The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-04

of kCrime; Commercial Judicial and Theatrical
Affairs, sc.
The Reconciliation of Martin Van Buren-The
Philosophy OF the Thing.
The departure of Martin Van Buren, from
this city, on Saturday last. for Europe, was the
occasion of an interesting and significant spec
tacle-full of interest and full of meaning.
From seven hundred to thousand people were
assembled including a very large proportion
of our most eminent and respected citizens to
bid the venerable ex-Presdent happy voyage
and safe return.
There was no manifestation of resentment
not single word or sign recalling to his me-
mory the Buffalo plattorm-the dreadful demo
cratic split of l84S-the defeat of Gen. Cass-
the election of Gen. Taylor-the lamentations
of Tammany Hall, and the loss of the spells of
fifty millions per annum, for four long years at
stretch. Nothing of the kind. On the other
hand. the man, the same man, who was ranked
by the indignant national democracy in 1913,
with Benedict Arnold and who, from the
storm of party hate and public derision which
pursued him, was glad to retire to the obscurity
almost of the grave. suddenly found himself,
last Saturday. without an effort. and much to
his surprise no doubt. the lion of the hour-the
lion of all the democratic factions of all par
ties and persuasions-the honorable and venera-
bic right hand man and successor of Gen
Jackson, the revered and digniied ex-President
Of the United States.
Was not this curious and interesting spec
tacle! And how are We to account for it? Have
the hunkers and hard shells, from the great vic
tory of last November. on account of the happy
reunion with the barnburners, felt the charm
ing influence of forgiveness to such degree as
to hail the returning backslider with the en-
thusiasm due to hero? Ordo the ever faith
full concede that something must be allowed
to liberty of conscience; and that, therefore,
he conscientious hostility ofMartin Van Buren,
40 to the extension Of slavery. and his
segment position as the abolition candidate for
the Presidency, are things, which in charity
must be overlooked? Not So Charity cover
eth multitude Of SINS but it does not this
extraordinary case There is no such charity
among trading and selfish politicians More
over. we are not aware that it has ever been
believed by the Cass men, or single one of
them, or ever seriously urged on the other
side. that the free soil ticket of ls4S was a
matter Of principle and conscience with Martin
Van Buren,. His political antecedcnts up to
that time were directly opposed to such con-
clusion.
In 1910 we know that he was infexibly OPP
posed" to any action by Congress involving the
ob of slavoryy bo Dictr;ot IF Co1nynl,o
So emphatic was this declaration in Van Buren's
letter toSherrod Williams-so completely salts
factory in itself to the South-that in the grand
political reyulsion which gave to General Har-
rison the vote Of all the States except seven, of
those seven five were the most ultra slavehold-
ing States in the Union-to wit Missouri. Ar
kansas, Alabama. Virginia and South Carolina.
The two Northern States, also-New Hampshire
and Illinois-which cling to the fortunes of
Van Buren, in the midst of his disastrous over
throw have ever hncn the most faithful Of the
North to the Constitution upon the slavery
question In fact, but for 'the Little Magi-
clans" pledged fidelity to the constitutional
rights of the South, the Presidential vote of
1910 would, in all probability, have been unani-
nous IGf JeueIal harrison.
In that canpai On Martin Van Buren, was 1.-THE
Northern man with Southern prnciples;'' and
ifit is urged that he broke ground against the
extension of slavery, in his letter to Mr.. Ham,
mitt, Of Mississippi, in "A, on the Texas ques-
ton, we have only to say that nothing OF the
kind appears in that letter, nor upon any
rational inference that can be drawn from
it or any part of it. His opposition to
annexation was based upon our relations then
existing with Mexico. and upon the hazards
Of war from premature action. But the South
upon that letter defeated his nomination. And
If he and his friends did not then conspire
against the Baltimore nominee it was because
it still afforded a ground of compromise. as no
particular hostile feature was represented by IL
and because there might be restoration of the
legitimate line Of succession in iStS. But the
nomination of Gen. Cas- in that year. made tbe
issue plain and direct; and the general belief
has been, and continues to be that Martin Van
Buren, and his immediate adhoront5 mounted
the Buffalo platform for no other conceivable
purpose than retaliation and revenge in the de-
feat Of Gen. Cass. If this lie 50. there is some
thing more than charity among our New York
democracy. in thus exhuming their ex President
from his political grave and breathing again
into bis nostris the breath Of life.
Why then, this extraordinary Identification?
We he'd thought that all that could bc asked
for or given TO the Sage Of Underwood would
be the undisturbcd pursuit. Of the great truths
ofscicnce philosophy and religion, in the shades
Of private life. We had imagined, that like
Captain John Tyler, his star had set never to
rise again. We were quite unprepared for the
rcfreshing scene at the dock where the steam
ship Arctic lay last Saturday morning "Come,
chen, let US reason together was the