Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-11-07
IL &c EIeetlons b &c North West.

The Late Elections in the North West.
In looking at the results Of the elections in what
are called "the free States, as compared with
results in the preceding four years. there nothing
to discourage the national democratic party. While
these results have not been in all respects what we
hoped, they stin, in every instance. show q hand
some increase in the democratic strength. In sOsy
iastaHes, cur friends have done much better than
they were able to do four years ago. If the results
then didnOt discourage the democratic party, and it,
in spite Of Them we we're able to elect our President
two years ago by triumphant majority, we have
cause now to congratulate ourselves on steady in
crease Of strength in all the northern and western
States -Four years ago, the democrats elected
but tlgsHty~fpo members of Congress in ell the
non-slaveholdiDg States. The next Congress will
contain over thirty members from those States.
At the time, too, when the results in those States
were thus disastrous to the democratic party, We
were oOntendiDg, in all the southern States, with
the knOW-nOthing fanaticism, and were defeated in
several Of these States. barerecurreuce to these
facts win show political friends that the demo-
cratic party is in far healthier condition nov, two
years before the next Presidential election, than
it was in two years before the last Presidential
election. Hardly anywhere in the south do our
opponents now make a show Of open fight A
aneaking attempt to elect judge or constable,
and stirring Of the dry-bones when there is chance
Of the democrats quarreling among themselves
about banks, is all there is left to remind us that
there ever was such thing as a EnOy-Rothing.
TwoeVears ago, the democrats elected more mem
bers Of Congress in the non slavehOldiug States
than thew have INV eleeted They Fero able 10 do
this only because the FILLMORE know nothings
then had candidates in many of the districts, and
divided the opposition vote. Thus, in Ohio, two
years ago, we had eight members Of Congress,
while in the next Congress we viii have but five. But
we only had a majority over both abOliionlsts and
know nOthingsin onsdistriot. This year the fusion
has been almost perfected, and our candidates ran
sgainst this fusion of all the opposition elements
Even in Pennsylvania, the combined vote of the
opposition two years ago would have been nearly
successful as it has proved this year.
The great gains of the democratic party in the
north and west since 1874 are within the knowledge
Of every one who oanremember four years back. A
comparison Of the figures also shows large gain since
1856 As We have said at the elections the present
year, the Republicans and the knoW-nothings have
uniformly voted for the same candidates for State
officers, except in New York, in opposition to the
Democrats; whereas at the Presidential election in
1856, they had their respective candidates. FOrthis
reason in comparing the results Of the present year
with those Of the same States at the Presidential
election in 1885, it is proper to include the Rspub-
cans and knoW-nOthings in one class. And this we
have done in the annexed table -