The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-19

] one hand, and the rufianism which on th,
other hand, controls the movements of tn,
democracy. And so, with regard to Know
Nothingism, we expect to get on "Wednesday
the funeral proceedings from Utica, Including
a moving eulogy from BOBBY Brooks or Gene
raj Gustayus Adolphus Scroggs.
| Wise and Douglas-Probablo Overthrow
of the Convention System or Presidcn,
| Making.
The impression is gaining ground that Mr.
Douglas must inevitably be an independent OF
stump candidate for the next Presidency. HI
has laid down his ultimatum to the Charleston
Convention. He will not accept the nomina
ton of that body without bis platform, mol
can ii be supposed that he will consent to sup
| port any other nomination upon any othe,
platform. lie has taken his ground. He has
committed his friends. He cannot recede. He
cannot surrender. The issue is thus reduced
to the submission or resistance Of the Conyen.
ton. Nor do We think that it requires any gift
of prophecy to predict the result The South
will be infcxibly opposed to both the man
and bis hobby; and the Convention will be
compelled to repudiate both in order to pre-
serve a semblance of the nationality of the
party.
Thus we may safely assume that Mr. Douglas
and his platform will be thrown out of the
Charleston Convention. And what then? He
cannot submit without falling back from the
position of leader to private in the ranks.
He will not do this. 1t is no part of his pro-
gramme. He will become IN Independent
Northern democratic candidate. We believe
that all his magazine essays, pamphlets and
stump speeches of the last six or eight months,
have been directed to this end, and in
view of the chances on his part of carrying
the Presidential election into Congress as one of
the three highest candidates from the Electoral
rational construction than this to the extensive
and expensive electioneering system in which
Mr.. Douglas is now so actively engaged. He
is mastering, recruiting and organizing his
forces-Grst, for vigorous fight in the Con-
yention, and secondly, for an active campaign
against the Convention. And so, after the
fashion of Martin Van Burens rebellion oil
lS4S, we may set down Mr. Douglas as an indie
pendent Northern democratic candidate for the
| next Presidency.
Gov. Wise, as Southern aspirant, upon an
impracticable Southern ultra platform, is in 9
similar position He, too, has forewarned the
Charleston Convention that his peculiar plat
form, tantamount to Congressional slave code
for the Territories, must be adopted, or that
there will be a Southern rebellion against the
'..ime- honored usages of the party" Butas the
Convention can no more venture to submit to
the dictation of Wise than to the instructions OF
Douglas, the former will be left in the same
condition as the latter We apprehend, too,
from the dashing intrepidity and fearless indie
pendence of the Virginia Governor, that he
would like nothing better than plausible ex-
cuse to take the stump as an independent
Southern democrat against Douglas and his
Northern supporters of squatter sovereignty,
and in the teeth Of any halfway or two-faced
contrivances of the Charleston Convention.
Thus, experimenting that the labors Of the
Convention to reunite and harmonic and
control the democratic party, and the spois
and plumber of the federal government will
result in a dissolution of the party and scrub
race for the next Presidency, we may begin to
congratulate the country upon the fact that
we are in reality upon the threshold of q
great and glorious revolution. We see that
this Convention system of President-making
has had its days falling to pieces, and must
come to the ground. Granted that the motives
of Wise and Douglas in this connection are en-
tirely selfish, they are yet entitled to the credit
of revealing the rottenness and the weakness
of the party despotism of these National Con-
ventions 1t is to their experience, and their
knowledge of the despcable jugglery and
trickery of these Conventions, that we are in
debted for the stand which each has taken in
regard to the succession.
in this view, between Douglas and Wise, this
Convention system at Charleston win probably
suffer the same fate as that of the old Congress
sional caucus nominating system of 1924. In
that year Crawford was the regular caucus no.
minee, and Jackson, Adams and Clay, were in
dependent candidates. Thus the election
was thrown into the House, Crawford being
the lowest Of the three candidates carried up,
Jackson the highest and Adams the second.
But the outside or fourth candidate, Mr.. Clay,
decided the election through the coalition of
his party in the House with the party of Adams.
From that day and against that coalition we
may date the practical organization Of the
present democratic party.
The National Convention system of President
making, however, was first brought into requi-
siiion for the benefit of Van Buren, for Vice
President, against Calhoun, in 1882, and the
first damaging blow against this system was
from the same Van Buren, against the Baltimore
Convention Of '4s. The effect of that blow was
very suggestive; but it was too early to be fol-
lowed up. But the democratic nomination of
1852 resulted in an administration which would
have put an end to the Convention system but