Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-04-05


broad national footing. which may prove compe-
tent to save the country in / 60. Accordingly,
we Look upon the approaching Nirgi nia election as
involving contingencies of the hithe't moment to
the peace of the Union: and we bel eve that We,
tory to The new OBJ lion party there in May Will
movement, capable of controlling the next Presi.
Dental election in behalf Of the great c"nservn-
tive body Of the American people. North and
South
The above extract from the New York Herald
one II the most sagacious. m 1t is one "l the
moet independent sheets in the tn;on--E'reshnd-
ows the results that hinge upon the failure "r sue
ces. of the Efforts which the Opposition are now
making to carry some Of the Southern States. 1t
indicates q conclusion. to which every one must
assent, that the question IA to whether we are to
have purely sectional contest for the next Presi'
dency is deeply involved in the issue Of the South
ern elections during the present yenr
The last Presidential election came rs near be.
ing scctonal struggle. wi,hou. being So abs"
lu,ely a. could very well happen. But for the
intervention of the American Iarty, aud the con
SENTATIVE influence of the candidacy :" Mr.. Fill
more the North and the South would have been
drawn of in b, sttle array under the banner Of
Mr.. +, emo,t and Mr. Buchanan, respectively,
and q han j-.uhand conflict of sections would have
been the result By Mr.. Bnchanans local pnpu.
larity in Pennsylvania-by bis professions Il
friendship for u Protective Tariff. which profess
sions no future Democratic candidate for the Pre-
sidencv will be allowed 10 make by cxtraorj.ua
~ personal cxertions and by the lavish exIcndi
ture of hundreds Of thousands of dollars, MIR.
Buchanan carried Pennsy lyania by the skin Of his
teeth. By carrying Pennsy l,ana, he not on Sc
cured his election, but he redeemed the contest,
to some little extent, from the aspect of seelona~m
which no imminenty tire tened it.
Now, not even Mr. Buchanan himself couldcar-
~ Pennsylvania at the present time. ly 1t least
thirty thousand votes. Aud if Mr.. Buchanan
Cannot. who can? If the "a,orite son" cam 1t
carry the State, is there the rctno,e,t probability
that Southern. or even Northern Free Trade
Democrat could do soY The proposition is mani
testify absurd
How is it with Iinoisi That State voted for
Mr.. Buchanan by plurality only-and in the
late election the popular majority was against Mr..
Douglas. although he managed To secure major
ity Of the members of the Legislature This, toe.
after he had canvassed the State thoroughly. and
put forth the most extraordinary excgtions. l.
there any probability that Illinois will fail to 60
with the North in strictly sectional contest p
Not the remotest. Nor will the case be Mt all diff
ferent in New Jersey, or Indiana. or Minnesota,
With a clear Northern majority Of sixty in the
Electoral College. we would like to ask what tho
Southern Democracy propose to do, if the contest
prove to be sectional one-as it undoubtedly
will be- if the Opposition in the South follow their
advice. and unite their forces with the Dem ,cracyY
Manifestly. the result will be tho engagement Of
the two sections in contest. the one with the
other. with an absolute certainty that the South,
which is the weaker section, will be utterly over
thrown and discounted
The question then arises. what is the remedy?
How may this state of affairs be anticipated and
prevented? There is but one answer to the cues.
tion. 1t is, to bring about a reconstruction of
parties by giving victory to the Opposition in the
Southern elections to lie held during the present
year. and thus pave the way for tho organization
ola National party upon Constitutional principles
which will rescue the country from the vortex of
se.'tionalism into which it is driving with such
headl"ng speed. That is the only remedy. Look
ing Mt it in this point Of view. we see our way
clearly out Of the confusion and smoke of a sec
tional conflict, and we prepare the way for re-
turn to the od-fashioned struggles of parties upon
general issues. conducted in national, fraternal
and Union spirit On the other hand, let the
Sonth, in the ensuing elections consolidate in the
interest II the Democratic party and the North,
from the very necessities Of the case, will draw
Oh its forces upon sectional line. and prepare to
give us battle with IN absolute certainty of tri-
umph.
We beg the peonle of the South then, in tho
ensuing elections. to look not only at the realities
Of the present, but the contingencies of the future.
The South has everything to lose, and nothing to
gain, frm a sectional struggle. There is, in
truth, no occasion for sectional contest-for, by
Wilmot Provisoes, and Kansas Bills and Squatter
Sovereignty. and "unfriendly legislation" in the
Territories. the South has ALREADY lost every pros
pect u the extension of slavery. She has nothing
to do now but entrench herself behind the preser-
walton Of slavery, where it already exists-aud
this may be done, because an overwhelming ma
Jor Of the Northern party. Of all parties, protest
with warmth that they have never proposed to in.
terfsrs with the vested rights of slavery. 1t is.
then. no longer practical question, but mere
sentiment alone. Shall We keep up sectional par
ties for the saks Of this abstract and impract;csble
sentiment T. IL may b done--it most a..uredIv
su b doss-by consolidating the South into one
party. Andths ccnseqaenes will be. that upon
nsrs sassdee Il local sscsodAcJ, the whole char.