The Shasta courier., 1860-10-13
SHASTA COURIER.
How Breckenridge was Nominated.

George u. PRENTICE, VINO 49, pernapsi as Dltte
political enemy as Judge Douglas has OF
earth, gives, in late number of the Louisville
Journal, the following concerning the secret his
tory of the secession movement at Baltimore
under the heading of " How Mr.. Gutnrie wa.
defeated" :"
1t is fact well known to many any fact
could possibly be. that Mr.. Guthrie was man.
puyered, engineered, diddled out of the regular
Democratic nomination both at Charleston and
baltimore, by the friends of Breckenridge. The
Breckenridge faction knew that, if Mr.. Guthrie
should be nominated, there would be no Se-
ceding Conyention-that Southern Democrats
and Northern Democrats would alike acquiesce;
and they knew, too, that if Mr.. Guthrie should
be elected to the Presidency, their own favorite,
living in the same State, could not hope to be
elected for at least good many years after
wards. And so their energies were covertly
but industriously addressed to Mr. Guthrie's de-
feat. Mr. G. and his friends know this, and
they will not deny that they know it.
The Kentucky delegation to the Charleston
Convention were instructed to support Mr.. Guth-
re for the nomination, and 1t is notorious that
he could have been nominated there easily
enough if the Breckenridge men had not effected
his defeat by hypocritically whispering in all
ears that they should be delighted to see him
elected, but that there not the slightest
possible chance for him. And when thew fou n i
at last, that if the Convention should sit un-
broken a little while longer, Mr. G. would be
very likely to get the nomination in spite of
them, they favored the secession movement,
preferring that the whole concern should break
up in a sort of row.
The regular Convention adjourned to Balti-
more and when the day of its meeting in that
city was only two or three days off, Mr. Breck-
inridge's friends thought it necessary to profer
PENNSYLVANIA a bid for her support of him. The
plan Of the bid was arranged With great care
PENNSYLVANIA was known to feel intense in
terest in the tariff bill which had just been de-
feated in the L. ). Senate, and Senator Powell
of Kentucky, was known to be the most inti-
mate friend, associate and messmate of Mr.
Breckenridge. So Gov. Powell got up in his
pIace in the Senate and moved recoasdera-
lion OF the vote on the tariff, knowing that the
question would be pending Throughout. the ses-
sion Of the Convention, and trusting that it
would cause Pennsylvania, which notoriousy
has very strong partality for Mr.. G thrie, to go
for Mr. Breckenridge We respect Gov Powell
bnt the part he played in the Senate upon the
occasion in question, was undeniably a mere
anti-Guthrie trick and pro- Breckenridge trick
1t was well understood to be such in Washing
ton, and equally well understood to be such in
PENNSYLVANIA. The hook was ll-baited. The
bark was visible. The fish wouldn't bite.
At Baltimore, the game OF cunning intrigue on
the part of the Breckenridge men was kept up.
As soon as they found that their man couldn't
get the nomination of the regular Convention,
they resolved to get up Seeding Convention
for his benefit. The plan was elaborated among
them and settled. They pre-arranged and de-
termined every movement precisely as Gen.
4 ~ of tba hot
tie of Cerro Gordo. In one of the meetings of
the Kentucky delegation in their own room,
very clever delegate, near neighbor of Mr.
Breckinridge, and his especial personal and po-
litical friend, took occasion to interrogate them
to what they would do if such and such
things, which at the time seemed scarcely sup
posabe, and of which there certainly appeared
to be probability, should occur. By shrewd
and dexterous suggestions, he induced twenty
of them to answer that they would secede. He
got them to commit themselves to secession
without their having any idea whatever that
the imaginary state of the case would happen
But 10 the whole series of incident turned out
in the most exact accordance with the suppo-
sitious programme. The twenty delegates were
not little astonished at their friends mracu-
lous sagacity. No fly was ever more so when
she found the spider doubled and twisted round
her legs and wings. They hadn't been at all
aware of the cunning and the intrigue they had
to deal with.
We would not do Mr.. Brecknridge or his !
friends injustice land IN the statements we have
made, we have not given the slightest coloring
to the exact truth Mr.. B. is a gentleman of
many fine qualities, but he and his friends have
not played fair in this matter of the nomination
for the Presidency. He and they, by political
legerdemain, foled men of bettei claims and |
higher pretensions than himself, and in so doing
inflicted deep and no doubt irremediable
wound upon the Democratic party. He will get |
his reward, and we sure there are hundreds |
of thousands of old Democrats who will be well |
satisfied to see hi.l get it.