Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-04-11
The CharIeston Convention.


emocracy Of the nation viii select as their
standard bearer in the approaching struggle,
Tennessee's fayorite-ASDREw JOHNSON. We have
been repeatedly asked, ecan he be nominatedg'
Weno only believe that he can but by proper dis
erection on the part Of our delegates he viii be
nominated. We are satisfied that this result can
be effected without management or manGuvering by
our delegation. His strength swith the people, his
availability, is not questioned by the well informed
supporters ofany Of the other aspirants All admit
that if he should be nominated, his election viii be
sure. What is now seeming weakness will in the
end prove his strength. When those delegates,
whose excited personal prejudices have blinded their
judgments to the fit man, shall have become salts
fed that their favorte cannot be successful.
they will at once begin to cast about for
one whose political and personal integrity is above
suspicion, and who ie he can carry all the
Southern States, can also carry all the doubtful
Northern States. That man we believe to be
Governor Johnson, and we believe the
Convention viii finally so determine. Mr..
DoUGLAs will undoubtedly 60 into the .Conven-
ton with far votes than any Of his rivals But
the South viii ne rer permit his nomination, even
though he should be able to command the entire
strength of she North If he were otherwise
his availability, which his Northern admirers seem
to possess. His success in some two or three of the
Southern States we should regard as somewhat
doubtful. With the positive opposition which there
is to him inside ofthe Democratic party in the close
ly contested free States we know Of none upon
which he could cerGily rely except California and
Oregon. Even in Illinois the popular vote was
against him when he was elected United States Sen
T,s7 ,t, rT.. Al.
Chicago, would seem to indicate tina. Black Repub-
Hcanism is decidedly the increase in that State
The Democratic Senators from Indiana. Messrs
BRIGHT and FITCH, are bitterly opposed to him. and
should he be the candidate. the consequent luke
warUness Of themselves and their friends would in
crease the probabilities Of defeat in that State He
could not expect to rally very warmly to his sup
port large number Of the Democrats Of Pennsylva-
MIA, since his warfare with the Administration.
Where, then, could he expect to get a sufficient
numbe- Of Northern States to secure his election
Every Tree State this side of the Rocky Mountains
has a Black Republican Governor except Rhode
Island and Indiana. We know that his friends con
hdently expect his nomination. They claim ma
jority Of votes for him on the first ballot and we
know Of but two or three States that they think
will vote against him longer than the third ballot
Virginia North Carolina and Tennessee are put down
for him on the fourth ballot at the furthest Such
are the calculations Of his over jealous friends
Mr. DOUGLAS failing to get the nomination, he will
strive to prevent its being conferred upon any other
Northern man, as that would diminish his chances
for the position in 1864 So witt each Of the other
aspirants from the free States The Northern dele
gates having to look South fer a candidate would
certainly selects some one whom they could support
with the greatest hopes of success. That would
not be Mr.. HUNTER because his reply to Mr.. DoUG-
LAS the invasion Of the States was not acceptable
to Mr. D. friends, and his opposition to the Home
stead viii make him generally unacceptable in the
North. Ia looking over the list of Southerners
whose names are mentioned in connection with the
nomination we believe that they viii be constran-
ed to select Gov. JOHNSON as the only one whose
private and public history can give them entire as
surance Of success. His struggles with poverty in
early life, when tramping jour" tailor his grad
ual rise from the time that he learned from his wife
the first rudiments of English education until he
has become the Senator Of Sovereign State in the
National Congress, having again and again served
IN the State Legislature, then for several years a
Representative in Congress, then twice as Governor
of the State and now as United States Senator,
never having been defeated but once and that many
years ago in one Of his canvasses for the General
Assembly Of the State, his long and determined
devotion to the people his disregard Of protested
politicians and their schemes. his unfinchng will
lis strict adherence to principle, and his unmpeach
able integrity all point him out nos ONLY as the
available candidate but as the fttest man to
guide the Ship Of State in this hour Of peril.
We believe that before a nomination. made the
yentiOn will reason about this matter and conclude
about 1t as we have done. To secure this result
we repeat what we have before said all that is nee
essary TO be done Is for delegation to adhere
closely to the recommendation of our State Conven-
ton. Even if they should by possibility be unsuc-
Cessful they viii maintain the dignity of the State
and Of their own characters. The report Is being
seduloGsly circulated throughout the country that
Tennessee delegates do not intend to present the
name of Gov. JOHNSON in earnest: that they will
simply cast their votes for him on one or two bal
lotas a mere matter Of compliment Such a report
is unauthorized by the allegation and unjust TO them.
The vacillation Of our delegates TO Cincinnati and
the fact that some two or three of our Democratic
contemporaries have manifested an unwillingness to
yield their personal prejudices TO the expressed
preference Of the State Convention has tended to
part a shade Of probability to such rumor. We
hope that the delegation will 90 TO Charleston deter
mined TO let it be known, modesty but firmly. that
the Democracy of Tennessee are for Gov. Johnson
with all the ardor of devoted hearts, and that they
have gone to the Convention for the purpose of
trbutng all in their power to his selection for the
Presidency Then we believe his nomination VIII
be certain. We have talked to delegates from diff
ferent Northern States who tell that their States
are ready to cast their votes in the Convention for
the choice of Tennessee whenever they are assured
our delegates are sincere and determined their
efforts to secure his nomination.
Those who are familiar with the facts viii re
member that the ,vacilation of our delegation at
Cincinnati was strenuously urged an objection to
the giving Of Tennessee cabinet officer the |
present administration. Unless Tennessee for her
deeds in the council and on the field, for her agri-
cultural. commercial and mineral superiority. for
her central position, and for the number and char
acter Of her population so worthy to be rankci as
a star of the first magnitude in nationa! galaxy /
is willing 10 shine in public esteem as lesser |
light il is time for her TO set up for herself.