The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-27

w S~Vo ALREADY puenehed the constitution OF
ne new reform temperance party. 10 another
part Of this days HEsALp will be found their frst
pro~wsst iamtuo, which we regard as o political
document Of great Importance It is an address
TO the temperance men of New York, from
the executive committees of tho New York City
and Kings County Temperance Alliances We also
publish tho proceedings Of mass meeting Of the
Temperance Alliance, held last evening in the
Eighteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church,
and other temperance meetings held in this city
and Brooklyn.
This organization wss effected on the FIRST Of
October last in this city, by the assembling of the
delegates Of forty different temper ance
numbering over two hundred At the sane time, the
Brooklyn Temperance Union was formed. These
organizations, with their auxiliaries, combined and
co-operated together at the last eIe,ton, and the
result was the polling Of seven thousand vetes and
the partial defeat Of the wing party In the city Of
New York alone, six thousand votes were polled.
Animated by this success, the Brooklyn temperance
men extended their org anization to the whole Of
Kings county. The executive committees of
the two alliances met in convention on the 18th Of
December, and organized State Temperance Al
lance, on the basis adopted by tho New York city
and Kings county alliances. The result was
the calling of a State convention in the city of Al
bany, on Thursday Rext, the 10Th instant, to per-
feet the organization of the alliance, and ex-
tend its ramifcatons over the whole State.
The svowed object Of this movement is TO
secure permanent universal prohibitory laws
against the use of intoxicating drinks, after
the model Of the Maine Liquor law; and this
they propose to effect by concerted action at the
ballot box; the same in plan and purpose through
out the entire State" They have declared "the
utter inadequacy Of appeals to the moral sense of
the community and now they will try what
virtue there is in the appliances of legal coercion
There can be ne doubt that this new organza-
tion, possessing nucleus of seven thousand
votes, ia destined to become third party in the
State, whose weight, thrown into the scale Of
either one or ether of the two parties may incline it
to victory; or, being merely taken from one, may,
though not given to the other, have positive
effect, and kick the beam to heaven" 1t ia the
whig party that will most probably lose by this
movement, for the application of the temperance
principle to politics has been always a hobby
of the wings, and the organization will en-
rol by far larger number of their party than
of the democrats, and thus serve as a counter
poi:e to the canal influence in the western part
Of the State. 1t is curious fact in the history
Of the whig party in the State Of New York, that
wherever they strengthen themselves in one place,
something always arises to weaken them in another.
They set foot and carried the Canal Enlarge
ment project, to give them preponderan.o in the
west; but now this formidable temperance reform
movement looms up from the eastern horizon, to
strike terror into their ranks, and will perhaps so
far counterbalance the advantage they have gained
nv ha Of MIN &c dol,
completely to neutralize its effects, if not to give
the democratic party an absolute majority. There
ia just one thing that will modify the result, and
prevent its being so sweeping as it otherwise would.
1t is the Presidential question, which will engross the
public mind, and to certain extent, absorb all
other questions of minor Importance STILL how.
ever, the new movement will possess sufficient in
tereat to make it highly influential in controlling
the destinies Of parties, and giving direction to
the moves on the political chessboard.
The third parties that have arisen from time to
time, upsetting the majority Of the party in power
and then disappearing from the arena, to make
room, at a longer or a shorter interval for some
other movement equally decisive and equally tenn
porary in its duration, constitute a very curious
feature in the history of the politics of this State
Nearly thirty years ago the peoples party arose,
upon the question whether the election of the electors
for President should be held by the Legislature as
formerly, or by the people, as then proposed. The
peoples party succeeded SO far as TO carry their
proposition in one house, while they lost it in
another: but on the following year it passed both
houses. such was the influence of this parry on the
Presidential election, that they gave the vote of
the STATE Of New York to John Quincy Adams,
which was the means Of eec.ing him, while they
defeated Crawford, WHO was supported by Van
Buren,, They we're afterwards mixed up With the
canal question Of that day, and De Witt Clinton,
and finally disappeared from the stage. Subse-
9uently, 1.-The working mems party grew out of
the doctrines OF Fanny Wright and other socialist
lecturers from Europe. They, too, produced an
influence for the time being, upon the complica-
tons e parties, and soon became extinct Next
came the native party, which was engendared
about ten years ago, by the course OF Bishop
Hughes, in reference to tho public schools. It led
20 The most serious consequences, triupphei for
while. was ultimately defeated and dragged down
Tie Wh;ss with ill., because il was an oshool Of that
party, and enlisted lis principal recruits fro their
ranks. Finally, the canal enlarge nent question was
god.send for the wings. II was a one Of doubtful
constitutonality; but account Of its great utility
and the violent sad unusual mode in which it was
opposed by the barnburners ia the Legislature, it
was adopted by the people, and the result WAS to
give great strength to the whig party throughout
the western part Of the State But no sooner
have they gained tAis accession Of pc Esr than it is
in danger of being neutraized, il not overwhelmed
by The State Temperance Alliance.
This movement will derive great strength from
the passage of the liquor law in Maine, and from
the simultaneous movement which ia nov going for
ward in Massachusetts,, and which win probably
extend to other States IL is also likely to command
the support of very large number OF the electors
who, in recent years, have been driven from the
primary assemblies by the operation Of intoxicating
drinks upon ths rowjies, who invariably took pos
session Of The place Of meeting, at SEINE grog shop,
and thus prevented aDy true expression of opinion
at the ballot box. The people want to get rid of
this ouregeous state Of things almost at any nrina