The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-10
The Appzoss hfn9 Eiecta sns Tor sns Next Con-
gTsss as0 the Next Presidency.

gross aao the Next Presidency.
The approaching elections for the next Con-
eres will be unusually important; because, from
the present distracted and confused condition OF
parties and sections, and from all the political
signs of the times, we shall most probably have
three or four Presidential tickets in the
field in 1860, failure TO elect by the
people, and an election by the House OF
Representatives.
We presume that every Presidential asp'rant
of every party, impressed with living hope for
the succession, has carefully studied over this
very possible contingency Of an election by the
House; and we may expect, therefore, an ex-
traordiaesy.degree of vigilance on all sides in
referel&r,Sb the nominations for the next COn-
gress. 1Ais vigilance has already been active
ly developed In this neiehborhood In reference
10 the expediercy, on the part of the republi-
cans, OF supporting democratic snti-Lecomp-
ton member or two for a re election upon trust.
In this controversy the philosophers Of the 7ri-
b,ne are entirely disposed to act upon the conf.
dence principle, while Chevalier Webb, of the
Courier, cannot restrain his misgvings that your
anti Lecompton democrat may prove to be a
wolf in sleeps clothing The republicans of
Illinois have shown still more strikingly the
same distrust of Mr.. Douglas and the anti-Le.
compton democracy in that quarter; and from
these and other manifestations of rigid party
exactions, ii is evident that the republicans, at
least, are pretty thoroughly awake to all the
contingencies upon which the election of Mr..
Dunhapou'e o,,nnoaenr da0and
We have said, too, and have given our rea-
sons for this impression, that the opposition
will have majority in the next House of Repre-
sentatives, unless the elections, on their part,
shall be conducted with something worse than
their usual bad management. How stands the
matter now! In the present House we find
that the democracy stand in the proportion of
12s against LOG of the opposition side-in-
Guiding ninety-two republicans and fourteen
Know Nothings-which give the democrats
q clear majority Of twenty-five. This is
very respectable majority; but careful
analysis of the elections to this Congress,
and of the present condition of parties
will show that this majority may be easily
overcome. A change in twelve Congressional
districts will change this majority to a majority
of one on the other side; and we are aware
that including New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois-and without going
farther-the republicans expect revolution in
at least twenty districts.
The Fillmore movement in 1856 not only
gave the Presidency to Mr.. Buchanan, but Sc
cured also the present democratic majority in
the popular branch of Congress; for while this
Fillmore experiment was too weak to accom-
plish directly anything in the South, beyond
the electoral vote of Maryland, it was yet
strong enough to WELD the balance of power in
the North for President and for Congress but
now, the rump of the Know Nothing party,
by general consent having dropped Fill
more as an obsolete idea," and having
trotted out Mr.. Crittenden with some
very fattcring Acknowledgements from the
republican organs, there is a prospect that
in the elections for the next Congress in
the North the republicans and Know Nothings
will amslgamate more cordially than hereto
fore, and that In the South the opposition vote
will he much more fully developed than 10
1856, when it was given mostly as a mere mat
ter of form, and without the slightest hope Of
success.
In the present Congress, from the Southern
States there are only fourteen opposition mem.
bcrs, and they are known as South Americans
two from Georgia, against seven democrats
two from Kentucky, against eight demo
Gratis; one from Louisiana, against three
democrats; three from Maryland, against
three democrats two from Missouri, against
four democrats; three from Tennessee,
against seven democrats; and one from
North Carolina, against seven democrats.
All the other Southern delegations are
entirely democratic. The democracy, there
FORE would have q very small margin left
them for any Congressional gains in the South
under the best auspices, but under their present
demoralized condition there is quite liberal
margin opened for opposition gains Another
thing will probably operate against the Southern
democracy the Congressional elections In all
the Southern States, with a few secondary excep-
tions, come off in 1859, whereas In nearly all the
Northern States they come of this fail Ac-
cordingly. should the Northern elections betray
the condition of the Northern democracy rs
hopeless one. the effect will most likely be to
encourage the opposition and to depress the de-
mocracy 10 the South. This will undoubtedly
he the case with anything ike fair prospect
for the union Of the opposition forces, North and
South, in lsG0.
The popular vote of the Union In the Presi-
DENTAL election of 1856 shows an opposition
majority against the democracy Of nearly four
hundred thousand votes Nothing has yet oc-
CURED indicating any positive gains upon this
popular vote by the democracy since that cleo
ton. True, they carried this State last fall by
handsome majority; but more than one hun
dred thousand voters remained at home. Since