New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-01-30
AN UNFORTUNATE VICTORY.

When the Democratic party met in ConVen-
ton only nine months ago, at Charleston, ). u,
it fell to pieces, as ever! body then knew, and
as nobody now seems to remember, because tho
members Of that tumutuous body could not
agree upon the precise measure OF protection
that should be extended to Slavery in the Terri
tories. The Cincinnati Platform adopted four
years before by the united Democracy, was not
now sufficiently explicit for either section OF the
party: for the issue of no more Slave Territory,
upon which the Republican party rested their
hopes of brilliant triumph, had to be met by
very positive statement Of what reliance the
Slavery PropOgandsts might have upon their
Northern allies who were usually 80 ready to
give up for party all the rights that belong to
mankind. When the Convention adopted its
platform, which went as far in obedience to the
demands of the shareholders as the majority felt
their constituents would suffer them to go, one
State after another seeded till eight if we
remember right, had gone, TO which goodly
company six and half others added themselves,
after the adjournment to Baltimore, making al
together nearly numerical half Of the Union.
Eight months after, however, when 1t
came to the day Of election, it was found that
these seceders poIled only 1888 votes, while
those whom they parted with poled ,365,9i6,
showing majority of more than half million
of voters who justified the destruction and defeat
of that great party, rather than yield all that
was demanded by the advocates of the unrc-
stricted extension of Slavery. 1t IL the habit
of some journals to be constantly appealing to
the figures Of that election as an evidence that
majority of the whole people are in favor Of some
compromise whereby We may settle our present
difficulties, because, although the vote for the
Republican candidate was $50, go, the united
vote against him exceeded that number By about
a million. We suppose there are people who are
deceived by such fallacies, otherwise they would
not be repeated so often. The simple
fact il, that there were nearly nineteen
hundred thousand votes cast against any
extension of Slavery whatever; nearly fourteen
hundred thousand were cast by those who
steadily refused, with the alternative before
them of being probably in hopeless minority,
to yield TO the extreme Southern demand; max
ing an aggregate of more than three millions of
of the extremists, to less than o million-count-
ing the Beeyeretts nowhere, for if they me-nt
one thing at the North, they meant another at
the South-in their favor. And We insist that
this il the true statement, for whatever summer
sets Mr.. Douglas may choose to exhibit to the
world, the great mass of his followers believed
in the seductive doctrine Of Popular Sovereignty
because it seemed TO them TO leave the Terri
tories open alike to Free and 10 Slave Labor,
without giving any advantage to either. Yet, IN
the face OF this fact, and in the face Of that
other fact that the Republican vote represents
the people North Of Mason and Dixon's Line, while
the vote oftheir opponents derives its main strength
South of that bOundary-yet in spite OF all this,
even Republicans now talk Of Compromise be-
cause certain States are seeding from the Union,
and for precisely the same reason as in April
last they seeded from the Charleston Conven-
ton In the name of all that is manly, let us
baye OF least as much faith in the absolute truth Of
our own doctrines as the Douglas Democrats had
in their partial truth. If they would not yield be-
cause they would only acknowledge that Slavery
has the same rights as Freedom, let us not avOw
before the world our readiness to assent to the
proposition that Slavery has rights
which Freedom can not claim, or can not be
granted to her if she did.
Four months ago, there were nearly two
millions Of voters in these Northern States who
would have considered the election of Mr.. Doug
las to The Presidency as calamity disastrous TO
Tie cause Of humanity and just government
Have those two millions so changed their opn-