The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-03-23
Political News.

The New York Times Washington cor
respondent, writing on the 9th, says the
editor of the Harrisburg Patriot, the GEN.
trail organ of the Pennsylvania Democracy,
is at Washington, and reports the Pennsyl-
vania delegation entirely uncommitted. He
is personally for DOUGLAS, and says he knows
Of many others like himself. He thinks
DOUGLAS will be nominated at Charleston.
1t is rumored that a large number of influ.
entail Virginians have engaged quarters in
charleston, with view to operating for
DOUGLAS.
HE Charleston Convention will vote by
States, each State casting as many votes as
IN the electoral college; but by resolu-
lion adopted at Cincinnati, the Convention
Will De composed of twice as many delegates
as voters. Classified into Free and Slave
States, the former will send 366 against
24O from the latter. Beside these, the men,
bers Of the National Democratic Executive
COMMITTEE have seats on the floor of the
Convention, but no votes. They are thirty
three in number. Moreover, it is customa-
ry to admit distinguished members of the
party to the floor of the house as a courtesy:
so that the Convention will be composed of
about $50 members.
HE Delegates from Massachusetts, to
Nbor
and such as propose to be present at the
meeting of that body, in April, are making
arrangements to 60 in body. 1t is pro-
posed to charter one of the new steamers of
the Baltimore line for the trip. 1t is un-
derstood that the Charleston hotel-keepers
have resolved to charge seUen dollars per day
for boarding during the session of the Con
vention
THE Republicans can harmonic on the
negro question-on one idea--but they can
not come to any agreement On the general
political principles which should be applied
to the government of the country. While
portion of the Republican press encourage
everything looking towards perpetuation
of the protective policy, others 60 as en-
phatically for free trade. The New York
Evening Post, referring to the claim of that
branch of the Republicans favorable to pro-
tections, says:
To come in at this late day and tell us that
we are pledged to the policy of the defunct
| Wing party on the question of a tariff is at
least, wholly unjust to those honest and patri-
| otto Democrats who have responded to this
| broad call, and have left long cherished par
ty, in the midst of its triumphs, for the sake of
| resisting the encrOachments of slavery.
The American people have evinced their
settled determination that, whatever changes
may hereafter be made in the tariff, shall be in
the direction of free trade, and motifs opposite
Any political organization or accidental com.
bination in Congress, which shall fool. hardly
contravene this determination, may rely upon
it that their work will never endure longer than
until the next following Presidential election
shall afford the body of the people an opportu-
nityto give legal efficiency to their will.
The Republicans are indulgipg in large
expectations of success at the next Presi~
Dental election. They forgot that their
organization, although strong in New Eng
land and few of the western states, has
but slim support in many of the free
states, and no existence whatever in few of
them. 1t would be we'll for our ardent New
England Republicans to look little into
the facts and figures, and not to be sanguine
of Republican success. The New York
Tribune presents the following calculation
of the relative prospects of parties, which is
worth bordering:
l. We shall, with determined and united eff
fort, carry all the States which FreMont did,
thus giving us ia electoral votes to start with.
2. We shall not get an electoral vote south of
Mason Il Dixon's line.
8. We shall not carry either California or Or.
| egon. They must be abandoned to the Demo
Gratis, who start with l27 electoral votes.
4. Kansas will not be admitted as a state by
| the present Congress.
S. All the chances we have of electng Pre-
| sident will be before the people. If the cleo.
| ton is thrown into the House of Representa-
tves, we cannot possibly expect to have more
| than fifteen states, and seventeen will be ne
| cessary.
The whole number of electoral votes will be
| 1903 necessary to choice, 1872. In 1856, we
carried neither Pennsylvania, New Jersey, lndi-
| ana, Illinois nor Minnesota. With New Jersey
| (O, Pennsylvania (2O, and Minnesota ~, we
shall have the required number, and not one to
spare. If we carry New Jersey 90, Indiana
(i3), Illinois QD and Minnesota a., they will
| give US 149 only. and we lose the election by
| three votes. If Kansas is admitted, then the
whole numbes will be 3O6-necessary to a
choice, l54 and without Pennsylvania we
lose the election by too votes. 1t is quite evil
dent, therefore, that the great battle. ground
will be New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota,
and the southern parts of Ohio, Indiana and
! Illinois.
This exhibit, it will be perceived, is not
very fattering show for Republicanism. A
contemporary, in commenting on the fore
going statement, says:
The facts and probabilities all indicate the
| success of the Democracy. We start with 127
electoral votes sure. as the Tribune admits;
and we need only 26 more to secure success.
| New York alone is enough, so is Pennsylvania;
and Indiana and Illinois, with either New Jer-
sey, Connecticut. New Hampshire, Iowa, Wis
consio or Minnesota, will give us the requisite
number. There is, therefore, no good ground
for the Boosting of the opposition papers; it is
evidently employed only to keep up the cour
| age of their followers, and to inspire them to