Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-03-21
RICHMOND ENQUIRER
THE POSITION OF PARTIES.

h. tendeney Of the abolition agitation o.eshadowcd from
the beginning the ultimate disruption and Standardization
of the WhiR party The Nebraska bill, whatever may bt
it's fate has already consummaed this result and the cohe
renee and power of the Wing party as national organlxa
,ion are thoroughly and irretrevably overthrown Thu
shock of the CONFUSION has the party In twain and
yawning ehasm separates the belgeren fragments I'M
wound n ncur.ble the ruin hopeless No quack Paclhca
tori with his gavanic battery Of Adjustment and Compro
mise will be able to restore vitality TO the already offensive
carcass OF decsyng whegey AS The tree FALLS so must
lie.
Tn. Wings of the South, with few Insignificant excep
tons have met the issue presented by the Nebraska bill
with courage unusual TO attract universal remars
and admiration Bell and Bolts altered and fed but the
bulk Of the party stood their ground and maniuy met the
shock. Awaiting ourselves of the legal maxim de mnin
nan e,rot r we may assert that the Wing party of the
South approve the repeal Of the Missouri restriction with
unanimous voice.
With equal unanimily. and with zeal which reflects
much discred the apathy OF their late allies 10 the
South the Northern Wings have uraycd themselves In
position to the repeal of the Missouri restriction In every
possible mode by which the voice OF apay can make ts
heard have the Whgs Of tho North protested and remon
strated against the passage Of the Nebraska BILL Their Le
esIaurss their State Conventions and their primary meet
ing have ali protested and against the wrong
and 'iuiquity" of the Their newspapers de.
nouneed with vehemence and indignation, which In ex.
preston exhaust even redundant vocabulary OF fanati
es Their display the ntempera,s passion OF their
journals In opposing the BILL On the other hand In no SIN
gle instance has Northern Wing spoken 10 favor of the
BILL In no single instance has Northern Wing journal
approved It.
Here then 10 direct and violent antagonism between The
Northern and Southern wings of the Wing patyi an ant'g
onsm TOO 10 respect Issue which, than any ohc
inames the passions and preudces of the combaans and
If q
or reconcile.
II would be idle to assert that the Nebraska controversy
has no, affected the organization of the Democratic party
but the disturbance 10 slight and unimporan os scarce
deserve consideration In the South the Democracy
present unbroken front In support OF the repeal of the
Missouri restriction In the North they diyided-lhs
prepoudsnce Of numbers being possibly against the repeal
the prsponderance of talent and responsibility being for H.
The rabbe of aboonsts who refused to stand upon
the Baltimore platform and 10 accept the amnesty of 1852
foowBu,ler and Van Buren, their resistance the repeal
of the Missouri restriction The true who aided Ia the
election OF Franklin Pierce with honest determination TO
abide BY the letter aud spirit of The party PLATFORM support
be with the zeal which has always characterized
their opposition to the encroachments OF abolition The
or,y of the Democratic journals Of the North approve the
bill and an Immense meeting of the Democracy has
cd the enthusiasm with which they mean to carry out
their convictions. So that whatever partial and
temporary distraction may be caused in the ranks OF the De-
mocacy by the Nebraska controversy the organization OF
the party will be broken up ts ascsudarcy be de-
stroyed
The ultimate contamination Of the present tendency Of
things OF the irrevabe disruption of the Wing party and
partial dsinegration of the Democracy will be the
Ranxaon all the elements OF northern abolition into one
compact and coherent mass in antagonlsm to great party
embracing the entire South aud the conservative portion Of
the North whose comprehensive shall be depoon TO the
onefii,nn and .vhnee nhiac h .~.on of'h- t'-'-'.
Some possible copuncture of circumstances may intercept
this result but that such s drift and Inclination of
cal combinations aud public sentiment 10 man can fail
10 uerceiYe.