Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-06-28
WASHINGTON, June %, 1860.
A Black Republican Paper on Douglas
Foir and Just View.


A Black Republican Paper on Douglass
Fair and just View.
We commend to the careful and attentive considera-
ton of our readers the follow paragraphs from the
Cincinnati Commercial, which it must be admitted,
present general fair and candid view of the matter
The Commercial is Black Republican organ and from
its standpoint it can take an impartial view of the
position of Mr.. DOUGLAS and his supporters. The
refusal of Gov. FTzPATRICK to run with DOUGLAS
does not detract from this view of the position of
the DoUGLAsTTEs. The Commercial says:
Mr.. Douglas has at last been nominated, but so
nominated that he himself might very reasonably
wish that he had not been. lie finds himself the
candidate, not of united or a national party, but
of faction 1t is large faction, it true, but its
chief numbers lie in those States where their force
is politically powerless. No amount Of partisan
cOlOring or downright political lying disguise
the fact that Mr. Douglas is not likely to carry
than one or two Northern States If any. He is
profoundly dstrusted by the great majority of the
Northern people. Even cOnceding to him all the
prominence, ability and energy which his partizans
may claim, there are comparatively few anywhere
who believe in the political honesty of Mr. Douglas
Even in his own State he is IN minority, and the
numbers of Democracy in other Northern States
who are dsaffected towards Mr.. Douglas are pro-
pOrtionatey much greater than in Illinois. His pOpu-
larity has received very damaging blow by his
course during the prOtracted and exciting contest
which has lust terminated. The evident determine
ton manifested both by himself and his nearest
friends TO nominate HIM at all hazards has awaken
ed the most serious reflections and apprehensOns in
the minds of modern and UniOn-lOVing Democracy
The mad and reckless scheme of partizans, which
found appropriate Inference IN the sentiment. Doug
las nobody" has powerfully Disguised mutitudes
of the party who were previously disposed to be
friendly the Illinois Senator. Under the influence
Of this and of the protracted and alarming disorga
nizaton caused by his attitude at Charleston and at
Baltimore, his popularity has melted away rapidly
during the last few weeks The result has beennOt
a little aggravated by the extravagant and almost
insane course of the partisan presses which had es
poused his cause and Of which the Enquirer is per-
haps the worst, as it certainly Is the weakest.
Nor has the very remarkable history q Mr.
Douglas twice-repeated Withdrawals, suppressed
they were by those to whom they were cOnhded,
contributed to strengthen his cause If the highly
dsinterested and patriotic expressions of those
letters had been placed before the Convention in
time to Justify the belief that they sincere, the
country would have given Mr.. Douglas credit for a
dsinterestedness to which be now have no
claim. If he really desired to "save the party and
the country, without regard to his individual inter-
ests, why did he not peremptOrily withdraw from
the bitter contest? He must have known, at least
as well the friends in whose hands he left his
fate. whether the insisting upon his nomination
would disrupt the Democratic party or not Yet he
makes sigR, utters word Of sefsacrhce. until
the Convention is the very verge Of second and
final dissolution And even then, he uters 1t in such
way to destroy all its effect upon those whom it
might have Influenced The timely knowledge of /
the contents Of these letters might have had the |
effect of setting the magnanimty OF Mr.. Douglas in
so favorable light that a number of his opponents
would have Withdrawn their opposition. South /
ern chivalry might have granted that to magnanim-
ity, which they denied TO persisteney and to [
dlctatOn. But these letters, whether through the |
fault of Mr. Douglas. or his misfortune. were not |
made known until it too late for them to have any
effect but a a damaging one upon his cause They
now exhibit him before the community in the atti-
tude of a man who had neither the virtue TO prefer
his party to himself the courage to instruct his
followers to pursue the only course which could
save their party from destruction.
The vote by which Mr.. Douglas was nominated
was thus lacking 2O4 votes of the two-thirds
of the Electoral College which had been previously
upon as necessary to q choice. This
vote. moreover, included bogus delegations from
Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana The nomination
of Mr.. Douglas was made. after two Intellectual bal
lots by resolution violation Of the Precedents Of all
National Conventions since 1874. But
az we have ever regarded this Democratic rule as
radically unsOund and despOtic we not disposed
10 find fault with their violation Of vicious prece-
dent in the present instance.
The Douglas nominee for the Vice Presidency is
Benz Fitzpatrick, of Alabama. Mr. Fitzpatrick is a
member Of the U. s. Senate, whose term expires
during the coming year. His record is bad one
for the DOuglasites in the North since he UOtsd for
l
lleions of The present session. which, it will be
nembered deny in terms the whole doctrine of pop
llar sovereignty and assert the Buchanan doctrine,
that neither Congress nor Territorial Legislature
ian restrict slavery in the Territories. Mr.. Fitz-
patrick is thus placed in pointblack opposition to
Mr. Douglas on all his distinctive doctrines. This
1alpable and irrecOncilable contradiction furnishes
IN unanswerable argument against the political
honesty Of the party which dominates such
.an1idotes. It will require vastly more skill
md energy Of lying than even the Douglas ora
ors and editors possess, to moke this appear other
wise than dishonest to the people 1.-THE North. I
The very reasons which would operate 10 make
Ir. Fitzpatrick STRONG in the South viii operate
With crushing power to weaken him in the North
% far as he is concerned, the ticket is than
hea-it an insult the honest masses Of the De-
nocracy. And it IS equally true that the causes {
which operate to make Mr.. Douglas strong among
he Democracy of the North, work tremendously 7
his disadvantage in the South. 1t is undeniable,
hat, with the exception CT isolated neighborhoods