Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-04-25

THE CHARLESTON CONVENTION.

|
their husbands, members Of the Convention, and
other attending from a distance. The gallery for
males, too, was not much more than half full,
| which may be owing to squabble which Mr.
| Chairman Smalley has got into with the s'third
estate relative to their tickets of admission and
position In the hall Heis decidedly ma, aprorvs
gentleman. That is to say, he lacks readiness
and tact, essentially in coming 70 conclusions
| about bis arrangements. and energy and decision
| to carry them out
| Mr.. Flournoy, who acted to-day as temporary
Chairman-without any power other than about
that Of assigning the floor, is Douglas man per
| Sc, but is under strong anti Douglas instructions
which he has pledged himself it is said, to carry
| out from first to last Otherwise he could not
have obtained that position; which, under the
circumstances, was tub thrown to the Douglas
| whale-a bait to keep them quiet while their can
didate is being scientifically knocked in the head
| The contest Of to-days three-hour session was
| over the New York contested case Fisher of
Virginia, who is credited with being the Wise
| fugleman in the Virginia delegation, managed
Woods cause; while John Cochrane, of New
York, managed that of the Cagger and r edmond
side; and he managed it badly enough for his
clients as the sequel showed; for Cochrane, with
| Flournoy's help, beat him out Of water on every
| turn.
4 Hunters friends, by the by are alarmed at the
fact that the majority of the Virginia delegation
| agreed, for the sake Of propitiating their Wise
| colleagues to sustain the claims of the Wood
| delegation. They now that the latter cannot
be admitted and are not to be trusted for Hunter,
| If admitted; and, further, that the pertinacity
with which Mr.. Fisher fought for Wood to-day
| has rot big Dean Richmond's dander up to
point likely to make him, the real dictator In the
councils of his (SOfp delegation do his best from
first to last to prevent the vote of the Empire State
from being given for Hunter in any event
1t is settled that Caleb Gushing is to be the
| permanent President of the Convention. The
Douglasites on the committee organization did
their best first to confirm Flournoy in the position
and then, as derner resort to place Orr of South
| Carolina, there. But in vain; they were fairly
| out-voted by a considerable majority by their
ant-Douglasite colleagues, who concentrated on
Gushing, the ablest. as well as perhaps, the bit
| ferest and most confirmed anti Douglas delegate
| from all the -slaveholding States
do not think that Hunter stock has advanced
| today The Virginia movement for Wood has
damaged 1t with the New York vote, explained
| above; and the expediency men from various
| Northern States running around protesting
| their inability to carry Pennsylvania New JERSEY
and Indiana with him, though protesting to re-
| gard him as the man the Democracy should elect
to the Presidency, by all means, if they could
Though no formal communications between the
parties have taken place, the Pennsylvanians have
| certainly urged that argument on the Hunter del
| egates, and are endeavoring to induce them to
take Breckenridge in g stead. So far they have
made little progress in that work, though some of
| them claim that seven southern delegations will
| take either Guthrie or Breckinridge as Pennsyl-
| vania and New Jersey may elect between thoss
| two gentlemen.
Or course the Douglasites claim the New York
Soft delegation My information, however leads
me 10 believe that that claim is worth no more
| than their ridiculous claim that Georgia. Vir.
| ginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee will vote
| for Douglas somewhere between the fifth and
| tenth ballots. Douglas is in a decided minority
| In the New York delegation, and If driven to the
wall. mark it, the majority of it will combine
upon Guthrie-making him very formidable
competitor for the nomination If Kentucky
would drop him and consent to go for Breckin
| Ridge, the latter's chance, as matters now stand
would be best Of all the aspirants But with
kentucky and New York against him, and a
considerable portion of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey really favoring Guthrie, his prospect does
not strike me just now as being as bright as his
| advocates claim.
| Inc Missouri delegation are having hot time
| OF It, 1t is said that four OF it's members who
pledged themselves up to their eyes In their State
| convention to go from first to last against any
siuatter sovereignty candidate, now proclaim in
| thelr delegation meetings the purpose of voting
Tor Douglas and more than one absolute foht
| among them is expected to grow out Of the course
OF those gentlemen, their anti Douglas colleagues
being exceedingly wrothy on the subject be-
leve that the vote of the delegation will rest in
great part with the course that Judge Grimm of
81 Louis may take. He is an original Douglas
man, but so far is understood to hold it to be his
Rfy to carry out the instructions he voluntarily
accepted as the law for the government of his
course in the Convention
Inc extreme ntl-Douglas men of the South are
most vehement this evening in their comments on
the Iecreant Missourians, in whose behalf it is
alleged that there is letter from Douolas in
Charleston, offering to accept the nomination ON
the Missouri-intensely anti uatter sovereiontv
platform, If thus rendered to him place no
confidence in any such story, because If such a
letter were exhibited here, it would only serve IN
emol'ter the South more intensely against Doug
Las than at present Then, he would be regarded
oy them as being simply most intense and reck
7Ss onice-seeker, willing to be anything whatever
+ ohice-aoolitionist when seeking reelection n
the Senate, and intensely pro-slaverv to cst.h
southern votes here.
do not see how the Convention can eo, - b,,
loting for Presidential candidate bef,re rbn,.-
day The Committee on Organization will to. |
morrow doubtless report in favor of the adoption
OF the rule OF the Cincinnati Convention, author
ling the majority of each delegation to deter
mine now the whole vote of the State shall he
cast. That will be opposed by the Douglas in. |
serest' who may be from fifteen to twenty five
votes stronger if it be rejected, than with il in
operation When the question comes up, the de. |
bate upon it bids fair to be a long one.
Next there will be an interminab1e d.,,..
upon the New York contested delegation ones.
non, which though clear case in my Judgment
VIII give rise to the uteerance of an ocean Of
WORDS consuming at least half day if not more.
The case is SO plain hat it must finally he set-
Tied upon It's merits, though there will be more
or less votes upon it dictated by hopes and fears
with reference to tie probable vote of the delec,
lion upon the all-absorbing question
After that will come up for consideration tho
proposition to adopt the platform before nom,.
mating the candidate. The South are endea vo,inc,