Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-03-18
Letchcr and GOggin--The Virginia
Elections.

Mr.. BUcHANAN's friend and unfinching adj
vocate and defender, Mr.. BENNETT. of the
| New York Herald continues to discuss the
subject of the Virginia elections in which he
appears to feel a lively interest-as one of
the greatest national Importance. In re-
cent issue of his paper, he says:
Mr.. Letcher and Mr.. Goggin are the repre-
scntatives of certain political principles and
! issues respectively, which will overShadOw
| the personal merits of either candidate. Mr.
Wise, elected Governor by the Virginia de-
mocracy in 1855, it is claimed by his friends,
is now the favorite man Of1he party there for
the Presidential succession. But how stands
Gov. Wise in reference to the democratic adj
minisiration of Buchanan He stands as
bitterly oppos' to it, and to all its leading
measures, foreign and domestic, as Mr. Bolts
himself. And the great central organ
of Governor Wise is now the most
valiant champion of Mr.. Letcher. How
are the loyal administration democracy
of Virginia TO reconcile this "happy accord"
between Wise and Letcher with the duties Of
the party TO Mr.. Buchanan's administration
And if there be not pin TO choose between
Lctcher as the candidate of Wise, and Goggin
as the candidate of Bolts, in regard to the ad-
ministration, the general merits of the con-
of the democratic camp on the one hand. and
of the new opposition movement on the other.
in reference to the peace and safety of the
Union.
Upon this point we contend that the demo-
cratic party has been reduced under the con-
troll of an intensely Southern pro-slavery
sectional faction. the opposite extreme of the
intensely sectional ant-slavery republican
party of the North-that n Presidential con-
tac init aIt IN. tyun L.,
ductive only of the most mischevons con-
sequences 10 the business interests of the
whole country, and to the Union itself; and
that nothing can save the country from these |
disasters but the Intervention of third party |
fresh from the mint. and representing South |
and North, the conservative and Union senIi- |
ments ct the bulk OF the American people |
Does anybody suppose that any other can
didate than one of the Southern fire-eating |
sort will be nominated at Charleston? And |
Is 1t not equally manifest from all the signs |
around us, that Seward, or some well known |
representative Of his Rochester programme.
will be the nominee of the Anti:Slavery
Republican Convention of the North?
Ii follows. therefore, that the Union-loving
and sober, sensible people of the Central |
States, on both sides of Mason and Dixon's
line, including Virginia especially. have no |
interest in either OF those sectional parties.
There is no alternative of safety and consis-
tency 10 the people of these intcrlapping
States, North and South. but this third party
organization, set in motion In Virginia aud
kentucky. This is evidently understood
among the opposition element of Virginia;
aud their present State canvass thus becomes
AN important preliminary battle for 1850.
The distracted and wrangling factiqns OF the
Democratic camp are alarmed; Mr.. Letcher ia
dispoSrd to beg the question; but he should
be held TO answer whether he is with the ad.
or with Wise, or Hunter, or any
other of the hre-eating plotters for the
Charleston Convention, regardless Of the con-
sentative policy and measures of Mr. Blu
,hanan, The defeat OF these Wise and Hun
Ter factions in the camp, in May next, will
be. IA matters stand. positive triumph of the
aud Equivalent to the .,crusl-
ng OUT Of the whole Southern lire-,ating
Presidential faction. But something less
han crushing Democratic defeat in Vir.
ginia in May viii suffice to put in active mo-
ion throughout the South aud the North this
bird party movement, To the confusion aud
iescat, in 1850. of both the present overshad-
owing sectional parties of the day.