Daily national Democrat., 1858-11-25
DR.. G. p. CULVER.

The ELECTIONS IN 1854 AND lS5S.-The Le-
compton press are comparing the defeats Of
the Democratic party in 1854, with the de-
feats which have taken place this year, and
argue therefrom that the party must again
be successful in 1860, as it was in 1856 The
passage of the Kansas Nebraska bill, for
which the Democracy became mainly respon-
sible, is assumed to be the cause of the down
fall of the party four years ago, and it is not
denied that the action of the administration
in endea, oring to force an obnoxious Consti-
tuition upon the people of Kansas, was the
sole cause of the disasters to the party this
year.
Were it necessary, we believe it could be
shown that the novelty of Know Nothingism
was a more potent lever in the hands of the
opponents of Democracy in 1854, than the re-
peal of the Missouri Compromise The Re-
publicans were not then organized, and the
Know Nothings did not, during that year at
least, make any issue with the Democrats in
regard to the Kansas Nebraska bill this they
would scarcely have failed to do, had that
measure been so very unpopular in the
North.
But even admitting that the Democracy
were defeated in 1854, in consequence of the
principle which the party had inaugurated
as a settlement of the slavery question, there
is little similarity between the causes which
resulted in the defeat of the party that year
and this Then, the masses of the party reso-
| lutely adhered to the Kansas Nebraska bill,
contended that it was equitable and Just, and
were willing to stand or fall by the principle.
The defeat this year was occasioned solely
| by the fact that the administration which the
Democracy had placed in power, attempted
to nullify leading principle of the party
creed and Notwithstanding the masses of the
Democracy repudiated this attempt, yet the
party in many cases was held responsible for
| the acts of the administration. In the North
western States in particular, the party in a
body, has repudated the Kansas policy OF
the administration, and a reference to IL few
leading facts, will show how deep was the
feeling in those States against Lecomptonism.
In Ohio notwithstanding large majority of
the delegates to the State convention were
anti i-Lecompton, they were induced for fear
of losing the votes of a few office holders, to
pass over without notice, the treachcry of the
administration, although their nominees were
| all friends os Douglas This temporizing po-
| licv occasioned a loss of from 10000 to 1000
votes to the party, as compared with the
| vote of last year. In Indiana, the State con-
vention declared for Popular Sovereignty
while the Lccomptonites got control of a
number of the Congressional Conventions,
and nominated for reelection, some of the
present members. The result showed loss
on the Congressional ticket of over $4,000
votes as compared with the State ticket, the
candidates on the latter being elected by a
majority of from two to three thousand votes.
1t Is within bounds to say that three-fourths
of the Democrats of both of these States, are
friends of Douglas, and regard his construc-
ton of the Kansas Nebraska bill as the true
Democratic doctrine. In 1854, many voted
the Democratic ticket, in preference to the
Know Nothing, who dislpproved of the Kan
sas Nebraska bill, but the most of these went
over to the Republicans, on the organization
of that party y-Nevada Democrat.