The republic., 1851-12-15

impose terms and candidate on the Baltimore
Convention. Sill. people are incredulous. Few
believe that the rents in the Democratic mantle
can be covered fairly with Freesoil and Seces-
sion paiches-for it has been pierced with more
parricdal daggers than CEsAR's was; and men
look for some ANTONY to display the wounded
Vesture to the people, and dsnounce the ''bloody
treason" that has maued it.
Under these circumstances Congress assem-
bled Before the Democratic caucus of Satur-
day night the Union Democrats made no secret
of their intentions, which were given to the
world through the letters of the most active
and intelligent of their correspondents. We
have now before us a letter to the New Orleans
PicdWHc, under date of November oath, which
states very distinctly their programme of opera
tions. :" II is now proposed and insisted on"
says this correspondent, g by the Union Demo
Gratis in Congress, previous to going into
caucus for the purpose of nominating Speaker
and officers OF the House, to pass resolutions
reiteratiug, first, the Baltimore platform and
secondly, considering the Compromise mea-
'sures Of the last Congress as .fnaIity, and
pledging themselves to their support one and
8 all This is the true way of putting an end
TO the reasonable agitation North and South,
and for shelving the agitators for the remain
der Of their natural lives
"The mode to be adopted by the sterling
Democrats of the House is the only safe one,
: TO wit TO exclude the fire-eaters and the
higher-law men altogether; TO hold no com
munion with them, and not to allow them to
: vote in caucus. 1t is infinitely better and
safer for the Democratic party, in and out of
Congress, that some thirty or thirty hy-
pocntical members of their party should be
sent to Coventry than that the whole body
should be contaminated and corrupted"
Brave words these-brave words The
Union Democrats, however, had reckoned with
out their host They were not aware of all
that had been accomplished by their piscatory
friends. 1t was for them to learn thereafter that
Mr.. VAN buren, and Mr.. BLAIR had hooked all
the gudgeons they angled for. Major Polk was
selected 10 offer the resolution sustaining the
Compromise and the caucus forthwith, in
stead Of ''shelving the agitators," shelved the
resolution and Mr.. Polk! Instead of sex
cludng the fire-ea and higher-law men"
from the ranks Of the sterling Democrats, the
higher-law men and fre-eaiers drove ''the
sterling Democrats" out Of the caucus. AS
the editorial correspondent of the Post (the
leading organ in New York Of the VAN RURENs
and the Abolitonists) wrote from Washing
ton on the first of December, with regard
TO the withdrawal Of portion of the delegates
after ''PoLK's resolutions were tabled"-''they
intended, when they withdrew, to hold
separate caucus and nominate clean Union
ticket; but the coolness which usually follows
sleep and reflection disclosed to them the
fact that there tCere enough Democrats 10 elect
their candidates, not only rithout the boilers.
bh in spite Of them" And not only did they
drive the boilers out of the caucus, but they
frightened them half out of their wits, and i'm
posed such humiliating terms, that Major Polk
rose in his place in the House on Monday mora
ing, and defended the caucus for ''tabling the
resolution" which he had himself offered He
had found discretion the better part of valor,
and was willing not only to take steps back
ward, hut to manifest his penitence by public
recantation of his errors.
When the resolution had been thus "kicked"
out of caucus, and the Union Democrats treated
with as little ceremony as their resolution, the
next movement (to use the language again of
the Freesoi and yAE buren, Post) was " the
nomination Of lcarm personal and political
friend Of General WM. 0. BUTLER, Of Ken
t,cky, as Speaker Of the House" This was
followed by the selection of an Gttache Of the
Globe newspaper for the Office of Doorkeeper,
and by assigning to the reporters Of the same
journal official seats on the floor of the House of
Representatives.
simultaneously with the announcement of
these successes in Congress, the Erening Post
publishes the proceedings of the Large Demo
cratic meeting held at Hillsboro Missouri"
and introduces the following resolutions, under
the imposing hea ding Of San important Move
ment in Missour-Culonel BENTON nominated
for Congress, and General BUTLER for Pre-
side Mt"
ResolUed, That believing every Democrat will
'rally round the soldier in the cause Of
progressive Democracy and the integrity OF the
Union, and elect him to Congress by an over
wheming majority, do now declare Hon
Thomas Il Benton our candidate to represent this
Congressional district
ResolUtd, That this meeting place the name of
Kentucky's distinguished soldier and Democratic
estatesman, Gen VIM o. Butler, before the Demo
fcyatc party for consideration candidate for
the Presidency Of the United States; and Gen
Henry Dodge not less distinguished, for the Vice
Presidency
The Southern Press cites the foregoing reso-
utions, with the Introductory remarks of the
Post, and suggests that they "reveal the pur-
poses Of the Barnburners and Mr. BENTON"
Taken in conneXion with the antecedents to
which we have alluded, they reveal good
deal more. They demonstrate that Mr.. VAN
BUEEN and Mr.. BLAZE have surrounded" the
TT,i,u neroucrate and takap tbarn ,,,;eona-a