The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-30


The Candidates for the Successton-Who
and What Are Theyf
The democratic journals throughout the
country, and the small politicians In every city,
town, village and school district, from the
Aroostook to the Rio Grande, and from the
Hudson to the mouth of the Columbia, are
busily engaged in trotting out, rubbing down
and exercising their favorite nags for the Presi-
dental race the entries for which are to be
made at Charleston in two months from the
present date
They are not bad lot and some Of them
have heretofore shown good qualities In small
contests. Let us call them over: Virginia
sends to the track Governor Wise and Senator
Hunter; Georgia, Messrs Cobb and Stephens;
Louisiana, Mr.. Slidell; Mississippi, Jefferson
Davis; Tennessee, Andrew johnson; Kentucky,
Messrs. Breckenridge and Guthrie; Illinois, Mr..
Douglas; Indiana, Mr.. Bright; New Jersey,
Commodore Stockton; New York, Fernando
Wood, General Wool, Daniel S. Dickinson ana
Horatio Seymour; South Carolina, Messrs.
Hammond and Orr.
AS we said before, not bad lot, by any
means. All capable men, no doubt; all pa
triotic, and go forth, but none of them available
for this time. They are not, with one excep-
ton, candidates in the real sense of the term
They are only persons mentioned by different
cliques in different sections of the country
They are inchoate-still in the egg-and must
wait until they are Matched into life by the
warmth of popular favor.
In point Of fact, the only candidates, proper
ly speaking, for Charleston are Buchanan and
| Douglas. The latter has made some terrible
blunders, and has redeemed them in part by
his recent speech; but his three years of fli-
clustering and kicking against the South have
put him so out of favor with the people
of that part of the country, that in the best of
times they would not receive him with any
great amount of favor. Now, not to put too
fine point upon it, they won't have him at all
He has been since 1856 until the other day the
demon of discord in the ranks of his own par
ty-weakening it at the South, and disorganiz.
ing it at the North. He ought to go through
with severe dose of probation, as the punish
ment for his political sins-for blunder in
politics is a sin of the deepest dye.
1t would be folly to deny that Mr.. Douglas
will have some strength at Charleston, and that
strength he ought to be very glad to trans
fer to the support Of Mr.. Buchanan,
who can be elected, while Mr.. Douglas
cannot. As for the others, they are all
out of the question: and must wait little
longer for the good time coming, which to
| some Of them may be long way of. Mr.
Douglas, by giving his strength to Mr.. Bu-
chanan, will have an undeniable claim on the
succession, and in all probability would go in
for 1864 without much trouble.
But the man for the hour is distinctly Mr.
Buchanan. His administration will compare
favorably with those of the earlier Presidents.
Apure, upright, experienced and sagacious
statesman, unaffected by the strifes of parti.
sans or the bowls of disappointed spoilsmen,
he has pursued the noiseless tenor of his way.
Few constitutional rulers have had so hard q
task, so many difficult questions to settle, such
bitter, determined and well drilled opposition
as those which Mr.. Buchanan has met and over.
come. He is considered by the national con.
servative men of all parties, North and South
as an eminently safe man, and his reelection
would give the coup de grace to all the incipi-
ent Stewards, Helpers and John Browns in the
country. When we say that Mr.. Buchanan is
the only man who can command the million of
reserved votes of the North-the electors who
belong to no party, but who always vote on
the safe side-i.e e., to preserve the peace to put
down internal discussions and prevent crises,
political and Commemorative assert an I'M
| deniable fact-one which the delegates to
Charleston will do we'll to reflect upon before
they make their choice.