Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-30


Post Morton.
Various persons and factions are charged
with the guilt Of breaking down the Demo-
cratic party Perhaps Cuffee is the person
at whom the CORY locks of the concern can
most Justly be shaken. Doubtless he sits,
like sweet little cherub, up aloft grinning
over the ruins he has made. But the imme-
diate cause of the dissolution was the Con-
vention system. That is an excellent system
for playing the game Of heads win, tails
you lose. II works well when the right
hand has hold Of the crank, and it must be
admitted that modern improvements have
been introduced from time to time, such as
the two-thirds rule, 1--WE believe they got it
up to four-ffths at the last turn,) to keep the
instrument in proper tune.
In the course Of its life ii has given us that
little fallen Democratic angel Van Buren, the
original squatter sovereign Cass, whose fate
is ominoH to squatter sovereigns, and that
galaxy of gems Of ofpurest ray serene-Polk,
Pierce and Buchanan. One of these is dead.
but it is hard 10 tell which. All are equally
of blessed memory among the people. These
fruits-some of them over-ripe--of the Con-
vention system, have endeared it to the DEM
ocratic party. All these 1t survived, there
fore the system was naturally looked upon as
one of the eternal principles of the party:
perhaps we might say the eternal principle,
as enumeration has recently but admitted
scope in Democratic principles. But when
the time came that one side of the party
would nominate the candidate, and the other
side had to do the electing, and especially
when the eternal fitness of things became so
misftted that the party North would have
the nomination, and the party South must
elect it; then it was time for the final disso-
luton of things and it came.
Perhaps the syst EN- might have been saved
if an equitable way had been made for giving
sound Democratic States the control of the
nomination, by modifying the two-thirds
rule so as TO require vote of two-thirds OF
the reliable Democratic States to constitute
the nomination This was proposed by the
Charleston Mercury and some other conserva-
tive Democratic papers, some time ago. But
it was not demanded at the Convention,
probably because as the reliable Democratic
States were Southern, the South felt natu-
raj delicacy in asking for rule which would
result so directly in their favor. This may
be very creditable to their heads and hearts,
but delicacy should not be allowed to inter-
fere with the safety of the country Duty
before decency,n as the boatswain observed
to the ships boy when he stopped to put on
his trowsers after he was called.
Whether the party can exist without Ma
tional Conventions, is question to be asked.
Its existence began with them, and submis-
sion to their action has always been regarded
as the cardinal principle of the party. If the
system is really defunct, it should be pre-
served US a sacred relic; and its past virtues
Van Buren, Cass, Polk, Pierce, and Buch-
anan. should be enshrined with it. 1t is no
matter how soon, nor which one is niched
first. They are all equally ripe.
But, amid the wreck of parties and crush
of conventions, it is consoling to see all the
candidates turning to Providence for aid.
Mr.. Douglas, when called out to respond to
the nomination, put his case in the hands OF
Divine Providence. When Todd, at the Con-
vention, announced the nomination of Doug
las, he devoutly ssid: "May God in His in
finite mercy protect him and the Union he
represents" The other candidates have al
submitted their claims to Providence, and a;
the whole case has thus been appealed to {
higher tribunal, we can see no use for agi'
tating it here, and we shall look upon those
as lacking faith who attempt to forestall the
decision of Providence by electioneering ma
chinery.