The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-04-03
Oar WashiDSsSss Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, March 80, 1881 !.
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4
The presidential questions has, of late, assumed a
very different aspect from the which it wore at the
termination of the first Qos3p session Of the last
Congress. At the close OF that session. there were
four distinct parties, viz the Neythern uItras the
Southern ultras, the Northern compromise men,,
and the Southern compromise msn, or the moie-
RADIOS. The respective positions Of these parties
were such would naturally bring the moderate
men Of the North in close contact with the moderate
men Of the South
This sectional organization, (for il was sectional,
nasmach as democrats and wings were, in the above
classification, merely ranked in regard to their re-
laton to the compromise between the South and
the North } threatened for while, to become per-
manent, and to lead, in the end, to fusion of par
ties-the moderate mpxomise men occupying one
side, and the opponents Of the compromise or the
extremists, occupying the other. The administra-
ton, with Mr.. Webster at its head, naturally led off
in the organization Of party, while the task of
organizing the other devolved on William III. Sew
ard in the North, and on Rhett JEFF. Davis, or
some other ultra nullifer, in the South. The md
derate or compromise men were mode, st enough to
assume for themselves the title Of ssUnion" men,
from which, as corollary, the people are to infer
that those opposed to them were, to all intents
and purposes, and without distinction of caste or
color, /" DsunionIsts." The plan was toera-
bly, well conceived; but the distinction was
based on falsum. While there are, no doubt,
free soil agiators in the North, whose course, if
not rcbuked and checked, must naturally lead to
disunion many Of these yet silly enough to be-
ieye THAT such a catastrophe may be avoided by
brute force while many OF the professed agitators
of the South never presented the dissolution Of the
Union but the last dire alternative in case there
is no other means left to them to protect their lives
and their property from the cruel and reckless fan-
here WAS
qucntly, dualism from the start in the unnatural
and wicked union of the Northern and Southern
ultras-a dualism which might act as unit in
gard to particular measure, such rs the compro-
mise, but which was utterly unavailable, and never
seriously thought of by the party ITSELF in regard
to the approaching presidential election.
IL was nevertheless attempted to get the start
them, and to condemn them in advance, rs disu
nionists and outlaws, against whom it became the
duty of the people to barricade themselves best
they could. A great Union movement therefore,
resolved upon, and came Very succeeding,
when the thing leaked out and was mt once blown to
the winds Of heaven Generals Houston, Rusk,
Gen. Foote, and MIR; Cobb, Of Georgia, had
and foresight well the devotion and tole
rance Of General Cass, resisted the movement; and
the declaration of Mr.. Douglas, Of Illinois, that if
every democratic Senator and member to sign
tie document he (Douglas) should not append his
name to it, gave il forever the death blow.
Several Senator's ard members among whom
were Sam Houston and others, withdrew their
names from the paper, and others followed their
example, till il was clear that the whole flash
in the pan, and that the Union movement, com
menced with much success in Georgia, was, after
ALL nothing but humbug
Now mark; do not mean that the Union feeling,
the affection and devotion TO the Union, a hum
bug; merely wish to state that the attempt TO
make q hobby Of il. for the purpose Of smuggling
an old hack into the Presidency, was a humbug;
ard that il sooner started, than the hunbug
was discovered and exposed. MIR. Footc in
weighed into II by the generosity and truthuness of
lsan af,ra hut in aral tha h.p Lair nf
the democracy kept clear Of it, suspectng that
the leaders of the movement had no very disinte-
rested purpose In view.
What led to the discovery Of the plot was, that
in all the presidential combinations talked Of by
Union men T0 Sc, the candidate for the presidency
was whig, the democrats being never permitted
to furnish more than tocum f7icaS. Thus there
were the following tickets'-
FH the Presidency. For the Vice- Prcsmeary.
Henry Clay, Daniel :. Dickinson,
Daniel Webster, Henry :. Foote,
Millard Fillmore. Howell Cobb.
But there was one ticket with Lewis Cass for
President, and some known whig for Vice President;
none for Levi Woodbury., James Buchanan, Geo.
Nj. Dallss &C.; simply because these men were
known to be opposed to all such arr gements and
because the Union men themselves had no idea Of
improving the present crisis in national affairs
sent whig rule. The Of New York and Boston
were TO furnish the means of carrying the
raign, and the democrats to do the votng-in
other words, the wings took charge of the commits
sariht, were 10 Iurhsh the solsltrs,
whiggery would have had a coach and four a Union
whig would have been ON the box. and the Union
democracy might have jumped ON behind, till the
carriage should have drove up at the White House.
Then the old difficulties between the Union and
Seward wings would have been amicably adjusted,
and the democracy might have looked on in amaze
ment, wondering ut its own crcdulity Unfortu-
nately. however, the Union wings fell out among
themselves, all wings bound 10 do when left
TO Themselves; and the affinity between the differ
ent factions of the democratic party, aided by the
river and harbor BILL led the way the reorganiz-
tion Of the democratic party on n common Plat
foim. Il.
Our Albany Correspondence.