New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-07-21
.rHE pArH or DUTY.

r.
Mr.. senle, ii the eloquent speech he delivered
In Canal street on Thursday night made an earnest
appeal Il the supporters Of the Bell and Everett
ticket ID unite with hira and his friends in the sup
| port Of Judge Douglas against what he called the
| acepamon enemy Els reason, given without dis
r,isa n, coneealnesnt was that there was no pres
nect of electins Mf Bell and there was q prospect
| Of electipo Mr. Deurlas--and hence there should
Ne concentration upon the latter Of all those who
are opposed to what he called the g seceders'
ticket meaning thereby Breckenridge and Lane.
Mr.. sonld, we doubt not, honestly entertains the
belief that the chance Of electmg Judge Douglas is
much greater than that Of electing Mr.. Bell We,
on the contrary believe precisely the reverse. If
the Democratic party be divided in half in the
Southern States, there are only two or three Of
them that will not give their electoral votes to Mr..
Bell In several of the Southern States it requires
only slight diversion of the Democratic strength
to give Mr.. Bell the plurality. II Mr.. Douglas
to receive the vote of every Southern State, he
would still lack more than thirty votes of being
elected. That he can carry all the Southern States
and enough of the Northern to secure Success is,
to say the least oft, extremely improbable. The
Democratic party, when thoroughly united and
harmonious, is unable to win success in more than
two or three States Of the North. 1t can scarcely
expect to be successful when the party is divided
into two parts, while the Opposition is united and
flushed with the hope of victory.
What we say of Mr.. Douglas we say also Of Mr..
Breckenridge. We cannot understand the grounds
upon which his friends claim his election. Every
body knows that the united vote of the South is
insufficient to elect candidate to the Presidency
and, even granting to Mr.. Breckenridge what we
believe his friends claim for him. the entire South
ern vote, we consider it beyond the range of all
probability, in the present condition Of things that
enough Northern votes can be cotton for him to
ensure his election.
We do net assert that Mr. Bell will be elected by
the people if each party adheres to its favorite
candidate. But we affirm that Mr.. Bell Is the best
compromise candidate, by union upon whom of
all the conservative elements the election of Lin
coin may be prevented. In other words, that nei-
ther upon Mr.. Douglas nor upon Mr.. Breckenridge
is there reasonable prospect of concentration
Of all the anti-Republican vote North and South
that such concentration is absolutely needed to
defeat Lincoln and TINT it is practicable and fea-
sible with Mr.. Bell only, of all the candidates.
Mr.. Soule's advice was given, we doubt not
with the best intentions-but for ourselves, we
think it best to accept the advice given by the
Hon. Jere Clemens in recent letter from Ala
bama to the editor of the Memphis Enquirer, His
remarks relative to the duty of those who are ia
yorable to the Constitutional Union ticket are dis
hnguished-as is every thing else he says or
writes-by great wisdom sagacity, and patriotism
We commend to general attention the subjoined
extract from his letter:
The friends of Breckenridge claim that they have
decided majority in other parts of the State.
Ny own view on the matter is that the supporters
OF Mr.. Bell have it in their power to carry the
State, il they will only adhere to their own nomi-
nations. and steadily refuse to be mixed up in this
Democratic quarrel in any manner whatever. The
split between the factions is irreconcilabIe They
can never be brought together, and know Of no
folly that Constitutional Union man could com
nit more egregious than that Of uniting his for
tunes with either wing. AS the partisan of either
he is certain of encountering an overwhelming de-
feat. There is no principle no motive of interest,
and no plea of availability to lead him away from
his own candidate, but on the contrary ali these
appeal to him in the strongest terms to labor by
day and by night for the success of the glorious
cause in which be has embarked.
In 1855 the Democracy begged us to abandon
our party organization and unite with them for the
sake of the South. The tables are now changed
If the fate of the South is dependent upon d Presi
DENTAL election, the Union party alone can save it.
Breckenridge cannot carry d Northern State unless
it may be Oregon and California. Douglas cannot
carry more than three or four Southern States
Neither can he be elected by the people or in the
H0nse of Representatives, and the Southern maj,
who sincerely believes there il any danger over
shadowing our peculiar institution which Presi-
dent can avert has no excuse for withholding his
suffrage from John Bell and Edward Everett. We
cannot help either wing of the Democracy by going
to them. They may elect cur candidate BY coming
to u.s. In such case there is no choice The
NATL Of duty leads hi hut ana dra rfinu