The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-07-24

Another important incident liz the arrival Of Kee-
suth in New York, on his return from his long OK
curson in the States Of the Union The .dictatoc
came back almost incogn,to into that oity, which.
five months snce had given him such an enthusiAs-
tic reception, and his presence in New York hAA
hardly been mentioned by the newspapers. 80 great
Indifference following, after interval Of q fou
months the widest enthusiasm lis il not the effect Of
that movement Of reaction, Of which the emiBsat
men Of the democratic party have given the signal.
and which has extended itself amongst tho popular
masses!
The Baltimore Nominations in England
from the London Chronicle, July
Although the terms of the contest for the A uleri-
Presidency have not been settled precisely
anticipated. the choice of the rival conventions
has not dscredited the accuracy OF our recent OBJ
servations on the general drift Of TransstIsnIe
politics. We pointed attention to the marked In
cnation Of both tho great parties in the Uaited
States to regard mere obscurity as the most
valuable of all qualifications in Presidential
candidate. The impression Of the disadvantage
under which a party labors when it seleOts ~
its representative person OF known antecedenA
and fixed political position, operated 80 strongly On
the Democratic Convention as to set aside oven
the least notorious Of the claimants its suffrage.
Mr.. Douglas was certainly very far from being .
well known politician, and he would havo ooa-
mandod. by the mere influence OF his Western birth.
almost the entire support of the States on the Mis-
sissippi Yet all these recomm endations wore NOT
deemed an adequate set-of against the immense
advantages which would be gained by putting fsr-
ward completely virgin reputation Accordingly,
the experiment which eight years ago met with
SO signal success in the case of Mr.. Polk
has been literally copied by tho selection IL
General Pierce a gentleman almost entirely
strange to the grand conflicts OF the pofticaA
arena, but much priced and trusted by his private
friends. The vast Importance of this decision Of
the democrats, seems to have been ut once acknow-
lodged in the Wing Convention, which met few
days after its opponents had dispersed. IL appears
that they would have initiated the democratic
precedent, if a representative, equally respect
able and equally unsullied with Mr.. Pierce, had
been discoyeuble. Failing this expedient, they
have attemTl ID to neutralize undeniable check
by nomina z the only Of their candidates whe
appeals TO the grosser projudices Of the pOpulaee.
1t was probably not without cOmpuncti0n that the
most famous of the older American statesmen, and
the most successful of tho younger school, wore
postponed by the whigst TO n stolid soldier INFER
tunately, however, this is but one instance, added
to many previous ones, of an indefensble sacrifice
Of conviction and principle on the part of the Anne
rican conservatives Precisely the same lsxity Of
opinion was displayed some years ago in thar
abandonment Of free trade for projections; and No
do not hesitate to predict that their latest cOnoes-
sion to a mOmentary expediency will prove ut
terly fruitless the earlier.
The comparatively long exclusion of the demo-
| Gratis from Office has given them powerful motive
to hide in the back ground The divisions in their
| ranks which have been engendercd by that burning
free soil controversy which is still destined rend
the Union; nor is there any doubt that, provided
compromise can be effected between the two sections
L
| comparsbly the strongest of American particz.
| What, indeed, may be the common bond Of opinion
! which Ieunes the democrats into u political con
| federacy is point not easily settled. Probably, q
| traditional antpaihy to the equally traditional ex-
| clusiyism attributed to the wings may be assumed
TO constitute the main foundation of the democl alto
creed. We not aware that there existed q
political party which numbered among its distinctive
| characteristics 80 few items Of settled policy. With
the exception Of the great question of free trade
which possesses, by the way, far more restricted
interest in the eyes Of the mericans than it does
with us-t is difficult to cite single grand article
Of American democratic faith. ApaIty which il
thus united by personal attachments and dslikes,
much more than by any fixed percussion, is plainly
capable of being rallied round name-though
1T be but name, and nothing more--with .
facility quite foreign to the tactics Of factions
in older countries. The benefit Of this pecu-
liarity has now been successfully enjoyed by Mr.
Polk ard Mr.. Pierce. Ii does not, however, fol-
low that the previous obscurity OF democratic
President entails on him the necessity of becoming
the mere tool of his party On the contrary, the pau
city OF its strong convictions, and the vagueness
Of its creed, render the democratic conederacy pc
culiary malleable under the hand of its temporary
leader. Over and over again it has been induced
to lend the whole Of the vast mass Of opinion which
II includes to the yeriest crotchets OF its elected
President. At the bidding Of Gen. jackson it en-
barked with immense enthusiasm, in the strange
crusade of hard cash against paper currency. Mr..
Polk had but little trouble in enlistng its warmest
sympathy on the side OF his reckless assertions Of
on Mexico. Ii rests with Mr.. Pierce to give tho
newest bias to the direction of its policy. There
can be question as to the magnitude of the power
which he wields; but we glad to believe that
native sagacy and a Iorbearing temper likely
to produce less destructive exercise of it than
might be looked for after the performances Of his
party fofme avoIltes.
1t is lamentable that, for the sake Of graspng at
a cw more chances Of success, the American wings
have been tempted into choice infinitely less
felcitous than that of the democrats As respects
the personal qualifications OF General Scott, even
bis fellow countrymen know little more OF him
than can be gathered from the share which he
took in of the most dashing though not the
most arduous, Of the Mexican victories. They seem
to have half forgotten, though we in England have
not, the silly and unprincpled letter which he
published on the subject Of annexng Canada to the
United States. The morality OF democratic poll
tics would perhaps regard the fugitive mani
festo IN question as u yeniai offence; Duts
according 10 the more rigid canons OF the wings,
il surely ought to operate against their entrusting
its author with the helm OF the Union. We
imagine, however, that, in the event Of General
Scott election, America would have more to dread
from his deficiency of intellectual power thAn
from his want of principle. The Generals parts
are confessedly anything but brilliant. Among tho
foremost men of the United States, he is the only
one whose published declarations strike us as uni.
formly meriting the epithet "muddls- headed"
And after all the disgrace and danger Of preferrng
such a person to Webster and Fillmore have probar
bly, been encountered for nothing; for Gen. SCOTT
does not Wnit sufer OF us election than other
of his competitors. His partzans in the Baltimore
CONVENTION evidently urged him forward, partly ON
the ground Of his acceptabty the military tastes
ofthe people, and partly because he has displayed
faint and unayowed leaning towards the free soil
policy, which the democrats have for the time desert
ed Neither Of these recommendations, however, ac-
cordiDg to the best accounts is of sufficient weight
to force him into the Presidency. The war fever has
sensibly abated, and the Kossuth agitation, which
seems at first sight to prove its continuance, points
rather to diplomatic interference in European poll
American powers General Scott may command
few votes through the doubt which exists AS 10 his
hearty acceptance Of Mr.. Webster's compromise on
the slave question; but the compromise IS, never
theless, on the whole, popular. The great mass oil
those who shout and riot against the Fugitive
Slave law will probably reserve their votes ior a
IL i.lnfo. ".