The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-14


will mark the explosion and extinction of that
party National Convention system which, for the
last quarter of century, has controlled our
Presidential elections The enormous abuses and
corruptions Of this debasipg system have for
many years been actively working out their own
destruction, and never more actively than at the
present day. The old rule of "honesty among
thieves" has lost all Its original force 10 this bu-
siness. The rogues have fallen out; the gamblers
are quarrellipg over their stakes before the game
is opened and we have thus, in view of the
Charleston Convention an encouraging prospect
of revolution which will sweep off all these
National Convention Migrants, jobbers and gam
blers into the unmanageable complications of
scrub race.
Governor Wise, Of Virginia, who has no faith
in half way measures, in ceasing to be the only
Southern democratic leader in behalf of squatter
sovereignty in Kansas, against the Lecompton
constitution, has of late become the especial
apostle of the Southern democracy in behalf of
special legislation by Congress for the protection
of slavery in all the Territories, from the per-
petual SHOWS of Nebraska to the scorching de-
serts of Arizona. We perceive, too. that Gov.
Wise, in this matter, is actively supported by
the Southern democracy, from Virginia to
Texas Thus prompt to discover, he is equsDy
prompt to seize the idea which will make
him in 1860 what he was in 1856,
the bold and revolutionary leader of the South
ern democracy. He and bis party in the South
will be compelled to hold this ground because of
| the strong proslavery position which the new
| opposition organizations of the South are as
sumiDg.
On the other hand, Mr.. Douglas, the Little
| Giant" of the Northwest has issued his ultima
tum of Congressional non-intervention and popu-
lsr sovereignty over the subject of slavery in the
| Territories He, too, is backed by powerful Sec
| tional organization, which he cannot control in
any other than forward movement. He will go to
| Charleston fully convinced that the Southern
wing of the Convention will demand him for the
guillotine, and fully resolved to pay them back
in their own coin. His popular sovereignty will
be repudiated, he will retire with his delegates
from the Convention; and thus relieved of him,
the Southern controlling wing of the party will
most probably proclaim the policy of Congress
sional legislation to protect slavery ia the Terri
tories, and fall back upon Gov. Wise as sort of
Peter the Hermit to preach this new Southern
crusade in behalf of Southern rights
But MI Douglas, thus ignominiously expelled
from Charleston, and thus left perfectly free to
manage his Northern democratic legions as a
Northern party, will lose no time in taking the
field against the black republicans, with their own
weapons of hostility to the extension of slave
~. Thus, assuming that we shall have
four sectional parties and tickets in the field
in 1S6O-the Northern republican party and the
Northern democratic party, both antslavery;
and Southern democratic party, and q South.
ern opposition party, both pro slavery and as
suming that the four Presidential sectional can
didates thus brought out will be Seward, Doug
las, Wise and Goggin, we can expect no other
result than failure to elect by the people. In
this event the three highest candidates to BE car
lied up to the House of Representatives will
doubtless be Seward, Douglas and Wise, end
between these the final compromise will be as
likely to fall upon Douglas as upon Wise OF
Seward.
That all parties are drifting to some such tri.
angular fight in the House of Representatives
we seriously believe. Congressional interven-
ton for slavery will be urged by The South at
Charleston as sine qua non; popular sove-
reignty will be urged by the Douglas men of the
| North and Northwest as his ultimaum; and
| thus there can be no trouble in breaking up the
| Convention into two sectional camps, when each
section appears to be equally anxious to be re-
ieved Of the burden Of the other But in this
alternative Of an election Of the President by
The popular branch Of Congress, we shall at
least have the benefit Of tribunal of RESPONSE
bility and responsibility, compared with the III
scrupuloA and Irresponsible gamblers and 7agar
bonds Of a national party Convention.
We shall therefore regard the dissolution
of the Charleston Convention in a sec
tional row as the Inauguration of whole
some revolution in the mode Of electing
our Presidents. Perhaps, too, such good results
may follow House election in 1851, that all
parties will be satisfied to keep up the popular
facilities Of the scrub race. The contest of this
sort Of 1924 resulted, first in the election of
John Quincy Adams by the House secondly, in
the abolition Of the old Cong ressional caucus sys
tenn of choosing the party candidate and,
thirdly, in the party convention system, which at
length, having exhausted its corrupting appli-
ances to the very dregs, must give way. Ac-
cordingly, let all hands prepare for the contin-
gencies Of a sectional scrub race in 1860, and an
election by the House. And why should the de-
mocracy he alarmed? In an old-fashicned ma
toral fght Of two parties they would be ami
hilated but in a sectional scrub race solid
remnant of the party may perhaps be saved,
and the President and the bulk of the spoils.
AFFAIRS IN CuuE-SEIzURE OF SOME OF
GEORGE LAWS MUsKErs.-By the Star of the
West we learn that the attempt at revolution in
Chile has been very nearly if not quite suppress.