The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1853-07-02
From the New York Herald.
The Administration and the National Democrats
First Gun from New Hampshire.

In the proceedings ON Thursday last. of the
Democratic State Convention of New Hampshire
the following recommendation to President
Fierce was introduced by Mr.. Edmund Burke.
hartman of the Committee on Resolutions, to
wit
''5th-Resolred That We encourage ourselves
with the belief that our distinguished fellow
citizen now at the head of the government of
the United States will not in his appointmcnt. :.
overlook the old guard of the democratic partv
upon whom we must rely for successful supports
i'll all the emergencies which may arise in the
progress of his administration
This was the resolution as modified in COM
mlttec for it appears that As originally drafted
by Mr.. Burke, the word culture = was inserted
before appointments. and the following words
at the end - Nor confer too many favors on
those who support the platform for one purpose
and spit upon it for another, and who have no
real sympathy with the great national demo-
cratic party or its principles" These words
have sting in them, and were therefore judi
clously stricken out. Nor could it be expected
that the resolution as modified would be adopt
cd by the convention. Mr.. Burke. perhaps. did
not expect it 3; but his subsequent election hy
the convention as their president. indicates prct-
ty satisfactorily that they were not seriously
offended at his conduct. Indeed his election
appears to us sort of lcft-handcd acquies-
apprchend the administration will be most like
ly to regard it.
We are also inclined to think that Mr. Burke
has achieved more than he anticipated. in being
thus elected president of the convention. after
having brought in the aforesaid obnoxious res
oluton. The two facts are upon the record
first. that the resolution was introduced in n
New Hampshire State Convention. in the city
of Concord, the local headquarters of General
Pierce, in advance Of any such expression of
opinion from any other quarter: and secondly
that although the resolution was rejected very
dccisivcly. the mover Of it was complimcntcd
in way substantially tantamount TO the adop-
ton of the resolution itself Doubtless the sim
pie purpose of Mr.. Burke was to show to the
national democrats. all over the land that there
were some of :: the Old Guard of New Hamp-
shire bold enough to lift up their warning voice
while yet the administration seems to be ON
nipotent almost. in its power to control the des-
tlnicS OF the party-in its power to reward or
To PUNISH lndIvidual, OF factions, as policy or
necessity may demand
Herein lies the force and whole moral effect
of this New Hampshire movement. 1t wouId
be of comparatively little weight--a milk and
water atialr-in New York. or Georgia. or Ohio
or Mssissippi: for in each of those States 'thc
Old Guard tho Union compromise demo
Gratis, the Cass and Dickinson branch of the par
ty-havc a tangible and immediate cause of
complaint. But in New Hampshire it is main
ly from their sympathy with their brethren of
other States. that the compromise men have any
reasonable ground of displcasurc. And hence
the moral effect of Mr. Burkc's resolution
True he may have had some personal balances
to liTuidatc between himself and Gen. Pierce
With such matters, however. we have nothing
to do. We can only regard this resolution i'm
Its broader and more general bearing, as a
warning from New Hampshire to the admins
tration. and as an encouragement to the "Old
of quiet submission, and to take Il bOldcr and
more independent ground in reference to the
division of the spoils. And there are not want
ing many Indications hcrcabOut or elsewhere.
that the hard shells will profit from the broad
hint thus thrown out by the sturdy New IIamr-
shire democracy.
The division of the spoils! The theme is dis
tasteful. 1t savors of corruption. Can the dem
Ocratic party be holden up by an unwisc divis-
ion of the spoils? Can its great programme of
measures and principles be thus defeated, by
exciting disccrd and mutiny among the rank
and file? We must answer in the affirmative.
The spOils are the adhesive plaster of the fcdc-
raj government; and in these days. where
a powerful faction of the dominant party is
overlooked, trouble and disOrganization may
be anticipated But the national democrats
cannot be justly regarded as q faction. They
rather. the substantial nucleus
of the whole party. They held the same posi-
ton in the late Presidential contest that the
regular troops occupied in the battle of Buena
Vista. The brave volunteers,
In the gorge of Angostura,
fought with the resolution ofveterans, with some
exceptions but it was Bragg's battery, to use
the expression of Old Zack's official report that
g nI hn 1ot- tn1 fba 1,fl l,r,,,l
the compromise platform, of the national
democrats that :" saved the day to Gen. Pierce
and gave to the wings a worse than Bucna Eis
Ia defeat, in the November election.
What has followed! The Washington organ
pleads the plea of the reunion of the DemOcra-
cy. 1t pleads that whereas the Northern Free
Sellers of 1913, and the Southern scccssionists
of 1SjO-5l, united upon the Baltimore platform
in the election of Gen. Fierce, therefore ne
could only do what he has done. in considering
national men, free soilcrs. and scccssonists, a
and homogeneous mass. The de-
fence would be plausible. and perhaps satisfac-
tory, were the premises correctly laid down.
But in the Cabinet, in the diplomatic appoint
mcnts. in the diversified schedule of domestic
Offices it is charged by old hard-fistcd Demo-
Gratis. that the administration has been working
to overshadOw and supcrscdc the
Cass and Dickinson division of the party. by a
junction of the Northern and Southern ultras.
The National Democrats arc evidently impress
ed with this idea, that they are to be suppressed
ed in the future conncils Of the party-that they
are too slow-that their platform is Obsolete
that Cass and Dickinson are obsolete. and that
they and their adhercnts must be content to
play second fiddle to a new and wrong order of
things.
This is the key to the New Hampshire rcso-
lution and we apprchcnd that this is not the
last oft. But can the President retrace his
steps, and reclaim and restore the national
hard Shells the old hunkers the
old fogies if you plcase-to their rightful posi-
ton? They do not regard themselves as an in
crior branch Of the party--as a makc-wcight in
the late clccton-but rather as the head and
front and grand central column of the Democ-
racy. And there is detection in consequence,
still dormant to a great extent, but brOoding
upon revenge. There is Democratic rupture
in the rank and file of the party.
Can harmony be restored? Can all the diverse
clements uniting in the late election be held to-