Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-07-24


ignored as distinct organization And well it may
be. For it has scarcely an existence North, and is
in contemplate minority where it is strongest in
the South
From the n Y. Herald, July II.
The Presidency and Presidential Candida-
tes-.The Opposition and the Democracy.
We publish this morning, from of our Wes-
tern exchanges, q very earnest, aTgumentatiVe and
plausible article, in support Of the claims OF Col
Fremont as the proper for the Presidential can
didate of the opposition in 1860 This argument is
based upon the remarkable popularity of Fremont,
as disclosed by his splendid run Of 1856, from the
results Of whchit is commended he stands Gin every
respect the foremost of the opposition political
world" Furthermore, says our enthusiastic plead
er, it was scarcely within the bounds of possbih
~ that he (Fremont) should be elected in 1856
but there was not another man. who, lin his place.,
could have carried half the electoral votes that he
obtsined"
Now, conceding all this in behalf of Fremont, we
must not overlook the important fact in reference to
Presidential candidates, as in regard to all other
men. that circumstances alter cases" Thus. the |
circumstances Of 1861 touching the candidate Of
the opposition, may be wholly different from those
Of 1856 That a new state Of things will be pre- /
sented requiring some new candidate, is already /
abundaDlly manifest Il seems 10 be understood /
that Fremont would be as much dependent in 1860 !
rs in 1856 upon the isolated vote Of the Northern
States And here the Fump Of Know EothiBgs would
be necessary 10 secure any hope Of success; but VINO
so foolish as to expect their operation, afer neir
confession that they supported Fillmore in 1896 for
no other purpose than TO defeat Fremont?
We think therefore from these considerations
and from all the existing aspects of the political
field that Col Fremont is not the man for 1850.
But if Fremont has ceased to be available under the
new necessities Of the times, certainly there is
availability iu any Of the rest of the outstanding
opposition candidates The nomination of Seward
would speedily reduce the great party which his
trumpeiers suppose are ready to follow him, to 8
mere abolition or free soil faction, like that which
supported Hale in 1852 or Van Buren, in 1913 Mr..
Ranks would not do, for his Know Nothing athla-
! tiops are too prominent. Mclean will not answer,
! because he is too old will Chase or Hale, be-
cause they are men of but one sectional idea-hos-
tiIity to slavery All these men and all other North
ern can didates of the anti slavery pattern will be
unavailable for 1860, because the niger, in that
contest will be overshadoWed by other issues OF
new and more practical character.
On the south side of Mason and Dixon's line Mr.
] Crittenden looms up into the foreground, and close
behind him stands Senator John Bell. as a leading
| opDOsitiOn conservative But Mr.. Crittenden, We
apprehend is also out of the question, and also Mr.
! Bell if we would have man whose name would be
the signal for the fusion of all the opposition odds
and ends North and South. MIR. CIittenden and
| Mr. Bell were among the most active supporters OF
the Fillmore movement of 1856; and the supporters
of Fremont in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois
will not forgetit. 1t would be difficult thing, even
at this day to rally the hard democracy upon a
candidate who active Van Buren, campsigner
in 1S4S: and il will be much difficult in 1860 to
rally the Fremont rank and file upon any prominent
Fillmore leader Of 1856. Old partisan accounts Of
this sort can only be accommodated by sort Of
! half way com pomise both sides; and hence the
apparent necessity of dropping all the hold
candidates Of both the republicans and the rump OF
the Know NOthings, and ofnOminating some entirely
new man, after the fashion of the democracy when
they find themselves tied up hand and foot, by their
old candidates and the Wrangling cliques who sup
port them.
But where is the new man who will answer the
necessities of the opposition in 1860? Upon whom
can Northern republicans, old line wings Van Buren,
and Sias Wright and Fremont democrats radical
Germans and conservative Irishmen, tariff men and
free traders, and Northern and Southern Know
Nothings, be brought to cOalesce? We have indIoa-
ted the man, according to our understanding of his
position anteeedents and principles, upon whom all
these odds and ends of the opposition camps North
and South, may be fused; and General Simon Cam
eron Of Pennsylvania, is the individual. He is a
central man, republican, but not an ultra repu6li-
can, and man, too, Of democratic, old line whig
and Know Nothing antecedens and affiliations, quite
sufficient to swear by, but not enough to hurt him
anywhere He is also q tariff man; but of that
moderate Pennsylvania school which is not without
host Of disciples as far South as Georgia. Above
ALL the late session of Congress has shown General
Cameron to he an eminently conservative man, when
It was generally expected that it would prove him to
be a violent niger WOTshipping agitator.
! We name General Cameron, then, as the proper
| man upon whom 10 perfect conservative amalgama~
ton Of all the Of position forces If any of our CO.
/ tempoTaTies know of any new man more available
for 1860 the opposition standard bearer, WY let
them trot him out. That is all At all events, let
them profit from the teachings of the past, and from
the wholesome lessons them by the democracy,
if they would win the Presidency. The best of these
democratic lessons is this that where your old can
md in fha of nd horrp
are to set them aside and take up man
not identified with any of these old wrangling and
|, clashing clques. Thus Polk was nominated and
elected in 1874; thus Pierce nominated and
elected in 1852 and thus, by the opposition, Harri
son in 1910, and Taylor in l848, each taken up
and elected.
But, having shown the existing necessities for a
new opposition candidate in 1860, and having in
dcated man for the purpose, what can we say for
the democracy? Mr.. Buchanan will return to the
J grateful retirement of Wheatand with the expira
ton Of his official term. The field is open on the
democratic side to all aspTents. The President is
not a candidate, and has not, as Old Hickory had
? an anoined heir for the succession. What demo-
cratic candidates, then have we from which to make
a selection? First and foremost, all Northern can
ddates must be set aside for the good and sufficient
reason that the last three democratic candidates
, Cass, Pierce and Buohansn-Were all from the
North.
The South, then, will claim, and will in all proba
biity be allowed, the candidate in 1861 But where
are we to find him? Not in Virginia, for there an
intestine feud between the Wise and the Hunter
men threatens to tear the local party all to finders
and the selection of either Hunter or Wise would be
an experiment too dangerous to be attempted. How
is it in Georgia? Why there we fear that between
the rival claims of Cobb and Stephens, and others,
a choice is out Of the question. But there is Mr..
Speaker Orr of South Carolina, Jefferson Davis OF
Mississippi, and Aaron v Brown of Tennessee, who
are available men, The conservative and statesman.
like character of Mr.. Speaker Orr has been fully
} developed in Congress. He is man of national
principles Jefferson Davis, too, has of late proved
, himself entitled to the same distinction The adj
mnistration at the late session had not more useful
earnest and consistent supporter in the Senate upon
the great issues of the day. than Jefferson Davis.
As for the Postmaster Genersl-an able and capable
mamie was faVOrite Of Old Hickory, is favorite
of the Tennessee conservative democracy, and stands
in very favorable position, lOcalan general among
the prominent conservative chiefs of the party, in
reference to the succession.
Before, however, we can determine anything in
regard TO parties sections or factions, or party
candidates for 1860, we must await the upshot of
The approaching elections for the next Congress In
the interval, PARTIES, cliques candidates and plat
forms remain like ships and shallOps in shallow
harbor at dead low water, awaiting the return of
the tide.
News from meXicO--The British Legation
There 10 be Characterization of our Cow
eminent on the Mexican QUestiOn-sThe
Nicaragua Transit ROufessOur Minister
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