Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1859-09-13

Tie falling of therefore Of the Democrats
majority evidently depends upon the fact, lo'
that the Democratic feeling has declined, Tor
larger Democratic vote was ~ than ever
bat bat the Opposition party did not yo'e .
1857. but mustered their full strength in 1889
and even there were beaten By a much laEtl
majority than m 1850. the most recent Occa-
sion on which the strength Of the parties was
tested.
Wv Che Opposition votc fell of so strangely
in 81, Is a question we can only auswer very
| slightly here-it is entirely dependent upon The
history Of the Opposition party during hat pc
mod, and we are, a. present. more concerned
with that Of the Democratic party
L Is well known that in the Presidential
! election Of 1856, the Kaow-EothihE movement
was first tested before the American people,
and received Us unqualified condemnation. It's
denial Of the old Wing issues, its narrow pre-
scriptive prime pies, had Disguised and aliena-
ted many q The former party, while its yield
/ ny he celebrated 10Th section, had seriously
alarmed many Of its Southern supporters
while (before iIs supposed strength had been
tested its certai-ty OF success had brought
over TO It's ranks some Of the haser sort OF those
who had hitherto voted with theDsmocrats, but
who cared most for being IN The winning side.
It's signal defeat in 1856 utterly d~isorgan-
lied the party the seeding Wings were more
slienated than ever. and the new 3dhereu-s
scattered Ike rats escaping from a sinking
ship the consequence was thers was 10 Op-
position vota at an o. 81; the party dispirited.
defeated, dem0Talized, scarcely made an effort,
and las a feeble enemy always impsirs the
efficiency ana discipline Of an army the Dem
ocrsric party itself conducted the canvass
carelessiy and inefHciently; neither party put
forward rs whole strength. and the united vote
n both parties was. In 1857, less By nearly
1000 han i was In 1SJi-a sad comment u0on
the effects Of delinquency iu party principle
The LIBERALIZATION Of the Opposition in
1857 so far diminished the interest taken BY 'he
people or Tennessee IN the political affairs OF
their state, that fewer BY 5000 were sufficient
" concerned in them 10 exercise the highest
privilege a freedom citizen can possess.
The main point, however, now 10 be insisted
upon. is thai the elsction'of 80 must De omit
ted altogether 10 estimating the progress Of
political opinion. the only criterion for which
Is The comparison OF the elections Of 1855 and
1S5q-he result Of which comparison is hat
the popular feeling was more fgllv tested in
80 and 80, By a difference Of 1904 votes, OF
which ~ircrsase the Democrats received 2624
and he Opposition 1880, OF in other words, in
the fullest vote that has ever vet been given IN
the state. the Democrats have received alsrger
proportion n the whole vote, and q larger &C
mal majority h-n in 1855, and a larger num-
Der Of votes Uv a great deal than they have
ever received before.
In accordance with this. wss the election Of
a majority Of Representative in both Houses
or the State Legislature, while strangely al
variance with it is he election Of seven Opp0-
sition candidates 10 oniv three Democrats to
Oh the vacancies 10 Congress.
We have already given some explanation Of
This strange discrepancy, grounded upon the
iuiquit0us distribution Of Congressional Dis
tricls so managed as 70 Accumulate large Dem
ocratie naiorities m single districts and dis
tribute small Opposition maiorities over q
number q districts-one OF the many manuu-
Fsn bT which a party, conscious that the ps0-
pc are opposed % them. manages to substitute
q faeetious vote for The voice n the public:
this, however, is an act Of the Opposition and
our present purpose is rather to render these
results instructive 10 our own party. Is &c
n-cess7W % point out that other fruitful source
II Opposition success, the divisions and rival
ries Of Democratic candidates themselves the
depiorabie fact that where the people were de-
cidedlv Democratic their votes were divided
between two Democratic candidates, leaving
the victory 10 a minority of the Opposition II
The result calls 70 convince our friends Of the
suicidal faulty Of this course, nothing we can
say could convince them.
But there is one other cause which has dam
aged US very SERIOUSLY IN this canvass, The con
sidaration Of which we must defer for a future
paper; We alluie 10 the alarm which has been
snccessfulv excited against Us in reference 10
the banks an alarm chiefly srisingf from views
and intentions enormously attributed 70 ne bT
cur Antagonists. but partly justified bv extreme
and indiscreet expressions ot our friends. ex-
uressions Of views neither generally held BY
our party nor sane Toned BY our platform On
his head we VIII resume our remarks o-mor-
row