Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-03-02

THE WHY AND THE WHKRBFORE.-We are In
the receipt Of letter from democratic friend at
the South who asks whether the trumpeting
Of the alleged strength Of Douglas by the tele-
graphing agents md the battalion Of 4" Washing
ton correspondence in his service indicates that
he may by any possible chance be nominated at
Charleston We answer thus publicly and en-
phatically, No.
In the present state OF public sentment-of the
division OF the people into parties-the nominee
ofthe Democratic party, to be elected, must be bile
TO unite its vote upon himself, almost to a man.
That, Douglas cannot do; because, first. nearly
every Democratic speaker and public man In
States that with any other nominee may be re-
garded as being certain for the Democracy, are SO
committed against him and his doctf me- as that
they cannot support him without virtually stulti-
lying themselves; position a very large portion
oil them will refuse to take. to the naked end of
installing "squatter sovereignty" in the ascend
ancy In the creed of the Democratic party and In
the Poucy OF the Government. Next; because the
TACT That he is and must continue to be but the
candidate OF faction Of the party, also precludes
the possibility Of his election IL elected, he
would come into the Presidency to reward those
who have been his followers while he was un-
faithful to the Democratic rarty Of course: as
well as to punish those who have opposed him. in
being faithful to the party and its prnc PIES The
charleston Convention know full we'll that to ex-
pect an united vote for him under such circum
stances is folly, and will be slow, indeed. to VEN
ture upon the experiment of calculating upon It.
Again, the Convention will know well that the
nomination Of gentleman regarded as unsound
on the vital Question Of the times by a Large ma
Jo'ity In every otherwise certain Democratic State
Will suPerinduce Democratic opposition to him
them g the nj Amin
ing the aScendency of his heresy in the future
creed Of the Democratic party-an event that can
but eventuate in expediting the destruction of the
Government; the days of which will be we'll nigh
numbered when his or any other scheme Of de.
frauding the South Of her constitutional rights or
OF wrestling them from her by more barefaced
usurpatlon and violence, shall become the avowed
policy OF the Executive branch Of the Govern
ment.
again. those who are to represent the democra-
cy al Charleston know well that Mr. Douglas has
no lal-etective-strength in the North
no strength that can win the Presidential election
mere; the proof OF that being in the fact that in
all the late contests in Michigan, Minnesota Wis
consin, Iowa, and Ohio, where the Douglas plat
form was virtually incorporated in the creed of
the party. and his adherents were made the nomi
nees, though those who are sound democrats
voted and labored earnestly for the latter "A being
the best alternative at hand, the democracy were
more shamefully beaten than ever before The
key to this defeat everywhere lays I'm the fact that
perhaps half those who originally separated with
Mr.. Gouglas from the Democratic party on the
Lecompton issue, have long since gono clean over
t. the Republican party declining to be Douglas
men after he evinced disposition to reioin the
dem ocracy, and thus to eat the positions and SEN
timents avowed by him when it was convenient
for him to I'll ht in the Senate chamber hand in
hand and shield locked with shield alon" side Of
Messrs Seward, Hale, Giddings, aol
Under such circumstances, the nomi nation Of
Mr.. Douglas at Charleston will be but to court
defeat-a thing the National Conventions of the
Democratic party will never do, unless they shall
utterly lose the mother-wit for which they have
been distinguished up to this hour
We trust We have answered our respected cor
respondent and friend intelligibly He need give
himself no further uneasiness least the Charleston
Convention shall deliberately throw away the
chance Of success in the approachin election to
the end of installing S1uatter Sovereignty in the
position OF the cardinal faith of the Democratic
party, with the examples before their eyes of the
mischief it has already worked In Transferring the
control Of the House Of Representatives into the
hands Of the Republican party, and generating
the present threatening condition of the relations
of the Northern and Southern sections of the De-
mOcracy