Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1859-07-08
The Charleston Convention.

Oh the accident W IuG COlOLCu poy az LIO OOAhN'
The Charleston Convention.
Although the immediate interest Of the day is concen-
trated upon the war in Europe still the influence OF the
approaching presidential struggle begins to be senSoy
felt and specuations upon its combinations, TO dispute
the columns of the newspapers with the latest news from
the seat of war; or the that negotiations may yet
take.
We hardly think that the Convention system as now
Organized and, indeed, always organized, and Is
adopted or acquesced in by all parties, can be said to
fairly represent the party going into Convention For
instance as the thing stands Massachusetts, that
never gave a Democratic vote in her existence IS
represented in Democratic Convention just as fully as
Virginia that never gave any other kind OF vote Yer
mont would have her full weight and might perhaps turn
the SCALE although the idea could enter into nobodys
head that she could ever give electoral vote Tor
Democratic candidate for the presidency.
This will be an element of dissatisfaction in the next
convention. When New York, with her motley poll
ticans and free soil majority and doubleheaded deeg
ton comes in to claim three times the power in nomna
ting Democratic candidate that is accorded to the true
Democracy of North Carolina, the disproportion, the
improperly of the thing will be manifest and it is much
to be feared that the New Workers and Others from
States that give nothing but get all, will he the most
bosterous and dctatorial.
These and other difficulties Of even more serious
character are gathering around the next Democratic
Convention. There things, having their origin os
tensby in the Kansas ebraska legislation, but really
sprngng from personal vanity and ambition OF lndlyld
uas which may give us trouble-none that might not
be satisfactorily arranged if such arrangement were re-
ally desired and if its consummation were not prevented
by the vanity and ambition referred to-
Whether any really cordial feeling can be made to
grow up in the eleven months that are to intervene
between this time and the meeting Of the Democratic
national Convention remains to be seen. We do not
shut eyes to the fact that there are obstacles OF the
gravest character but that insurmounable.-
These obstacles nterposed by the violent or the IN
trgueing in both sections. These classes of people at
the North have been already able to distract the party
PROSTATE its poWer-force it into mnOrity-crlpple
the administration and embarrass the policy of Mr. Blu
chanan by raising the cry of prosavery against him.
These persons too have been protesting Democrats and
some of them men that have in times gone by done good
service.
One of the sranges elements Of dscord has arisen up
before our eyes almost at the extreme Southat least
that part of the South usually talked of the Cotton
party, assal it with much vehemence-predict its
faiure-procIaim it's ruin, and contribute their own
efforts to cause their predictions and procamations to
be verified or carried out. OF these men some are fill
bustersh in their notions others favor the revival of the
Slave Trade others are disunionists per Their oppo
stiOn to the Democracy is founded upon its nationality
upon its being the only real political cement Of the
Union All of the classes we have enumerated, nearly
ALL in favor of dissolution, they or think they
see that the existence of the Union enterprises in
supeabe barrier to the accomplishment of their several
schemes. If the Democratic party falls they think that
the Union will be more likely to follow.
Of all these factious disturbing elements, North or
South it must be confessed that the advocates of the
ViVal of the Slave Trade by far the most logical
Without the territorial expansion Of the area of slavery
the political balance upon which the safety of that in
stitution depends must be lost irretrevabyt is al
most so The liberty to expand, without the ee-
ments of expansion, is mockery. While the North
has open to it the labor markets Of the whole world from
which to draw free labor the South is prohibited from
importing slave labor and cannot take possession of
territories, hold her ground in the frontier slave
States. They that the chance of revival Of the
Slave Trade is next to nothing under the Union there
fore they are dsunionsts.
But the numerical strength Of the dsafected is not
equal to the noise they make and will become less
the time draws nearer and WILL we trust, to be
felt after the adjournment Of the Charleston Convention