The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-11-11

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would be successful in the Fall canvass
Whether this prediction is to be taken
simply as skillful prophecy, or whether
the "wish was father to the thought" is a
question we do not feel called upon to deter
mine. We should, however, have been more
ready to regard it as the former, if the as
sertion had been incidentally made, or made
in the privacy of political confidence. But,
long before the Democracy here had begun
to think about the October election, we had
reports from Washington, Cleveland, and
Detroit, that Senator RICE had openly pre-
dicted in those places the defeat of our
Democratic ticket in October. And cor
roborative of the truth of these reports,
letters were received from him by his cor
respondents over the State,-which they
were incautious, perhaps, in exhibiting
telling them that it would be useless to
enter the contest with any hope of success.
All this, though true, does not convict
Senator RICE of treachery to the party,
though it may convict him of very grave
impolicy. For, be knew that be was looked
upon as shrewd politician, and that his
adverse opinion, generally disseminated,
would work greater injury to the party
than the open hostility of many others of less
reputation for political sagacity. So, we
would have right to charge him with
large share of the responsibility of our de-
feat, without charging, as they seem to in
Washington, that he "was not averse to
Republican victory"
There were circumstances, however, trans
piring in the State, which gave color to the
worst constructions which had been placed
upon his unlucky prophecies. 1t was known
that there was a floating vote in the
State, large enough to hold the balance of
power between the parties, which was not
strictly partizan, but attached strongly to
the personal interests of its favorites, and
which will be recognized by politicians of
both sides as the Rice and Ramsey" vote.
1t was seen that this floating element, thus
known to be warmly attached in its sympa-
thies to Senator RICE, was unanimously in
favor of the nomination for Governor of
RAMSEY by the Republicans, and of any one
of several men to whom Senator RICE was
known to be inimical, by the Democrats.
This fact, which was apparent to all, gave
force to the suspicious previously entertained,
and gave birth, also, to the new one, that an
arrangement had been entered into on the
part of the Senator's friends, if not directly
by himself, by which Democratic ticket
was to be nominated, in part, at least, for
the purpose Of being slaughtered instead Of
being elected.
So strong was this conviction entertained
by the party throughout the State, that,
when the Delegates came up to the State
Convention, they were nearly unanimous in
the determination to nominate some friend
of Senator RICE for Governor q" For" as
they freely and openly expressed themselves,
if sacrifice is foreordained, let'the gull
lotine fall upon the necks of the Senator's
own friends, and thus make crime its own
retributor." And so, though the party
conceded Mr.. BROKERS' right to the Con-
gressional nomination,-a right which he
had won by the most gallant conduct and
generous selfsacri6ce- under the pres
sure of this general distrust, he was forced
to take the nomination for Governor, as the
man least likely to meet the opposition of
Senator RIcE's friends, and as most likely
to break up the traitorous combination
which it was alleged had been made for the
benefit of Governor RAMSEY.