New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-09-27

Lhcolp elsewhere than In Congress, whittier they
are now striving to transfer the contest
Nov we oil do know that nOoe Of the candidates
row running for President has a majority OF tue
Constitutional Vote IN CongreeA Mr. Lincolo mas
considerably more strength there than aDy rv'i;
yet be has but fifteen Of the thirty three Ssstesi
and how this number is to be raised ~ seventeeS
we cannot perceive.
But, gloomy as his prospect would be in the
Uous. we know no one who would have q bet
ter. Douglas has to-day bat two States there;
whence is be to obtain the lackipg fifteen From
tbe Bell men7 They have but Que to give; but
call # three and there is still an "achtng void
like the bottonless abyss. And, as Bell could not
helm ont Douglas, neither could ID uglas help out
Bell. Even if they should prove able, as We think
they will not by coalitions n sundy States to shut
Breckenridge out of the House, neither of them
could be elected.
But suppose Breckenridge and Bell should be re-
turned with Lincoln to the HOuse-as is most
prCbable-what then1 Will even the two Douglas
States 20 to Breckinridge1 One OF them Nile
souri) may; the other (Ilhuois) never. But both
would not suffice to elect him.
The one chance for Bells election was to send
him into the House under a prevalent feeling OF
mutual kindness ard regard between his frieads
and those of Dir. Eocoln, 80 that the latter might
at length say, "Snce We canpot elect Lincoln, let
Gus elect Bell which they pOssibly would have
been able to do. But this result is precuded by the
rabd senseless nalignity with v hich the protested
Bell men, or at least the more active aud coospicu.
Gus among them have assailed and denounced Lin-
coin, e teribg into all manner of unsavory coa-
tons to defeat him. At this moment tha Bell
fUgemen are doing their utmost to beat Col.
Curtin 10 Pennsylvania and Gen Lane IN Indiana,
by conceDtratrg the Bell vote, in either State on
their Democratic rivals. Surely, no one can i'm
agine that the fifteen Republican States ia Con-
gress, af er having fouId the Bell men their most
m scrupulous most malignant, most reckles, ad-
verssries throughout the canvass, always ready
to fuse with aDybody or anything against Lincoln,
will desert their own candidate, go over to the one
Bell State, and telp make Mr.. Bell President If
they hope, or expect desire, in aus contingency,
to secure Republican votes for their candidate,
they must not treat Republicans as though they
were enemies of the human race. Their support
Of Foster and Hendricks will render the supp ut of
Bel in tho House by Republicans entirely out of
the question.
Conservatives who are such by nature or 70 tune,
n by trade, we entreat sou t, ponder well thess
facts. If the election of President is carried to
the House, we see not how any choice can tnete
be made; while the excitement, uncertainty, and
immense interes, of such caDvass--the fact that
the s.ue could be controlled by two or three per.
sons whereof the Country knows little, and that
not eUtrely to their crecit-would make the next
Winter in Washington unlike any eiecessor.
We believe our Government strong enough to bear
the strain of even an abOrtiye attempt to elect
| President in the House-strong enough to bear
| the failure to make any election at all. But
! can any enlightened Co. sergative deliberately
resolve to court the undOubted perils of such
| an election Can any one doubt that even
an election of President by Congress would
fail TO command for him public respect and
confidence, while a f,ilure to elect at all,
involving the transfer of the highest Executive
power in the laud to a man for whom the People
had given not one voc, would test the strength o.
our political fabric it was never yet tested. No
President thus elected could have Il fair chance
none couli WELD power as though the People had
themselves inyes I'd him there it'll. The end
would probably be not disruption bat chronic
weakness-an Administration with no hold on the
cOuLtD's confidence balled at every step ald
pa, aly zed by a Notifying consciousness of mpo-
tence. Such rule would he the carnival of faction,
the Colleen opportunity of discomfort and treason;
and its effects would be felt through succeeding
years.
ConseTy tive. are these things sol We do
not ask you to take any thing the strength of
| assertion, but TO consider tor yourselves.