Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-09-13
Allbmeno enquirer.
BY RICHIE. DUNNAvANT, TYLER WISE.
TUESDAY, >EPTEMBEK II, 1859.
Shall ia Anti-Dcmocratic Statse 0verrule the De
mocratic States al Charleston!

Shall ia Anti-Dcmocratic sta,ss overrulc the De
mocratic States at Charleston!
We have already advcrtc1 10 the manner IL
which either the majority rule. or the two
thiri> rule, may enable those States who's,
Democratic vote, are worse than 90 in tho
electoral college To lay down 4 platform. oI
nominate a Presidential candidate altogether
obnoxious to those true Democratic State,
which alone cal, he relied on to elect a Demo
cratic candidate when nominated. or sustain Il
Democratic platform when constructed.
This is not only unjust To the Democratic
States, generally destructive OF party discip
line, aTording, too an opportunity for the in
vasion Of party principles, but ii is. in many
instances, especially dcmoralising to Dcmocra
tic minoritics in ant.Dcmocratic States.
Look at ssmc Of the instances at the North
where the Democracy have so long remained d
minority They are powcrlcss to secure popu
lar election to public Offices. Their leaders
have ceased to be responsible to the public
opinion of the communities in which they re-
side Wholly uacclstomcd to defend or adj
vance political measures. before popular assem-
blagcs shut out from the grand theatre Of poll
teal contest and selfrcliant eXcrtion their poll
teal career has been reduced to mere tincssinc
to secure offices by Federal Executive appoint
mcnt
The business Of President making constitutes
their main political stock in trade. Unable to
achieve anything towards the election of i
Presidential candidate, their entire excrtions
are confined TO securing claims upon the favor
of some Presidential aSpirant by assisting him
! to procure 4 nomination. They TINS become
mere trading pollcians-bartcrins caucus
tricks for federal oIli,cs-and, like all mere mcr
ccnarics when disappointed in the grill 1Ie
I q"o they soon join the ranks Of the enc
nv. Thus it is that, in 50 many instances
small Democratic ninoritic> ut the NORTH
50 rapidly become beautifully less, until tho
Democratic party Of Il whole community
! dwindlcS down to mere cotcric, which, on
the election Of Democratic President find,
federal spoils in It's immediate ncishjorhood
sufficient 10 answer all its political wants in
the way Of public jobs ana public ohceS. II
then becomes the interest and the ppi'ry o
the little lund Of principal managers lG
&l,J lie p"tty iu Hr state H "mim"ritY, a""
/ IN NE mai'o,t 1o,sib'c mi@ority. These mcr
arc not unfirqucntly heral'lcd through tho
! newspapers as a "forlorn hopc'-a band Of de
! voted patriots, standing firmly opposed to over
whclming maOritics--undcr=oing privation anC
,clying popularity in an unscllish devotion Il
political principle Lucky dogs! They laugh
( in their sleeves and pocket federal money anG
wear federal honor> in proportion altogether
unattainablc by Democratic mnioritie>. Quiet
ly, cozily, "harroniuusly," they get on together
until some fraction Of the faction discovers tha
another fraction is continually asSimilating al
the choice bits Of Federal patronage for il
own separate enjoyment. Then comes snarlin:
and rcyiln. and fierce contcnton-and th'
consequence is, finally, that the two factions
sclcc, different Presidential aSpirantS, each Will
the hope Of excluding the other from al
share in the spoil>. Prominent Southern Dc
mocratS, who were present at Cincinnati. siat
. that they were referred to constantly rs i'm
pircs to settle squabblcs Of this sort. wher
each Of the contestants dii not hesitate Il
ayow that Share Of the spoils was all he wa
seeking, both 'iscoycring at last that thc,
were only go each others throats, an'
each finall i-'o,S Of an equitable arrange
mcnt wh'oi sr- .i>ccurc him half tlc pulling
since ll.' so,lu ot get the whole
|, ti:s.. x. ,.lannrr in which the Democratic
part,.r ,ir honorable premiums to Demo
cratic Jior' tic>? Is there, at least, no man
ne, hi il the party can abolish the prescn
sv ,tcr, Il inducing minorities TO remain mino
ri les an no system be devised which vii
o. re aspirants to Presidential nomination
T. ,prlal 10 the synpathies, sentiments ant
r. neiplcs of the great majority of the Demo
cratic party-instcal Of tempting such aspi
rants to pandcr 10 and brbc minorities which
arc now unablcl to stile the voice and override
the will of the minority: Novs rerr0Hs
The old system of Presidential nomination
bv Congressional caucus was perhaps the mos'
vicious which could have been adopted II
was partlv the result ofthc incXpcricncc Of orn
statesmen in party discipline as applied to on
,,hirh lpI tlpm tC
seize the means rcadicst at hand Tor consollda
,ing the various preferences Of whole party tc
the support OF one man. 1t was partly th'
result Of that instructive imitation oil British
politics which led our first statesmen to regart
the House Of Representatives, like the House
Of Commons. as the great available theatre o
party tactics. And this assimilation to Brltist
politics was especially acceptable to our lesis
la,ors since il sratilicd their natural desire t.
extend the reach Of their political power an'
, influence. by assuring 10 them power oi Pre-
s;dcn;al election beyond that granted by th'
Constitution, and also by placing every Presl
dent desiring re ELECTION almost as completely
at tile mercy of Congressional majority as
British Prime Minister finds his term OF otlic
dependent on working majority in tn
House Of Commons
The whole machinery Of the Congressional
Caucus was never acceptable To our people. s'
disco,lant MAS it with the principle OF genera
suffrage and popular election, that, from tn
first. it mu-t have hccn regarded IN no NOR
favorable light than n temporary evil, neccssar.
to he borne until the teaching OF experience
should demonstrate the practicability OF SOM
other system better adapted to the expression
of the peoples will.
Party revolutions, like national revolutions
are seldom tic result Of general agreement
and conventional arrangement in the first in
stance Almost invariably they arc the resul