The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-06-18
The Deposition Faction Conventions and the
Presidency.

The Deposition Faction Conventions and the
Presidency.
The Presidential Conventions of the anti-de-
mocratic forces Of the country, from that which
nominated Mr.. Fillmore at Philadelphia, to the
remarkable gathering now in session there Qn
Guiding also the George Law and Com. Stockton
Conventions of this city,, taken all together,
present one Of the most ridiculous, ludicrous aD1
lamentable features of the wretched tactics of
the opposition. A stronger illustration could not
be offered of the stupidity and folly of these dis
cordant opposition factions, looking either to the
success of the leading principles common to them
all, or to the solid prize Of the public plumber.
Let us briefly state the case. There is but one
plan of action which to these opposition factions
offers any chance whatever of success and that
plan is solid concentration of all their forces
upon one common popular ticket for the success
sion, and upon the simple, but comprehensive and
popular platform Of new administration at
Washington. Upon this programme they may
make splendid fight; but with their forces d.
vided upon Tom, Dick and Harry, and upon the
nice distractions of Know Nothingism, Niger
ism and such nonsense, any estimates Of success
which any Of them may entertain must be based
upon some expected miraculous interpostion Of
Providence. or they must come from brains that
have been muddled by the moon.
What are the facts? Here we have from
the official returns of the State elections
of the last three years a recorded ma
jority of the popular vote of the country
of upwards of three hundred thousand (twice the
majority Of General Harrison) against this
Pierce administration and this Pierce policy, do
nestle and foreign, which has Just been repro
claimed as the democratic platform for this iden-
teal campaign. This opposition popular majo-
rty OF three hundred thousand is the broad
margin of active capital upon which they are
invited to coalesce and take the field. But what
do we see? Through the folly, imbecility, stu
pidity and ignorance Of the selfish leaders of the
opposition. we see their forces cut up and divided
into five separate and discordant factions, with
four or five different Presidential tickets. and
each faction apparently as hopeful of an election
as if there were no other candidate than its own
upon the track. They confound the rules Of
subtraction and multiplication, and seem to work
upon the principle that by .aking three from four
the remainder will be twelve. How else are we
to account for three separate Know Nothing fac
tions-one for Fillmore, one for Banks and one
for Stockholm and two factions Of niger wor-
shippers-one for Gerrit Smith and one for the
nominee of the pending Philadelphia Conven-
ton?
The democratic party, on the other hand,
though divided into three or four hostile fac
tions before the Cincinnati Convention have com
mon sense enough to understand that after their
child is christened they must be united as band
of brothers. or as band of robbers, or that all
will be lost. The opposition elements have the
raw material at hand for sweeping hurricane like
that Of 1910; yet, from little, paltry and con-
temptible discussions among cliques and would
be Presidents or Vce-Presidents, it is very pro-
bable that minority President will be elected,
as in ls4s, by tremendous plurality.
. These pompous conventions with which this
month Of June has been and is still distinguished,
have brought about some most astonishing and
arcical results. First, Live Oak George Law
calls together his North American" Convention,
with great deal Of fuss and fummery 1t ap-
pears TO have been formed, to some extent, Of
die chaps, picked up here and there to serve the
occason-most likely at so much per day-and
boarded round among the shilling refectories in
patches of ten or dozen, at SO much per head
per diem. Their labors were tremendous, and
their nomination O. Banks for President on the
ninth ballot puts the High Bridge in danger Of
spontaneous combustion. But there is mutiny in
the camp, and half dozen indignant deserters
march off. organize a separate Convention, and
nominate Com. Stockton. The gallant Commo-
dore, meantime, retired from the ocean, with his
pocket full of rocks, and his head full of pa
triotic aspirations for the White House, goes
scudding about the city like Jersey pilot boat
in storm, while his six or seven devoted follow
ers, perhaps with their pay in their pockets, are
putting him through the mill, with yelping
Bowery boys or the border ruflians.
But the grand omniam gdtaerum of these con-
ventions, 1.-THE beal and the end-all" Of the rag,
tag and bob-tail of the opposition forces, is now
in session at Philadelphia. We await the labors
of this enormous mountain. The public opinion
of the opposition masses has boldly and
impressively indicated Fremont as the man
for the crisis-new, fresh, popular, and with
history that will stir up the enthusiasm Of men,
women and children, from Maine to Mariposa.
Yet there are strong symptoms that, from the
contracted, sordid and corrupt intrigues of the
wireworkers and pipelayers at this Convention.
Fremont will be set aside, and that some old
fogy of twenty-five years standing as Presi-
Dental candidate will be proclaimed the happy
man. We shall not at all be surprised to sec the
Philadelphia Convention break its back with the
vain attempt to carry before the people some
heavy old gentleman, who, if he cann2t do any
good, has become too feeble for mischief.
The good old whg party in its day did now
h;,l,t