The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1858-05-28
THE GRAND CAMPAIGN OF 1860
OUR POLITICAL PARTIES TAKING
SOUNDINGS.
From the New York Herald

North aud South, Of the opposition parties
ofthe day are beginning to take their SCUM
dings and bearings in reference TO the grand
campaign of 1860, some from one point of
view and some from another; but all directed
to the common purpose of the total over.
throw of the terrified democracy in the next
grand struggle for the federal spois and
public plumber of one hundred millions q
year.
The democratic party, as illustrated in the
results of the elections of 1856, stands in a
popular minority throughout the country OF
nearly four hundred thousand. The opposi-
ton regard this fact as conclusive of the
finishing blow TO their crippled adversaries in
1860. The detection of Senator Douglas
has strengthened this conviction; and the
most sagacious men of the remaining remnant
of the once all powerful democratic organiza.
ton are disposed to regard this detection OF
Douglas as decisvely settling the question,
should he continue to stand out. On the
other hand, even with his return to the party
camp, it may well be doubted whether he
will be competent to bring back 1.-THE of
the deserters of the rank and file who have
followed him across the lines upon the Kan
sas abstraction of popular sovereignty" 1t
is a comparatively easy thing to pull down
an old castle, but it is very difficult thing
to rebuild the ruins and restore the fragments
exactly where they stood before. The uni
versal knowledge of the fact that the demo-
cratic party stands in an apparently hopeless
minority in the country has been operating
ever since Mr.. Buchanans election, not to
reunite its dsordered elements but to con-
tinue the work of disintegration.
All this, however, does not affect the adj
ministration of Mr.. Buchanan. He is secur.
ed in his Office till March A, 1861, and he
has no further favors to ask. The measure
of his ambition will be filled with f satisfac.
tory verdict from the country in behalf of his
stewardship of four years, and to this end
the policy of his administration, as it has
been, will continue to be directed. And rs
the democratic party in 1856 and at every
preceding election since their first nomina-
ton of General Jackson, nominated. the man
they believed to be most available for their
purposes, without regard TO the peculiar
claims of Tom, Dick or Harry, so will they
be left by Mr.. Buchanan TO the full exercise
of this paramount law of expedency in 1860.
But as in 1856 there was only one man that
could save the party, very likely in 1860 they
may not be able to single out even one man
competent, in their own estimation, to save
them.
The opposition, however, would do well
to remember that their tremendous popular
majority in the Uniop amounts to nothing if
FILTERED away amonga parcel of irreconcila-
bic factions. Since 1886 they have been in
a popular majority in the country, and yet,
since that day they have had but two Presi-
dents out of five, the other three being lost
from foolish discussions and divisions among
themselves. In 1874 they would have cleo
ted Henry Clay had they not thrown fifteen
thousand votes in New York away upon Biz
ney. In 1852 they could have elected Scott
had they not been cut up root and branch by
the mischief making Seward men, the jeal-
GUS Webster men and the indignant native
Americans, who could neither stomach "the
lovely German accent" nor "the sweet Irish
brogue," to which General Scott had capitu-
lated over another "hasty plate of soup
In 1856, however, the opposition factions
permitted Mr.. Buchanan to be elected, while
casting popular majority in round numbers
ofthree hundred and eighty thousand against
him.
The only two instances in which, since the
organization of the democratic patty the OPP
position elements were united upon single
candidate, North and South, were those of
1910 and l84S, and in both these cases they
were successful, because they had the resour-
ces for success if, combined, and they were
combined. But at present everything is at
loose ends with the opposition factions.-
The Know Nothings propose to ignore the
niger agitation, and to fuse upon other is.
Sues but Mr.. Seward and his pipers and
pipelayers say Move will maintain our
platform of eternal hostility to the "slave
power" Come over TO us, or stand aside
we would be glad to admit you, but we can
do without you. Greedy feels lively SYM
pathy for Mr.. Douglas, and hopes the repub-
leans Of Illinois will treat him magnanimous-
ly. "No," say the Illinois republicans, "nev-
er-we have other fish to fry. Attend to
your own affairs, you New Workers., and
leave us to manage ours. We shall be
pleased to accept Mr.. Douglas with full re-
cantation of his democratic heresies; other
wise he may go. We can do without him.
We have no favors to ask and no concessions
10 make"
Such are the existing disagreements among
the opposition factions upon principles. Up.
on the question of men these disagreements
are more likely to be widened than accom-
modated, unless all their outstanding and
hod-over candidates, North and South, should
be set aside, and some new man taken up
free from all factious grudges and sectional