Rt 1 1,: atriot &(ion. MONDAY MORNING, FEB. 11, 1861. 0. BAMIXTT & THOMAS 0. HAoDOWSLL. Pub lishers mut Proprietors_ Sommunleationswill not be published in the PATRIOT •TD Union unless accompanied with the name of the Sather. O. M. PICTTENOII,I. & CO., Advertising Agents,ll9 Nassau street,lfew York, and AO Mate street, Boston, are the Agents for the PATRIOT AND lisnoi, and the most influential and largest circa. Datvg newspapers in. slip United States and panadaa fl* are authorised to eentraet for u atour leteett rates FOR SALE. A seeend-head ADAMS Palms platen SOX lq• 26 Inches, la pod order ;' aka be method - ei th er by_hind stoma power. Terms moderate Inquire at this office. To Members of the iegtoliture. Psi DAILY PATRIOT AND Union will be furnished to Members of the Legislature during the session at the low priee of Onn Host as. Yeakbers wishing extra copies of the DAILY PATRIOT AND 17wroer, can procure them by leaving their orders at the publication once, Third street, or 'with our re porters in.either House, the evening previous. Democratic County Convention. At a meeting of the Democratic County Com mittee, held at the Morgan House, February 6, 1861, in 'pursuance of a call of the Chairman, it was " . lidoived, That the Chairman of the County Committee be authorised to call a County Con ventiton, to assemble at Harrisburg on the 18th Ina, for the'purpose of selecting six additional delegates to act in conjunction with those elected by the late Democratic County Conven tion, to represent Dauphin county in the Demo •ratio State Convention called to meet at Har risburg on the 21st inst. In pursuance of the above resolution, I here by notify the Democratic citizens of Dauphin toasty to meet in their respective wards and tolinbhipe On QC 16th inst., at the 'usual time and place, and select , delegates to the County Convention, to be held at Marrisburg on the 18th int& Wu . . D. BOAS, Chairman. WY. ' D. EMINBST, Seey. A letter from Philadelphia to the New York IWO& 14 says : The_ contest in our TIM Congressional Dis trict liaalbeen decided against the Republicans. Our candidate, Verree, was returned as being elected by 22 majority. Kline, his opponent, contested this, and a recount of the seventeen ballot;boxes was had. In four of these the re count elects Kline by 9 votes. But the whole examm — ittion disclosed the same careless hand ling and irresponsible custody of the ballot boxes after election as were shown in the Leh men end Butler ease. In fact, it is believed the boles had been opened and the votes changed; so that our elections are practically decided, not by the voters, but by those who keep the boxes. The whole proceeding will go to the House for settlement. Mr. LINCOLN has refused to say a word indi cating a disposition or desire on his part for an amicable settlement of the difficulties distract ing the country. He has remained mute and immovable p in spite of all the Appeals made to him to speak a word in behalf of conciliation. Meanwhile, his silence has been interpreted to Moan hoiltility- to all measures of adjustment involving the least recession from the Chicago platform—and his contributed to the secession movement, at the South. But quite recently-, the attitude of Mr. LINCOLN has excited dis trust among the perpendicular Republicans of his entire reliability and soundness ; so that at last they have grown anxious for the arrival of the time when he will open that beautiful mouth of his for the utterance of something definite as to his future policy. The nioune is informed by "a Republican of great weight "and influence in the councils of the sound "portion of the party," that "the impatience " of Republicans for the arrival of the period " when Mr. Lincoln will speak for himself in " creases every hour." So it appears that the repeated assurances of the Tribune that Mr. Lincoln is all right are not received as gospel by even the " sound portion of the party." If it should turn out that he is all wrong, wouldn't there be a howling! Which Shall be Preserved—The Union or • the Republican Party? The 'plain question now presented to the North* shall the Republican party or the Union break? -The New York liqbutze says that the Republican platform must be lived up to if the Union is broken into fragments. The Demo cratic party and the conservative Republicans say that the Union must be preserved at all hazards, no matter what becomes of party or ganizations and party platforms. It is a simple question of value. Which is worth the most, the Union or the Republican party ? We have managed to live happily and prosperously with out a Republican party for many years, end can ea for many years to come ; but can we live without the Union? When the reality of this inane is fully realized, we imagine that there are- eir flip. men living in the State of Pennsylvania who would not rather see the Re publican party sink in nothingness, than that the ThilOrtidiOttlffbitibrokeri into fragments and the country - mid: reed into the theatre of a bloody, fratricidal war. "Compromise not only destroys the govern " ment and destroys the Union, it destroys the' 4 Republican party," says tha Tribune. 'Well, if the ,lie Publican. party is : so inimical to the interests• of the Southern /hates that it. cannot outlive a:peaceful settlement of the trozibleit it has ;rented and cherished, it ought to pedal. Whenever a party gains the.arcendancy in a country whose organic law was created. by com promise, , that cannot afford to perpetuate the existence of .the nation in the same spirit of mutual accommodation, this fact affords Duff'. sient , airidence that it was sonstruoted upon a wrong hag& There is nothing left for it but to do tight:oi , break., If it. persists in wrong doing, it deserve; annihilation. If the Union is not to be preserved by com promibe, because compromise would injure the Republican party, how can it be preserved ? The stiff-backed. enemies of concession can give no adequate answer to this question of ques tions, in the solution 'of whieh wo are all more deeply interested than in the future of the Re publican party. Would they attempt to pre serVe it by force ? Would they undertake the work of compelling fifteen States to acknowledge thelr Obligations to the General Government ? No;, they are not quite prepared to assume this task. They are . not even prepared to say that the Unina woul d not be dissolved, as the imme diate eenseqwoo of sraunnito sing to the. Chi. cage platform. Rat they. say, swam -n om , A t all events;- take care of the Republican party first, and if the Union is not strong enough to endure the shock, let it slide. The truth cannot too often be repeated, that the Union must be preserved as it was cre ated, by compromise. Force will not do it.— Successful war would not do it, for it would end in one side being the ♦ieter, and the other the vanquished—and this would prove destruc tive of a Union of equals. Unsuccessful war would not do it; for it would establish the in. dependence of a Southern Confederaoy. No thing can do it but comproinise, mutual accom modation, renewed and perpetual amity. Virginia and the Peace Conference We can see little difference, says the Journal of Commerce, between the attitude of Virginia as indicated by the recent election, and that of Louisiana and some of the other seceded States previous to their eleetions. There was a altaitig Union sentiment, in Louisiana, Alabama and • Georgia, based upon the hope•that speedy ad vances-Would be made by the North towards a settlement of the great question before the country; but the Republicans, representing the North, stood firm and uncompromising, and indications became more plainly manifest day by day that they would yield nothing. Then hope was destroyed, and those who had-battled for a Union of equal rights—the conservative press, statesmen, and the people, all lapsed into the secession current, and finallydeelared these States out of the Union, with a unanimity that would have startled themselves three months before. Virginia has been less hasty, but she is nevertheless governed by the same motives which actuated the seceded States, though, it is true, she has more cogent reasons for preser ving her connection with the North. Prudent MR conservative men have earnestly counseled delay 'on the part . of the South, from the. very beginning of the secession movement, in the hope that the integrity of the Union might be preserved by some plan of adjustment that would prove satisfactory to both sections ; and have labored assiduously to effect such a result. We are among those who deplored the course of the seceded States, as precipitate, and not warranted until the last effort had failed—as a step which they might have occasion to repent of, when irreparable mischief had been done. With such views, Virginia, North Carolina, Ten nessee, and other States, have acted witkmore moderation, and we think with more wisdom and prudence. They have unfortunately been disappointed. Congress and the Legislatures.of most of the Northern. States, by resolutions and otherwise, have expressed,their determina tion not only to refrairt/rom all acts leading to conciliation, but, under pretext of enforcing the laws, to coerce the South into submission and subjection. They deny to the South equal rights under the Constitution, and affirm that to grant those rights would,be to make humilia ting concessions to the"elave power. Thus the case stands at present, just as it did three months ago, only more aggravated by an in creased animosity and obstinacy. Now, in the proposition of Virgnia, we have the ultimatum of all the slaveholding States that yet cling to the Union. As Virginia decides, so will her sisters. She has just ex pressed through the votes of her people, by a decided majority, her attachment for the Union and her earnest desire to effect a speedy, satis factory, and final adjustment of the issues in controversy. But, as has -been remarked, that expression of sentiment affords no evidence of a willingness on her part .to submit to the demands of the Republicans respecting slave property in the Territories, nor places her in an attitude one whit different from that pf Louisiana and. Georgia when they were seeking their rights in the Union.. The result of the election is no indication that the people of Virginia are "submissionists," and in favor of the Union at all hazards.: ,The question is not between submission and secession, but between immediate secession and:secession under certain contingencies. Of immediate secessionists it seems certain that comparatively few have been elected to the Convention, and even they are immediate secessionists only because they ut terly despair of any honorable and safe settle- meat. Of the conditional secessionists slums all agree upon three points; Ist, That Virginia must have such additional guarantees as will constitute a settlement of the questions at issue between the North and the South; 2d, That the Crittenden propositions are the least that will be assented to as the substantial basis of this settlement; 3d, That failing to obtain such settlement, she must retire from the Union. The result of this election must not be mists ken Her action will undoubtedly depend upon the result of the Peace Conference at Washing- ion. That Convention assembled in compliance with her proposition. If it fails to agree upon terms of adjustment, she will certainly withdraw promptly, unite her destinies with the seceding States, and unfurling the standard of resist- ance, stand or fall, out of the Union. As she goes, so will all .the Southern States which have not yet seceded, without question, except perhaps Delaware and possibly , Maryland. On the Contrary, if wisdom and patriotism triumph over prejudice and partizan feeling in the Con vention, that will be accepted by Virginia as as earnest of gumkettee forthcoming, and be hailed by every true patriot. in the land as the dein can bright and glorious future. e,Peace bath her victories, a° lees Plitl,6lllll4d than war;" and howmany hearts would rejoice at such a victory—smoh a defeat of those who have con spired to destroy this great Republic ! Theresult of the yirginia election is most happy, in that it cannot but have its influence upon the Washington Conference. The appeal to the Republican Commissioners for comes- dons and measures ; for will adjustment,',9 for to. more potential than: it would have been had Virginia's virdiet been different, Our Wash- ington correspondent, it will be seen, despairs of any favoiable result from the Conference,— At the same time, he .states that ex-President Tyler, Mr. Guthrie, and others, are hopeful Let us also hope. RECENT PUBLICATION& From Leonard Scott 4 Co., New York, we have .Blackwood for January, of average excellence, and the Westminster Review, -(same date,) a number of very marked ability. The article on "American Slavery" will not be apt, however, to acid much to its reputation on this side of the water, character-, iced as it is by all that utter misconception of American polities and the inter-relation of Ameri can States which is so notimeable in the articles of foreign magazinists when discussing our affairs.—. The article upon "Bible Infallibility" is marked by all that radical scepticism which disfigures this indisputably able Review. ELOPEMENT IN ElTTSBURCL—Disappearanee of a Fascinating Widow.—lt was currently reported on the streets yesterday, that a. well-known physician, of the 44 infinitesimal" school, resi ding in a fashionable part of the city, had abandoned his practice and family, and eloped with the widow of a deceased banker. The par ties have both been absent from , the city for some time, and the latest rumor is that they went away together, and after spending a few days in-the east, took passage on &steamer for Europe. The lady was well known in certain.cireles, and for several years sustained the relation of “ mistress" merely to one of our leading brokers.. Those infirmities which are the in evitable•resnit of I , fastliving" gradually began to develop themselves, and preferrhig the, at tentions of a wife rather than a ,mistress, he married his partner, and at his death left her in possession of a snug little fortune. She lived in good style, and continued to keep house and maintain a quasi respectable position in society. Prominent among her visitors was the medical gentleman alluded to, whose amours have fre quently become the subject of gossip. His reputation in this respect was well defined, and the rumor of his elopement, while it creates no little surprise is not gainsaid upon the ground of improbability. Some ten days have elapsed sines the parties disappeared. The gentleman leaves behind him a wife and family, greatly respected by their friends and acquaintances. He enjoyed a large and lucrative , practice, and hence could have had no pecuniary motive in abandoning. his family, although , the fortune of his para mour doubtless formed an incentive to his flight. She owned and occupied a fine dwelling on one of our prominent streets, which is now tenantless, but, as most of her means were of an available character, she will not lack for funds. The gentleman is about forty years of age, while the lady is somewhat younger, and rather prepossessing in appearance. The errant couple, in fleeing to Europe, have taken a very ready meansfor riding themselves of their , surplus funds, and a few