The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-09-03
The Gubernatorial Canvass.

The Gubernatorial Canvass.
The canvass of 1860 in this State has al
ready begun. The rival aspirants for the
Democratic nomination for Governor are
each in the field, endeavoring to secure del
egations from the counties to the State Con-
vention in January that will support his
pretensions. Canvassing the party through
out the State for the nomination, and then
canvassing the people for an election, is per-
forming double task for the honors, and is
a new feature in our politics. Both aspirants
on the Democratic side, Messrs. Durham and
Hendricks, were staunch Leeomptonites in
the Kansas imbroglio. One is supported by
the Willard faction-the other by the Bright
interest. Neither of them are acceptable to
the honest anti-Lecomptonites and the men
who are determined upon a reform in the
administration of our State Government;
and especially in its financial department.
The election of either, in the opinion of anna
jority of the people, will be but perpetuating
the old dynasty; a reiteration of the rule of
partizanship and of political corruption
Neither of the candidates have any strength,
personally or politically, with the people !;
their doctrineS,-past course,-and present
political affinities are very objection
able with the people; both depend entirely
upon the influence of nomination by q
State Convention. Without its endorsement
they might as well aspire to the Presidency
as to be Governor. The struggle now is,
with each, to pack the Convention with his
particular friends; success depends upon
superior influence and intrigue with the
subordinate managers in the counties, and
lager beer and pothOuse politicians in the
towns. The spresent itinerary of the two
gentlemen through the State is for the very
worthy and dignifed purpose Of setting the
local machinery OF the caucus system to
work in the counties. The speeches are
made for the exhibition of the personal of
the man-to show the animal-not to con-
vince any one of old truths, or to tell
the people anything which they did not
know before, as well, or better than the
speaker. These old professional politicians
the party hacks-haye SO little real SYM
patny with the people that they do not IN
derstaud hem, though thsy deem themselves
exceedingly shrewd and sstute in dealing
with human nature in ali It's peeuliarities
they don't seem 20 be aware of the progress
in public opinion of the vast stride the
people have made in emancipating them
selves from the sAackle5 of all parties; and
of how little re- 1,eet is alI the CANNON
and humbug practiced by these would-be
political leaders.
Mr.. Hendricks speech on Thursday night
proved that long residence at Washington
had not improved his knowledge of the
state of affairs at home; or deepened his
sympathies with the people of the State
and though he may be improved as gen.
tleman of the world, he is less a HoosieI
than a man should be who aspires to pre-
side over the interests and destinies of this
State. In his speech there was not the re-
hottest allusion to a single State interest OF
topic His themes were exclusively federal
pOlitics,;-thi he did, perhaps, to prove that
he belonged altogether TO the exclusively
national" party. In these parts We begin
to want STATE party--one that will have
some consideration for our peculiar State in.
terests, which the people are beginning Il
find out are Of more consequence to them
than the squabble to determine who shall
get possession of the offices and honors o
the Federal government. s
Mr.. Hendricks topics though "eminently
national and treated with good deal o
animation in style and manner,--were no
very elevated in character, and were such a
have been made so hacknied and thread
bare that the lowest partizan country news
papers have ceased to allude to them from
the nausea the oder Of them. produces
He struck out not one spark of new fire o.
light by his hammering of lot of these ole
mental scraps on the party anvil. To refute
the charges Of extravaganza against the
Democratic administration, he proved, In
his own way, that the Republicans had beer
as corrupt, or done worse; demonstrating
by his statements and arguments-w hat al
impartial men have long believed-that tn,
leaders and Office holders in either party
Were not worthy of the least confidence
that the quarrel between 4hem was lik
that of the pot and kettle, -one is quite a
black with the fumes of corruption as tn
other. He did not deny the eighty million
expenditure by the Buchanan administra
ton, but asserted that the Republicans hat
appropriated as much in one of the year
of their ascendancy, and had beside donatet
about seventy million dollars worth o
lands to rail road corporations, thereb,
squandering one hundred and fifty million!
of public funds and property in single
year. The fairness of the statement, anC
the cogency Of the logic as a defense o
Democracy, was apparently fully apprecia
ted by the audience, who listened unmovec
l. A.. ...o-,-o,;c dscfars,;o- - I ~