The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-08-08

The Late Southern Elections, and Their
warning 60 Our Democratic POliti-
clans.
We have heard enough from the late elections
IN North Carolina Kentucky and Missouri to
warrant the opinion that in the Presidential
election Of November the democracy will lose
all the border slave States from Missouri to
Maryland. Tennessee, also, may be added to the
number swinging round to Bell and Everett,
with the remarkable changes which are going
on in the great political tidal currents of 1860,
in the Southern division of the Union.
While there was reason to believe that the
Breckenridge democratic tic'7et would command
the solid electoral vote of the Southern States,
there was q reason for urging upon the popular
conservative elements of Pennsylvania and New
jersey, New York and other commercial and
manufacturing States of the North, the policy
of concentrating upon Breckenridge and Lane,
with the view Of defeating the republican tick
ct in fair and square contest before the peo-
pie Now the impossibility of any combina-
tons whereby Breckenridge can be elected by
the electoral colleges reduces him and every
other Presidential candidate opposed to Lincoln
to very grave responsibility to the country.
Looking at the popular reaction in North
Carolina, at the decisive defeat of the Breckin-
ridge party in Kentucky, at the decisive reac-
ton in the ST. Louis district of Missouri, in favor
of Blair, the republican candidate for Congress,
and at the Douglas detection among the Virgil
MIA and Tennessee democracy, there is every
probability that one-half the electoral vote of
the South will be turned over to Bell and Eve
rett. As the other half will be for Breckin-
ridge, and as nobody supposes that Mr.. Douglas
can command Sixty, or even thirty, or twenty,
electoral votes in the North, We see that If the
election shall be thrown into Congress the
Douglas ticket will be left out.
As the battle stands, these Southern elections
having settled II that the Douglas ticket will
be the fourth, and not the third on the list, the
chances are that the Douglas party Of the North
may prefer to let Lincoln's election go by de-
fault rather than play any longer into the
hands of Breckenridge or Bell. So long as there
was prospect Of the whole electoral vote of
the South going to Breckenridge the hope of a
majority of the Northern balance Of power en-
couraged the Douglas men to combinations in
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. &c,
with Bell and breckenridge, whereby Mr.. Doug
las might possibly secure seventeen out Of the
thirty-two Northern electoral votes necessary
to throw the election into the House.
But now, with the apparent certainty Of from
Fifty to sixty Southern electoral votes for Bell,
Mr. Douglas Is practically thrown out Of the
canvass for should he, as his share OF set of
fusion electoral tickets, secure twenty electoral
votes In New York, four in New Jersey, and ten,
or even fifteen, in Pennsylvania, his ticket would
still be excluded, though the election would be
carried into Congress 1t Is thus apparent to
the naked eye that, as these Southern elections
have shown that Mr.. Bell, and not Mr.. Douglas,
will be the third highest candidate, should the
election 60 TO the House, the chances of Lilo
coins election are increased. We say in
creased, because the Douglas party, as between
Lincoln, Breckenridge and Bell, stand pretty
much as the old lady stood pending the fight
between her husband and the bear. She did
not care which was whipped.
What, then, Is needed to give this Northern
outside Douglas vote q practical direction
The withdrawal Of all the tickets opposed to
Lincoln, and the nomination. by and with the
advice and consent of all the parties and can-
didates concerned, Of common compromise
ticket. upon which they can all unite. Ia this
way Lincoln may still be defeated; but. as
time Is precious, this thing, to be OF any
value. must be done at once. As we have said,
Il can be done at once through a joint confer
ence and agreement between Breckenridge and
Lane, Bell and Everett. and Douglas and John
son and General Houston.
In default Of some such prompt. combined
and comprehensive action among his opponents.
Lincolns election u inevitable And what will
follow his election! The "irrepressible con-
Hct" against slavery with the headquarters Of
the anti slavery alliance established In the
White House and In the Capitol at Washington.
Mr.. Lincoln believes slavery TO be an evil,
crime and a curse-thst it ought TO be aud must
be extirpated. lie has this zone idea" Of
Seward fixed in bis mind over all others. lie
has the preiudices Of Helper, and The religion
and something of the resolute will Of John
Brown on this subject As President Of the
United States. he will make all other things sub.
ordinate 70 the suppression OF slavery The