The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-21
The Convention System of President
NInking-The Charleston Experiment
Probably the Last.

No intelligent reader of the political move
ments of the day will think us very wide of the
mark in the opinion that the Presidential Con-
vention of the democracy in 1860 will precipi-
tate the division of the party into two or three
separate camps, an exciting scrub race for the
succession and an election by the federal
House Of Representatives in default of an cleo
ton by the people. The local captains, en-
gineers and directors of the party machinery,
North and South. in reference to the delegates
to Charleston, and in regard to the nominee
and the platform of that Convention. are Just
now in that beautiful condition of democratic
harmony which can hardly terminate in any
thing bat a tremendous democratic explosion.
In the sublime contempt with which Mr. Cal
houn always regarded this Convention system
of President making. in the unconquerable dis
gust which he always betrayed when adverting
to the paltry intrigues and the miserable buck
sters by which these Conventions are controlled,
we can now discover one of the strongest evil
dences of the keen perception honesty and
sagacity of that great statesman. For the last
twelve months. nay-for the last three years
our democratic leaders, aspirants, pipe-ayers
and spoilsmen, of both sections, have been
tearing their party to pieces, and turning the
country upside down with their detestable
schemes, plots, and movements for the con-
troll of the Charleston Convention. Thus
the Administration, which would have
saved the party, has been left to
the patriotism of the opposition in Congress;
thus the party to which the popularity of Mr.
Buchanan gave heavy majority in the House,
has been reduced in that body to contempt
BILE minority; and thus the democracy through
out the country are demoralized, divided,
broken up, and completely at the mercy of the
opposition.
1t would naturally be supposed that the
leaders and managers of party reduced to
this wretched condition of Generalization
would be actuated by common desire, first,
to repair these disasters, and secondly, to pre-
sent compact front to the enemy. On the
contrary, however, all the Presidential candi-
dates, and all the little managing cliques and
regencies of the party, by fair means or by
foul, have been and are making fools of them
selves, and sacrificing their followers and every
principle Of truth, honesty and decency to Sc
cure the front seats in the Charleston Conven-
ton. The idea is that the Convention will not
only make the President, but will divide all the
federal spoils and plumber Of the next four
years; and so, to secure batch of delegates
to the Convention, this clique OF place hunters
and spoilsmen, that clique and the other, act
upon the broad principle that the end will JUS
tify the means, although the means may CON-
prehend the basest violations of truth, honor
and decorum.
We have had, Of late, the broadest con-
frmation of these charges in the infamous
proceedings of the Albany Regency to
pack the Charleston Convention with an ODE
dent set of their own instruments, under the
direction of Dean Richmond and his aids as
chiefs Of the squad. We find this Regency
treacherously obtaining and treacherously pub
fishing private letter from Governor WISE
for the destruction of that wing Of the demo-
cratic party who maintain that the delegates to
Charleston should be elected by the several
Congressional districts, and not by the 'man
with the slate" at Syracuse. In this treache-