The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-09-03

urged III favor OF the presidential candidate o
the democratic party, which, though false, as il
is unfairly presented, deserves reply.
We are called upon to vote for James Buch-
anan for the purpose of defeating Fremont, the
candidate of the republican party. We are
urged to to this on the assumed ground that
Mllard Fillmore cannot be elected, and the ap-
peal is made to us as southern men, to present
an undivided southern front against the north
by uniting on Buchanan! 1-@ ' -a
In the first place, the argument is purely a
sectional one, and calculated rather to aggra-
vate than to avert the evils impending the coun-
try. We intend to defeat Fremont, but it shall
be done by national vote "Whoever is for
the north as against the south, or for the south
against the north, - is not of our political faith.
This is the sentiment of our great leader Mil
lard Fillmore, and it is endorsed by every truly
national man from Maine to California.
Again. Those who use the argument are not
sincere in it. They never deny that Fillmore is
a national man--that he has been tried and
proved preeminently worthy Of American con-
fdence. Yetit has never occurred to them to
propose a aaaion on hiimi This oversight comes
of their peculiar habit Of looking forward-not
to the good of the country--but solely to the
success of the democratic party. u,
The argument is unsound Because if Buch-
anan should go up with every southern vote, it
will not elect him. He must have in addition,
twenty nine northern votes-and these are hard
y to be obtained, by laying aside every other
consideration, and defying the north to a sec
tional issue and a trial of strength. IfFremont
is elected, it must be exclusively by northern
votes, for he cannot get vote from the south.
The north has a majority of the electoral vote,
and if she chooses to cast them for Fremont,
what difference would it make whetherthe south
were united or divided? Mr.. Fillmore and Mr..
Buchanan will, together, receive every south
ern vote, despite the treachrrous actions Of the
democratic party in Missouri and they WILL to-
gether, be more likely to carry twenty nine
northern votes than Mr.. Buchanan alone
Aside from the main question, l believe that
Fillmore will alone receive sufficient number
of northern votes, which, added to his southern
vote, will give him majority in the electoral
college. But if he does not. and he and Buch-
anan together can take twenty nine northern
votes from Fremont, (which they certainly can,
it will defeat Fremont in the popular election
and, thus defeated, lie is forevAr defeated 1t
is undeniable that if the election goes into the
house Representatives there are conservative
men enoug in the house, if united, to elect a
national man. If this union cannot then be ef-
fected, it will be the fault Of the democratic
party, and go aside here to remark, that if the
democratic party had not sulkily rejected every
proposition at afiiation with the American party,
Banks would never have been elected speaker.
But suppose the democratic party to be as
cf1,hh ocl, ,a,fIy in ha
stands lsJ its own candidate, the result will be
no election in the house. In this event, the
vice president, by the constitution, becomes de
facto president. The senate will have the select
ing of the vice president, and the senate being
democratic, will select Breckenridge. . I am sure
democracy will have no right to complain at
sucta result.
Nevertheless, ifthe party is not satisfied with
this reasoning and remain patrioicaly soli
citous on the subject let then, sua1low Meir oagn
prescription, and withdruao their osgn candidate!
This can be done with better grace, because
Fillmore is a tried mana true mana man
more generally beloved by and acceptable to
the American people, than is James Buchanan.
But the republican party Of the north have,
discovered, as have the democratic party of the
south, that Fillmore will defeat them, and then
are making the same complaint. The truth is,
fellow citizens. our candidate is very much in
the way of his opponents everywhere.
will dismiss this pet argument of our oppo-
nents with one more remark: I believe their
object in urging it, is, that they are afraid FIJI
more auiN be elected, and are endeavorng to make
scarecrow of Fremont to frighten the timid
into doing their will, when they will laugh at
them as the dupes of their sophistry, and the
victims of their false alarms
Fear not, fellow -citizens Fremont can never
be elected The party that nominated him.
are famous for enthusiastic conventions, but
when their action comes before the people, the
enthusiasm subsidies. With all abiding con-
hdence in the patriotism of the American peo
pie, we will present no sectional issues as.they
would persuade US, but meet the sectionalist on
national grounds. and overwhelm him with a
degrading consciousness of his own moral trea-.
son. Already has the fatal blow been struck, :
and nobly was it done! The voice that so re-
Gently echoed along the shores of tie Hudson
heralded the doom of the reckless agitator, and
smothered the thunder of the sable republican
artillery! Strong and fearless in his purpose of
rght--unmindful of his own success or defeat
and determined with all the resolution of his
own great heart to detect the traitor-Millard
with irresistible hand, tore the silver
veil from the face of the false prophet, and ex-
posed the loathsome thing in all its horrible ug-
illness. How the Stewards, the Greeleys and the
Wilson's howled, when, in the language of the
Washington Union, "Fillmore exposed the dis
union purpose of the black republican nomina-
ton. and how were the deceived masses Of that
party brought to a sober reflection! You will
remember that Fillmore did this at Albany,
while James Buchanan was playing "bde and
whoop" behind the democratic platform.
TIE democratic organs of the country have
adopted what they call '';he unanswerable az
gument'' Of Mr.. Fillmore against the repuhli-
can party, and yet they insist on us supporting
Mr.. Buchanan with the hermetcal seal on his
lip, for he has declared himself an absolute and
"say nothing" would ask, are
men to be rewarded for doing good, or are they
to berewarded for an inveterate pledge to 81
ence and inaction? The answer should be, that
in an hour of peril like this, America expects
every man to do his duty. The American
prinei pie has been recently most triumphantly
vindicated by the Germans of the north, who