New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-13


he is respectable debater. He
presidts in the Seuote with diguty and liberality.
Now, Douglas would have been for better matched
agaiu,t, ard would have Infinite preferred to co.
counter, sone foeman Of c0arser gram than Breck-
inridge, sone vulgar brawler like Atchison or
Green. or some impulsive aHd imprudent declaimer
Like Brown or Toombs. whose utterances could
have been turned against him.
Douglas has won many friends By affecting the
airs, the buoyancy, the tilariT ofyouth. de mas
always relied much upon the support Of " last
young men. He is popular With the "bo's' but
Breckipridge is the youngest man BY far who ever
ran for the Presidency. He i. the favorite OF the
young Cbiyalry. In 1856, when Republicans con-
trastcd the sigor of the Pathfinder" with the
weight of years that bent down the sold public
f,uctiousry," the youi Democracy used to point
with pride to the erect firm and elastic step OF
their candidate for the Yice.Presidency, whose
running qualities were so much superior to those
Of bis aged leader, that wags called the combina'
ton sthe Kangaroo ticket" because its longest
legs were behind. Breckenridge has the advantage
Of Douglas on the score of youth By some ten
years.
Beyond all cavil Douglas had the right to require
that his opponent should be an early, an uns~erv.
ing, IN avowed disciple of the P,opogandst school
OF the most extreme type. But Breckenridge could
not be claimed with any certainly, until recently,
as convert to the dogmas Of that school. In
1856 be made mol interg ention speech OF the most
urmstaksble hue. In the thickest Of the Lecomp-
ton contest be was charged, and BOT without rea'
son, with "skulkipg" from the chair Of the Senate
for weeks together, lest. on come tic vote, ne Dc
compelled to throw bis weight into one scale or the
other of tho vibrating Democracy. In fact, he
permitted himself to be proclaimed q qualified
Ant-Lecomptonite. On this point Douglas has
been trea'ed with rank injustice. In common fair
ness there shoulo have been pitted against him
keen, profouud exponent of the Slave-Code dogmn,
who has brought out tire doctrine in all it's plau-
sible diabosm, like Davis the Luther of the Negro
Propaganda; or, some bod, dashing advocate OF
the doctrine, Like Wise, who, smulating Moham-
MT d, would propagate Slavery with Are and sword.
But the cut given by this nomination which Dong
las must feel the keenest is the ot-shown friend.
ship of BrechLinridge for Douglas personally, and
his supposed liberation of his political eccenrici-
ties. The Vice President treated him with marked
kindness, while in the chair during the Lecompton
struggle, thereby provoking the hostility of the enc
mics of Douglas in the Senate. When battling for
a reelection before the people Of Illinois. in 1883
Breckenridge wrote generous letter in his behalf
which refreshed the hunted rebel like 90 the shadow
:" of great rock n q weary land. On that January
morning in 1852 when, triumphant over the Ad.
Il inistration, DOugas with long strides aud defiant
wag Of tie head salkcd to his seat in the ne
Senate Chamber, crowd Of friends in the packed
galleries receiving him with a subdaed cheer, many
Senators scowed c0ldly upon him, but
the gallant Kentuck,an extended to him a cordial
greeting, shakug tia victor fervently BY the hand.
Then, sgain just at the close of that session, when
DAVIS, Brown, Clay, lveIson. Masses. Gwin, and the
rest Of the Leoompt"n cOnspiratCrs, made their
combined attack upon him, worrying him like
wounded stag and satisfy ing all impartial observers
that be could mover be the nominee of the united
Democracy, the Vice President, panied at the
spectacle left the chair retired to the clOakroom
and occasionally gaDciDg in upun the quarrelipg
Democratic Orlandos and divers seemed to say,
ike good Adam, "Sweet masters. be patient; for
. your fathers remembrance, BIZ ut accord"
Doubtless, both Breckenridge and Douglas, look
Dg, each for himself to esidenta nomination,
Intended to maintain such relations toward one
another that each could have the support Of the
other in his respective section of the country
receiving aid from Douglas in the
Nor b. and Douglas from Breckenridge in the South.
Then, to compel such n man-for. uuquestion.
ably, B'eekinr:dge goes reluctantly to the task
10 execute the vengeance Of the Slave .Oligarchy
upon Douglas, is the refinement Of cruelty. II
tbe; had dtputed Davis, who led the attack upon
him in the Senate, in 1852 theu as in their recent
encounter, naughty. dictatorial and affecting
most oiiensise superiority; or Slide who, in his
clumsy malignant way, has always sneered at his
Presidential pretensiOnr, Denounced him As "Chief
{" of this Thugs Will. receiving the hospitality Of
Scu6 in New .OreaI g. tried to steal his Cuba thun
der by his thirty -million bill, aud who despises
Douglas as cordially as Douglas hates him--if
either CT these had been selected as his antagonist
thr Little Giant would have had good stomach
for the fight. But, to confront him with Breckin.
ridge, the whilcm friend, apologist, defender
" Take any shape but that" he must have eI-
claimed when the t!dings Of tho nomination flashed
upon bin.
We have sad this nomination was made to
" kill" Breckenridge, however, lacked one ele-
ment to make ths death of Douglas doubly sure.
He has Lot grain of rowdyism in his compost.
tcn. Douglas has ever relied largely upon thi,
element to aid bis Presidential aspirations. He