The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1859-09-02
THE FALL ELECTIONS AND THE PREsI-
nENCv


uarly New York, New Jersey, and Penueylva.
mia in reference to their bearing uron the next
| Presidential election, upon which they will
| have n controlling influence There is no
doubt that in 1856, Mr.. BUCHANAN owed his
success to the State election in Pennsylvania,
which coming off before the Presidential con.
test decided the question in that State, and cx.
erted an influence upon the other States.
How small was the minority by which the
Democracy won the victory in 1856, will mp
pear from the fact that FnEEMoNr received Id
votes. md Mr.. BUCHANAN, lat. Taking away
the 81 votes of Pennsylvania from his majority,
and there would remain only l47 votes, two
short of majority of the whole, and the cleo
tion would have been thrown into the House
of Representatives,. Fremont wanted only
35 votes to elect him. and with Pennsylvania
! and Illinois or Indiuna he would have been
elected
Even with the addition Of the new States
likely to be admitted before the next election,
to wit, Minnesota, Oregon and Kansas. the
vote of New York will still be one-fourth or
"netifth of the majority. and Pennsylvania
one sixth. showing the Importance Of thes c
States in every Presidential election. Had the
Democrats lost Pennsylvania, in, lS56,~fthey
would have been defeated, and they have no
| stronger security or better prospectssof success
in 1869. We extract the conclusion of the
Ucraids article:
The Democracy is split and divided in New
~ 0rk and other Slatcs-it is lemor Used in all
If;lt loses the State of New York with its
thirty-fv votes or if 1t loses Pennsylvania,
and with it New Jersey, or Illinois. or Indiana,
William II. Seward will undoubtedly take nos.
session of the White House on the 4th of
March, 1861, and sway the dcstinies of the
United States for the next four years, if not for
eight, and for the rest of his life. There is only
one thing likely TO prevent such n result, aud
that is that Slr. Seward, in his Rochester
speech, having declared it to be his settled rol.
icy to divide the North from the South, or to
compel the South to change its institutions by
force of arms if not otherwise, the southern
States may accept the election Of Mr. Seward
rs the determination Of the North to enforce
that policy. and they may recede in body
from our confederacy, md erect new SOUTH
crn confcdcracy Of their own ; and there
would he no alternative left the ruined North
man could foresee. In that event Seward
! would only he President Of the northern half
of the Union, if, indeed, the sober, second
thought of the Northern people, indignant at
the ruin he had created would not drive him
from the White House, and seek u ckief mag
istratc of wiser and more conservative coun-
sells. Some of the followers and organs of
Seward may explain that it is only by consti-
tutionn means their leader intends to deprive
the South Of it's institutions. But that makes
n OF the slightest difference to the South and
it would. perhaps, prefer solution by war
rather than by the action Of tyrant majority
III Congress.
Tile fall elections in New York, New Jer.
sey and Pennsylvania nre. therefore, evidently
of great political Importance, involving, per-
hnps, the very fate Of the Union. Certain 1t
is that even by q peaceable secession Of the
Southern States-if that were possiblc-New
York. New Jersey and Pennsylvania would be
thrown back half century, and the property
in those States would be deprecated fifty per
cent. Their present commercial connection
| with the Southern States by railroad, by
steamboat, and by other descriptions of ship
ping, is one Of the great sources of their
| wealth and prosperity. BY the severance of
| the Union. the southern commerce, which now
enriches those States and the North generally.
would 60 TO England, our rival: and the
Northern States, cut off from the staples of the
South, would be utterly prostrateJ, and be-
come. instead Of the members of powerful
confederacy, feeble and impoverished fraction
of country. to he regarded as of no impor.
tance among the nations of Europe and of the
world. The question to be decided, therefore.
Indirectly at the fall elections in those States,
is not only of pride and principle, but of the
| commercial, manufacturing and agricultural in.
terests There is only one chance Of escape
from the impending calamity. and that is that
the people OF these States will merge all their
minor disputes van and =, differences II, in common
his party, in the fall elections :, and should they
be successful, the eelat Of the xietory will keep
them united for the struggle in 1850, and b
tide of popular enthusiasm will bear into port
the triumphant ship of the constitution: and
leave the traitor bark of Seward high and dry
as ever was wreck stranded on the beach Of
Barnegat. So. 49,