Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-02
The Virginia Elections - What the
PresidenI'slNew York Organ thinks.

FreslUenpsINeW Orh organ ihihhss
The n. Y. Herald of the 2Sth ult., COM
menting upon the complexion of the election
returns from Virginia, says "he democracy hare
suffered moral IF not mortal defeat IN the uery
.SebastopoI Of The party" The Herald then goes
on to say
What has become of that heavy Virginia
majority of thirty thousand for Mr.. Buch-
anan? And how is it that, under the prestige
of that majority, the party has failed to do as
much for Mr.. Letcher as they did for Mr.
Wise? The reason is, that ever since Mr..
Buchanan's election the selfish, plotting and
intriguing politicians of the party have been
at work mining and counter mining. plotting
and counter plotting. North and South,
against the administration and against each
other for the Charleston Convention and the
spoils and plumber Of the succession. Thus
we find the democracy in both sections out
up into conflicting factions and cliques; and
thus, from the treachcries rivalries and
hostile Presidential cliques among the
party in Virginia, the opposition
have been encouraged to rise for the
conquest of the State If they have
succeeded, they owe their success to the de-
moraliZations in the democratic camp; but if
the opposition have failed it is because they
have failed to appreciate and properly to APP
proprate the real weakness OF their adversary.
1t is a remarkable fact that the sectional
and factious leaders and Presidential aspi-
rants of the democratic party, North and
South, have Wed with each other in their
efforts to break down Mr.. Buchanan's ad-
minisratiOn. For example, the Northern
anti-Lecompton democracy have made war
upon the administration, and joined the re-
publicans in the charge that it has been faith
less to the rights of the North and has sold
itself to the ''slave power" while the South
EN- tire-eateTs have as bitterly denounced the
President as an "old Northern trderalist"
and "traitor to the South" Between these
extremes we think il is perfectly clear that
Mr.. Buchanan has pursued that broad, con-
sentative, national policy Indispensable 70
an honest administration, and equally
essential To the unity of the democratic party.
But THE PARTY Is BROKEN To PIECES, NORTH
AND SOUTH, FROM THE CONFLICTING NTRIGUES
OF JEALOUS AND AMBITIOUS SECTIONAL LEADERS;
AND THUS 1T Is HIGHLY PROBABLE THAT THE
CONTEST OF 1860 WILL BE TO THE DEMoRALIZED
DEMOCRACY WHAT THE CONTEST OF 1852 WAS
TO THE OLD WING PARTY-ITs FINAL DEFEAT
AND DISSOLUTION.
We know that this impression very ex-
tcnsively prevails among men of all parties
that they feel it in their bones" as we
have heard the opinion expressed; and we
know that the narrow escape of the demo-
crazy i'll 1856. and their subsequent defeats
detections aud divisions, have furnished the
most substantial reasons for this opinion.
But WE DO NOT SURRENDER THE FIELD TO THE
ANTI-sLAvERY REPUBLICAN PARTY. IT Is MANI
FEST THAT THERE CAN BE NO COALITION BE-
TWEEN THEM AND THE OPPOSITION ELEMENTS OF
THE SOUTH.
This Virginia election has been fought by
the opposition party of that State as conser-
tive pro-slavery party; and in Kentucky and
Tennessee they occupy the same aGtagonstc
ground against the black republicans From
the general appearance of things in Kentucky
and Tennessee. we have every reason to eX-
pcct that in August next the opposition will
carry those two States. In that event we
shall have ut cnce in those important couser-
vativc slave States. and in Delaware. Mary
land, Virginia, North Carolina and Missouri.
and in the southern border free States of
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois,
the materials for powerful conservative
third party in 1850, competent to carry the
Presidential election into Congress and COM
petent there to control it.
We see enough in the returns Of this Vir-
ginia election. and in the peculiar principles
of the Southern opposition elsewhere, to per-
ceive that there must aud will be third par
ty in the field for the succession; and taking
into account the disbauded Americans, old
line wings aud Disguised democrats, there
will be materials enough To give this third
party in 1860 half dozen of the central
States, including both sides of Mason and
Dixon's line and the Ohio river. Thus WHILE
WE RECOGNISE IN THIS VIRGINIA ELECTION A
NEW SIGN IN THE SoUTH OF THE OVERTHROW or
THE DEMoRALIzED DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WE ALSO
RECOGNISE IN 1T THE NUCLEUS OF A NEW PARTY
WHICH MAY DEFEAT THE GAME or THE REPCBLI-
CANS.