
exasperate his admirers, and to fix their in
veteracy with equal infexibility. The conse-
quence of such antagonism is obvious and un-
deniable-sll the best and most available men
To bring about this result is the cherished
purpose Of our enemy, and the pean sung in
honor of some Of our distinguished leaders is
no less part of their policy, than their unmit-
| igated effort to abate the reputation of Mr.
Buchanan as a national man or genuine Dem
ocrat To strengthen a prejudice against him,
and to foster the already decided preference ex-
pressed for others, equally aim at the indis-
criminate demolition of all our greatest and
most effective men.
The dangerous seed thus early attempted to
be sown in our ranks, may bring forth the fruit
Of signal and inglorious defeat for though
the Convention should agree upon a compro
mise nominee, its delegates win return home
with bitter memories and a want Of ardor fatal
| to party whose miasmatic particles will
spread throughout our rank and file, and emas
culate our energies if not entirely destroy our
vitality.
Our party should duly consider the danger
| Gus tendencies of such results, and now, while
| they may, use their energies to avert them.
We not only believe Mr.. Buchanan to be amply
auaiia6ls, by which we mean that the party
would more likely succeed with him in the
coming election than with any one else; but
we conceive his nomination demanded by ex-
pediency, by which we mean that we would be
successful with him as n leader, and also so
harmonic and strengthen the Democratic
party throughout the entire Union, so as to put
victory for years to come almost beyond doubt
Unless we shall be able in the. future, so to
modify the nature of our National Convention
\ as to select our nominees from our greatest and
purest Statesmen, we shall find them to lose
character, their actions to be deeply denounced,
and the good and wise men Of our party to look
upon them as the affairs upon which the worth
and wisdom Of the country are to be inundated.
We hope we have not been misunderstood in
our adoption Of the rule of expediency. But Of
several statesmen, whose eminent abilities and
services have rendered them worthy the conf
dence and suffrages Of the people, Mere may be
one, from the more favorable rela,,,, rs he bears
TO the entire country, better calcutte to secure
all the desired ends Of party than the rest The
application Of the rule of expediency so far as
to give such an one the preference, is course
Of wise policy which can be objected to by none,
and it is to this extent that we are willing to
| apply it, but not, for the purpose of securing