The southern press., 1850-10-03
The "N National" and tho g Sectional
Whigs

The National" and the +" Sectional"
Wings
We had confidently expected full exposition
of the actual position which the two wings of
the party would hereafter occupy, from the two
organs Of the Wing party in this city, and
opened both yesterday with much curiosity to
see the programme of the performance, bat our
hopes We're fallacious. Vainly did we sean the
batelHgencer-idly did We pore over the crowded
columns of the Republic, for even an allusion or
a reference TO this great crevasse in the Empire
State
'Silence slept brooding o'er the vast abyss"
as though some Curtius intended inioating
himself, that the yawning chnsm might close
without leaving even iissure for the nomina-
tons to fall through. But the augury was an
erroneous one-for on opening the New York
prints another babel of discordant tongues broke
forth--and convinced MS that aMiscHIEF WAS
STILL A-roor" on that 1free-sO."
The papers from that section are filed with
suggestions and speculations about the split
The seceders have issued an addrcss-repudated
the nominations Of the Convention-and called
another Convention to be held in Utica on the
18th day of October.
They are evidently endeavoring to retrieve
their ndiscreticn, and make the best Of bad
bargain by contending that they, and not the
majority of the delegates to the State Conven-
ton, are the real Simon Pures' of New York
Whiggery.
With an appreciation of the great Importance
of names in party contests, which are often more
potent far than principles, they have called for
another onvention-denominati themselves
the National and their opponents the Sectional
division of the party--in the hope of yet effect
ing division in favor of the Administration,
against whom Mr. SEWARD seems stubbornly
to have set his face Like his famous ante-type,
RoBEsPIERRE--the man of :" the Mountain" in
the French Revolutionary Convention, who
crushed under his heel first the Girondns and
his rivals, Senator SEWARD has silently woven
his web around Mr.. DUER and his "conserva-
tives" representing the ministration--induced
them to commit themselves substantially to his
platform by holding out the hope of a coalition
and then presented them the alternative either
of stultifying their whole previous policy and
political action-or of being crushed as fac
tionists."
The position Of these gentlemen seems to us to
be precisely parallel to that of the Grondins, who
sought to occupy what they considered the safe
middle ground, by lending halfsupport to the
measures, while refusing cordially to coalesce
with the men of the "Mountain."
Among those victims of the aIIigher Law of
the guilotine, were men as earnest, as sagacous,
MS eloquent as Mr. DUER or Mr. GRANGER
and they too fell the victims of mistaken
policy--the policy of patching up hollow truce
where they should have proclaimed open war;
and treated only with their opponents as enemies.
The Girondius paid the penalty of their error
with their heads-the reign OF demagogueism
on Free-soi, has not yet guile reached that point
of leyelling Democracy, though progressing ra-
pidly towards it-consequently the heads Of the
seeding party are safe literally, if destined to
be cut off from the main body fguratively.
The address writ en- by Mr. DuER is marked
by his usual ability, plainly states the facts of
the case, and shews the concessions made by
" the conservatives" to SEWARD, and in one
sentence sums up the whole cause Of the colli-
sion
They did not choose, for the sake of placing
a crown IT glory on the head Of Mr.. Seward, to
stamp with condemnation the President of the
United States and such earnest Wings as Henry
Clay and Daniel Webster"
The quarrel is in reality one about men not
measures, as the proceedings of the Convention,
the resolutions, and the address conclusivey
prove. The plea of superior nationality set
up now is evidently an afterthought, and can
deceive no one who does not desire to be de-
ceived We give the testimony of one of the
strongest organs Of the administration party in
the State of New York on this point. The
Commercial Advertiser in a long leading edito-
rial makes these pregnant admissions, which we
call upon every patriotic SOUTHERN Wing to
ponder over, before being betrayed by this par
rot cry of I" nationality" The length of the ar
ticle compelsus only to collate few extracts:
aTHE MINORITY ADDREss.--We publish to-
day the address to the Wing party in the State,
issued by the minority of the late convention,
that readers may see for themselves what the
respected gentlemen, who now stand in direct
opposition to that convention, say in defence of
their proceedings. If the reading of it has the
same effect upon the minds of Others that it had
upon our own, the antidote to the evil inflicted
upon the Wing party will travel with the adj
dress We have been accustomed to think and
act with that branch of the Wing party repre-
scented by certain Of the gentlemen who have
signed the address; a more sincere and earnest
friend of the conservative element of Wing
policy than this Journal cannot be found it nd
yocated the great constitutional compromise pro-
posed by Mr.. Webster and Mr.. Clay, perhaps
earlier and more strenuously than any other in
this region; and it is second TO none in attach
ment to the principles AM policy of the present
able Whig administration. We think it neces-
sary to premise and rcterate these sentiments, for
reasons which many readers and friends will