New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-23
wxsBrS0TON CORRESPONDENCE.
n.r,rposdsnse Of The N. Y. Trieane'

n dozen years Deen tno 'o"i ie'"0
.,erv political struggle, seems for once 70 DC 'em.
.o,s,ily eclipsed by the new f,ngled phase OF
T.,;ve Americapism, denominsted Kno T-Nothng-
;,m Who could have dreamed year ago that
VIM. II. Seward and Henry A. Wise would De ~
mi, dsy fighting shoulder t" shoulder 10 CON-
~ h.,,,e. field, in defense Of the liberty OF
n.h, And who could have believed thst the
,i,s wbeluing Anti Nebraska excitement,
.h;.h swept over the free States like hurricane,
vould 20 soon die away, and its lusty champion''
Tho have been waited into office upon It's BREATH
;nstesd Of venting their indignation at the enemies
~ dom. be now afilistiDg with them IN mean
IA con,euntible effort tn control the liberties OF
freemenf Truly DO politics, in these days, make
strange bed-feows.
The general impression that Know Nothingism
Z. IN rule the country for years to come Is, 10 my
nr;n;on mot well founded. It's growth has been
Sao sudden to carry with it the elements Of dnra-
bilty Il has sprung up like mushroom from
the Impurities of the body polite, and IS doomed
10 an early decay. Whenever practical issue,
;nvolving the Slavery question shall arise the
Krow.No thipg party will be rent into thousand
atoms. For the most part the leaders OF the
movement are demsgogues, who love an easy going
hobby. who have no genuine strength OF purpose,
and who will quail at the first encounter OF real
obstacle. Many Of them-in fact most OF them
have been heretofore the meanest pandcrs to lrlsh
German and Catholic prejudices, and have often
apolorized for Popish big0try and Irish insolenee
al the polls, while honest American citizens were
then, as now, arrayed against them
The earnest men, north and south, are almost
universally against the proscriptive principles OF
Know. Nothingism, and they cannot fail, in II cam
paiqn or two, 10 rout the fOx-fre orators whose
patrotism is awakened by the prospect of office.
There are, doubtless good men who are unwilling
TO quarrel with Know NOthngism so long as it'd
disciples are true to freedom; bat the indication
of purpose which is now too clear, to ignore the
Slavery question for the sake Of southern support,
must open the eyes of Anti Slavery men to the fact
that the new party is merely the revival, under
new name Of the old Silver Gray Hunker spirit
of acduiescence in the demands of the slave in
terest
The speech of Mr.. Banks has disguised the
friends of freedom in Washington. He ia re-
parded az back-slider from the faith Of liberty,
and as no longer reliable. 1t is a poor excuse
that the Wings of his State would not sustain
him. Their want of liberality will not atone for
his want Of principle.
Every man of reflection must now see that a
fatal mistake was made by those enemies OF
Slavery who neglected to give in their cordial ac-
uuiescence to the Republican movement. If a
cordial union on that basis had been formed, there
would have been little ground for Know Nothing
ism to stand upon in the free States. But the
failure TO organize on a genuine basis of truth
and right left men, in the disrupted state of the
old parties, to the Leadership of paltry dema-
gogues The success of Know Nothingism, under
such circumstances, was natural consequence
of the hesitation or supneness OF the Anti-Ne-
braska leaders.
But is it too late to profit by experienced Is it
not the duty Of every freeman TO rally under the
. Republican banneri Whiggery has no longer an
existence 1t is explOded-North and South.
The last vestige of it in Massachusetts, has been
swept away, while in New-York / believe that
YOU do not call the election of Clark Wing tri-
umph. In the South, it is in intimate alliance
. with KnOw-NVhugism III mct, beileve that
Whiggery is ceasing to have nominal existence
In the slave States, so completely is it identified
with the new secret order. In Virginia, for in
stance. it is not said or pretended the Wings can
triumph over the Democracy but Know Nothing
ism is to sweep the State, and that Henry A..
Wise, the Democratic nominee, is to be beaten
BY the candidate of the secret order, who will
probably be Democrat.
1t il time then for all live men to quit the so
called w hip party If there still be such party In
the late elections it has only served asa stumbling
block and rock Of oflcnse. 1t gave Massachu
sets to Rnow-Nothingism, and prevented such
triumph in New-York as would have reflected
honor upon the free spirit of the people
II s the Office of Providen. e to educe good from
evil; and cannot doubt but that good will resul
from the wild fury which has been awakened il
the breasts of Americans by the arts of demi
gogues. In the first place, it will cure an evil
II will cut of a wide field of operations, in which
another species of demagogisn, or rather il
which dcmagogism, addressing itself to another
set of passions has rcveed aud rioted for years.
the detriment Of the public allude to the Irisl
and Catholic capital which LocO-FOc0ism has al
ways been able to count upon; but which in flu
ture they cannot appeal to, without arousing
coHntcr spirit of clsnshness and bigotry-in som,
degree justi6able-in the breasts of Americans
Another good will result from the general disrup
ton of old, and the formation of new parties. BY
this means the friends Of freedom will be, on thi'
issue, brought into cooperation with the more
earnest aud honest 0-Slavery men Of the South
In common struggle for religious liberty, and the
rights Of aliens; sympathy in common object
which appeals so strongly to the passions cannot
fail to awaken feeling of respect for each othel
which will be favorable TO the calm consideration
Of the great subject which divides them. These
are far-fetched consultations, but they are better
than none.
The defeat of Seward for the Senate is conf
IDENTITY hoped for by all shades of saveOcrats il
this question, from the national organ of tn,
Know NOthiDgs 10 the Simon Pure Democrat,
represented by The Washington Union. The Ste
phenses and others, who have had the impudenct
to assert that the Nebraska bill had nothing to dc
with the late overwhelming defeats of the Admin
istraton, will triumphantly point to the defeat Of
Seward in vindicSton of their views, and, indeed
il will be difficult for persons at distance to con
clude otherwise. How can il be supposed that
the people Of New York are the enemies of Slavery
extension when their great statesman, the EN-.
bodiment of the principle, is cast aside like the
Douglases and Cases, who have betrayed liberty
and defcd the will of their constituents Much
as the Administration hates -Nothiugism, il
hates Sewardism more and the defeat ofthat gen.
tleman is an object of primary importance, which