Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-03-15
MISCELLANY Y.
;rsinia State EIection--.PO Olitical Rev0lu'
ton.

Virginia State ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ReSoiu-
ton.
The State election for Governor, Lieut.. Gov
ernor and Attorney General comes OH IN tne
Old Dominion on the 26th OF May. The orunt
of the battle viii, of course, be for the Cover
norship; and whether as regards the result 10
the State itself, or to the country at large, IL
will be one of the most important political con-
tests which has ever taken place in Virginia or
in any otter State of this Union. Upon 1t hangs
the contingency of a revolution IN the pohtlcs
of the Old Dominion, and as consequence q
political revolution throughout the whole Unlteo
States, which will have its elimination IN tne
Presidential election of 1860. The campaign
hos already commenced in the local newspapers,
and will soon be transferred to the stump.
The two candidates tor the Governorshlp ID
this Virginia election are John Letcher on the
part of the democracy, and William l.. GoggiD,
| the opposition candidate, who comes forward
ON new platform aud with new issues, ane
will combine variety of elements which prom
| iss the overthrow of the democracy by an over
whs slming majority. This opposition may be
called by any other Dame-that matters httie.-
| tbs not whig, however for it does not presen'
1.-THE old, WORKOUT, dead issues OF whiggery-the
fossil remains of the past-but living, PIactlcaai
4 and cOD6LllullOudl duu olhOho AsS
will comprise the late disbanded army OF kno"
Nothingism, who will no longer fight under
that banner, but under one more terrible to
the enemy. When those men battled under the
standard of Nativism, in 1865, they were sufl'
cieptly formidable to strike terror into the heart
of the democracy and it was only owing to the
consumate electoneerlng skill and tremendous
efforts of Henry A. Wise, the democratic candi-
date. in canvassing the State and addressing the
people from the stump, and also to the tact that
| the other candidate did not take the field, that
the State was saved to the democracry, and
Wise was elected by ten thousand majority. Ii
this party was formidable then, it will be dou-
| bly formidable now, when it is planted on new
basis and operates by new mode-when the
candidates on both sides will stump the State,
and when more popular, broader and better Is
sues will be presented by the opposition than the
narrow basis of Native Americanism, and the
secrecy and mummery of ''dark lantern" lodges.
The result of the victory of Wise was that
Buchanan had a walk over the course in Vlr.
uinia in the Presidential contest OF 1856 A
similar result will follow in the Presidential
campaign of 1860, against the democracy and
in favor of the opposition, that is if Goggin
comes off oonqueror in the approaching strug-
vie. And there is every prospect OF his sue
CESS. The advantages are all on his side. In
| 1856 the democracy had the powerful advocacy
| of its chief, while the opposition had no such
assistance now the advocacy will be equally
strong on each side. In 1856 the democracy
was united in Virginia; but at present 1t Is
divided into two factions-the Hunter men
| on one side and the Wise men on the other
and both, for some cause or other, cool to the
President, which will have the effect OF driving
| into the ranks of the opposition many OF his
| lfriends-those who support his administrator
on national and constitutional grounds. line
disunion and divisions of the democracy in other
States, it's general decentralization everywhere
the breaking upof old parties and the formation
| of new combinations short, all the polltlca
events which have occurred during the last two
years, and all the political transactions that are
now taking place throughout the country will as
sist in producing the defeat of the Virginia de-
mocracy on the 26th of May. e..
| The effect of this disaster will be Immediately
felt in the coming campaign OF 1860. a new
Presidential party will start into existence, as il
| by the touch of magican's wand. The drag
on's teeth now being sown will suddenly spring
up armed men. This party will consist OF disat-
fected, discontented democrats, whose name Is
legion, and Of immense numbers who nomlnally
belong to the pro slavery ana antl-siaVery par
ties, but who are utterly disgusted with the vio-
lent unconstitutional and dangerous extremes to
which the leaders of these parties are pushing
matters, and would gladly find any decent ban
ner under which to enlist rather than remain
where they are. Then there is besides host OF
moderate men who are not known by any party
designation, but who are ready to vote tor the
man who stands on some sound practical basis
these men will join the new constitutional u
nion party. which will in fact, largely absorb all
other elements, but particularly democrats and
Republicans, whose ranks will be SO thinned on
the day of battle that they will be swept away
by the solid phalanx of the new party like chaff
before the whirlwind or the grass OF the prairie
by the d.svouring flames. All other issues will
be- swallowed up and lost in the new issue, and
the most eluinent living men will be brought
out-Everett, Granger, Winthrop, and other dis
tinguished tatesmen-who have been thrown
out of the political car for the last twenty years.
The State election in Virginia, therefore, to be
held three months from this date, will turn out
to be the most important political event OF the
present time for on it hangs the fate of the de-
mocraoy and the fate of the parties in the Pres
idental election of 1860, and for twenty years
to come.-New York HeraM.
A nerson went into one of our fashionable re.