New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-07

nate ticket Chat car be elected EstioasI Con.
ventions are often blind to transeendens merit.
rarely or never 10 superior strength.
II. Mr. Douglas s SIN, ia the eyes Of the Dsm-
ocratic masses in the Free States, the champion
and embodiment Of the principle Of Popular sovs-,
reignty by which they wefs recoSciled to the repu-
diaton Of the Missouri CdApsct. Tha. repudis-
ton was never relished by them per Sc; nor did
ls manifest object commend il - their appreciation.
Sut the suggestion that each seSsrate community.
,>e'ber termed Sta1 or Territory, should be at
iiberV to manage and dispose of its own negroes
10 Ia w SfgeJ OF not have il, az il should see it
gas al ID is popular with the Western eemocrscJ.
And. bs wing long recognized Mr.. Doualas M tss
author, @. ypOunder and champion Of that doctrine,
thew will n. t be disposed to scrutnzs very nicely
the Platform if he is placed conspicuousIy thereon
With Mr.. Dou. ylas as their candidate, the Denoc-
roev will contes, every North Western State vita
energy. and nost Of them with confidence. They
ill NOT consider On 10 Of them absolutely lost until
IFS popular votes for President shall have been cat
and counted.
III. But. should Mr.. Douglas be defeated at
Charleston the very bin, lest mole viii understand
that the principle wherewit ms name Is idennhed
is ignored and cashierea that the National
Democracy no longer holds American citizens 10
Gated in q Territory equally W ito those in State
at liberty to leralze and estaA lish or to excluds
and forbid Slavery within their respective limits.
In that case, the stereotyped Dem ocrsae question
Of 1885, "Wby should not Amssican cIh-
" zens in Territory have equal rights 40 to Slav-
"ery within their respective limits with those in
" State ?" viii be turned against them with fearful
effect. Mr. Douglas may works. he doattless
,ciH work-desperately for any candidate who may
be nominated OF Charleston, no matter on what
platform; but he cannot secure for hearty Ls-
comptOnite one Electoral Vote in all the North
West
w. Through all his mutations, Mr.. Douglas has
hitherto stood by the principle of Free Homestesds,
the grant of quarter sections Of the Public Lands
to actual settlers without charge. That principle
always stronger in the Free West than any party
has gained immensely In power to control votes from
the pecuniary disasters Of the last three years.
Thousands who were grabbing al the land within
sight of their log cabins few years since, and
fordy expecting to become speedily rich BY land
speculation, have suddenly awaked to realization
of tie fact that their andgrabbing has ruined them
and that they have hard chance before ttem OF
obtaining even livelihood. To these, and TO tens
Of thousands bes de, the Homestead bill seems Of
more consequence than all other topics of political
controversy No other Democratic Statesman than
Douglas unless it be Andrew johnson of Tennessee.
could hope for their support Mr. Joe Lanes ugly
1asf Winfar randara him N eJA n
available. Dir. Douglas, on this question, could
probably hold his own agsiDssa Republican; 10 ono
else but Johnson could begin to do it.
V. The minute division Of his adversaries gives
Douglas great advantage in the struggle. Oct Of
some six hundred votes in the Convention, over two
hundred viii at all events be thrown for him on the
first ballot, while the opposing vote will be divided
between Hunter, Wise, Guthrie, A. Johnson,
jeff Davis, Stephens, Cobb, &c.;
and it ia even said that there are incuwbents or
pectants of Federal offices who will carry their
servility or hypocrisy to the extent of votng-ac-
tualy voting-for Buchanan. do not credit tbs;
but, with Pierce and Seymour both sedutously kept
in the back ground, Mr.. Douglass plurality at the
start must be very large, and this cannot fail to
tell on the succeeding ballots.
-lnat tne'eVents dpd uevelOplncnts or tDe next
ten weeks may change all this, fully understand;
Dut, if matters move along as they are now going,
Mr.. Douglass nomination at Charleston seems
hardly avOidable And, as an evidence that
Democrat may for once dsObey the mandates Of
the Slave Power without thereby ruiong himself,
am prepared to regard it with complaeency.
Ar to the Republicans of the Northwest, the
gre at of their delegates viii go to Chicago, de-
termned to make the strongest possible tcketwath-
out regard TO personal claims or aspirations l
think tie largest number of them would prefer
Gov Seward, should ii appear that he can carry
the States which are to decide the contest; but
there are many who desire TO see Abraham Lin0sn's
name on their National ticket, and none who. do
not place the triumph of their principles far above
any personal consideration. The merits Of Bates,
Dayton, Mclean, Cameron, Chase, Banks, Read.
and others, are freely canvassed; and L hayeheard
good men suggest chat after the ground hasal been
fairly gone over, il will be found that Fremont and
Dayton are stronger with the masses than any new
combination that can be presented. AL are ANXIOUS
that the ticket should be strong in personal char
acter ard in devotion to our cherished principles;
and any Republican ticket that is so wiz be enthu-
siasticaly supported by a strong majority Of the
voters of the Northwest against Douglas; and by
on overwhelming prsponderance against any other
possible nominee at Charleston. Should that NOM