The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-24
The CoalItIon-The disruption.


coalition-but was signally rebuked by repeated
votes of the House, by referring back the com
mittee 'saeport announcing their design, and by
appointing another committee to enquire into
the subject, and to report by bill or Otherwise.
And, before this second committee had time to
report tie Printing Committee acted. Nothing
could show more clearly, the desperation OF the
committee or the coalition, and they are now
demoralized.
AS if to illustrate the enormlty OF such a
coalition, some most remarkable events inter-
yened. The Wing caucus convened on tues
day night last, the Goth inst, and was virtually
dissolved by the retirement OF majority OF The
Southern members, because that body refused
TO consider the Compromise. This Is the most
important event of the season. 1t is substantl'
ally, a dissolution of the Wing party. The
facts all transpired day before yesterday. Yet,
Yesterday morning, the Washington Union'
which pretends to be the Democratic organ, and
the Republic, Wing organ, were utterly silent
as to this event Why was this? Why, yester-
day the Prilting Committee was to meet. Inc
coalition members of that committee consisted
chiefly of two Wings ard two Democrats. Vi
the two Wings, one, Mr.. HAVEN, was Compro-
mise-the other, Freesoilish, Mr.. SMITH
Neither of these organs could have said any
thing about the disruption of the Wing party,
. without saying or intimating an opinion as to
the course Of the respective parts. But this
would have offended either the Compromise or
FreesoiIish Wing member of the committee,
and might have lost the job SO the two organs
were silent or ignorant Of an event well known
at the time as far off from here as Missouri
an event of the greatest consequence to both
parties, and to the country. Such is the effect
of a coalion for spoils on party organs
Well, the Southern Press has larger circu-
lation at the South than all other Washington
papers besides, and will keep that section ad-
vised of important events.
Yesterday morning Senator MANGUM referred
to letter from this city in the New York Er.
press, which had been quoted the day before in
the House AS this letter has been the subject
documentary in both Houses, we insert it en-
tire. We condemn emphatically now, as we
have before, such references as are made in this
letter, and have been made in Congress to the
personal courtesies and Inequalities Of gentle
men in private intercourse. 1t matter Of me-
cessity that members of every shade of opin-
ion should confer in committee and otherwise
on public business, and it is perfectly proper
and even creditable, that their personal and So
cial relations should not be affected by
political differences As for meeting at dinners
and suppers 10 concoct coalitions, such are the
last occasions for such purposes. So far as our
social experience is concerned, we know that
the number of persons and diversity in politics
that usually meet in such cases, are utterly
incompatible with political coalitions.
But we must say, that in our judgment, the
argument is entirely on thu side Of the Southern
Wings who retired from the recent caucus And
such, we think, will be the judgment Of the
South, when the facts are all known. The
Southern Wings had acceded with remarkable
unsnimity TO the Compromise measures as a
finality, and large portion Of them had solemn
liz declared that il was the utmost concession
the South could make to the North. We
thought the concession was disastrous and ~.
fatuated, and that there could be no hnality.
They thought otherwise, said otherwise, and
acted otherwise. They could not, therefore
with any degree Of consistency, safety, or Of
good faith, acquiesce in further connection
with party which a few days before had voted
almost unanimously against the Compromise, or
were absent and on this occasion sought to
evade il, on pretext o more respectable thana
point Of order. Nor can we close our eyes TO
the conviction that a portion Of the Southern
Wings were ready substantially to waive or
surrender the Compromise. We suppose they
,hought-and that was very sensibe-that there
was not enough Of il left to merit q struggle on
the part Of the South, and the ri.k Of party
division and defeat That was true but that
was not the ground that the Southern Compro.
mise party occupied. They had extoled the
Compromise as a great thing for the South, a.
well as for the Union And, after the course OF
events in the North after the vote in Congress,
after the controversy about General ScoTTs
opinion-to say nothing in the caucus about it,
was TO surrender Internationally. We think
the South lost honor enough, right enough
power enough, by the Compromise, to render i
expedient to cling to the remnant, even at the
risk of dividing political party, and the rick Of
losing the spoils Of the federal government
We are satisfied that this disruption would not
have been permitted without exhausting all the
resources Of coaxing and promising which the
majority Of a large party generally employs
We therefore honor the men who have refused
these Establishments. They have preferred The
rights, the interests, the support Of their people
at home, to the favors Of Northern spoilers
~ The Paris correspondent of the Com
nercial Advertiser says: