The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-10
The Charleston Conventional pOrtAnce
or Its Bearings and It's Results.

The Charleston Convention Importance
or Its Bearings and Its Results.
The Charleston Convention is the first of the
Presidential Conventions to meet and its &C
ton will have very important influence upon
the other party conventions which are called
at Chicago and Baltimore.
Although it is composed almost entirely of
partisan spells hunters, in whom, personally
the country has little confidence, yet, as it is
the only one of the Presidential conventions
that will have full delegations from every State
in the Union, and thus possesses truly ma
ional character the conservative feeling of the
whole country looks to it with the hope that in
the present emergency it will lay aside all ultra
partisanship, and be animated by broad ma
tionl spirit in its proceedings A reaction
has begun in the Central and Northern COM
mercial States against the revolutionary and
destructive mania which has taken hold of
the black republican party, and the conserve
tive element is beginning to move, and
to prepare itself for enlistment in the fight of
selfpreservation against Seward and his fana.
teal followers. The elections in Connecticut
and Rhode Island demonstrate beyond ques-
ton the change that has already taken place
in the popular sentiment in practical New
England and if the Charleston Convention
pursues moderate course, and dominates
man whose antecedents will command the
confidence of the conservative element, it may
reasonably be expected that he will carry all
of the Central and number of the Northern
commercial States.
But the men who 60 to Charleston must remem-
Der that that body will occupy the position of
the conservative convention Of the Union, more
from accident than from any act Of the party
which has called them together. Imbecility,
leading to defeat, broke up the old wing party,
and the rapid growth of the Know Nothing or
ganization which succeeded it showed how dis
gusted the people were with both the whig
and democratic combinations. The little-mind-
edness of the Know Nothing leaders soon re.
dnced that organization to nonentity, and the
black republican party acquired strength from
the folly and discussions of the democracy more
than from any soundness in its own principles
The fraternal embrace which its leaders have
now given to the petty band of fanatical aboli.
tionists has given the black republican party
its death wound, and at this moment the whole
country is looking anxiously around for the
party and the statesmen whose broad national
views shall sink the partisan and the politician,
and whose big heart shall cherish the Union,
the country, and the whole country, in its i'm
pulses and affections. The democratic parti-
sans who are about to meet at Charleston in
convention do not occupy that position; but
they are the first to meet, and it rests with them
to take it.
The country, however, is not blind to the
fact that they come together merely through
the power Of the old party drill, rather than
from any unity Of sentiment or of impulse.
Their party Is as bare of national statesmen
among its leaders as is any of the others There
Ks not, among the thirty or forty aspirants for
the nomination at Charleston, single man
who, as Senator or representative in Con-
gress, dares to take, on any great national
question, the position Of statesman, and
speak and act in opposition to any
temporary alteration of the public mind in his
own State trusting to the power of reason and
truth, and the ever willing patriotic impulses
of the people to sustain him at home. Party
leaders have descended to the level of polfti-
clans, and each one endeavors to preserve his
position by catering TO the whims Of local feel