The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1855-12-20

Hlent. ne Tue Ol Ioly Has utSuH
to ebb out long before it reached
its food, and has no return. From
Maine to Texas, through Virginia,
Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, In
diana, north, west and South, the
whole track is strewn with their
wrecks. know-nothingism is aban-
doned as presidential hobby before it
had run its appointed course single
year.
The managers saw this before it was
suspected by their followers. Hence
the scene was to be shifted. A new
political farce was to be put upon the
stage, but with the same old actors,
who have again and again been hiss
ed off by an abused public. The
same cliques, the same political aspi
rants, the same disappointed deserters
from old parties, who devised the
know-nothing conspiracy against the
rights ofthe people to secure places
for themselves, now beseech that
same people to become again their
humble followers and Irain-bearers
in holder and more open conspiracy
against the Union, which they call
Fusion.
1t began with the dissensions of the
know-nothing convention at Phila.-
The national men in that convention
vainly struggled to find national
basis of political action. The free
soilcrs, who had denationalized that
party from its inception, came home
resolved on sectional northOrn party.
The Virginia election followed,
and then it was made manifest that
the democracy lived, and that the
south could not be deluded by know
nothingism into committing political
suicide. The know-nothing leaders
at the north, finding their strength
departing, began to cast about for
some new political centre of diverg-
ing lines TO retain their dishonored
power in the states they had already
conquered, and to acquire power in
the states they still hoped to subdue.
Then came the cry of breaking up
corrupt old parties to form an incor-
ruptiJle (O new party.
The parasite freesoilers who al
ways feed upon other parties, again
took the lead Of the movement, to
mould it to their cunning purpose OF
ever making a minority rule the ma
jority. Disappointed wings and de-
nationalized democrats became sud
den converts to underlined expecta-
tons of individual prominence. A
great northern party was to be inau-
guratcd upon n mere sectional senti-
ment of opposition to slavery, which
could have no lawful or constitution
al basis of political action, either in
the state or in the nation. Every
body was to disagree with everybody
n everything except this northern
sectional sentiment. Literally, as has
been well said, a political party with
out any politics.
This is rusIoN-thc AarOn's rod to
be tran sformed into a great northern
viper 10 swallow up the lesser vipers,
including know nothingism, Dowism
abolitionism, and even the once hon
cred and respected wing party. Too
respectable 10 be classed in such a
genius while it had great heads to
guide it, but which tired of heads and
brains had turned upon its nationali-
ty South and North, and like the
snake in the fable consented to let
the tail go foremost until it run into
the mou.h of know nothingism and
there seemed patiently waiting the
lubrfication of the anti-slavery fusion
monster to swallow both.
At first it was arranged that the
fusion party cry should be two politi-
cal impossibilities; restoration of the
Missouri compromise and no more
slave states; just one half of the de,
feated Wilmot proviso, nothing more
noihing less. Even this indefinite
ness was too definite for the policy
ofthe new party. Hence the first plank
of the fusion platform, the restora'
of the Missouri compromise, has been
knocked away, and all the statesman
shin Of the whole combination of Op'
position to a democratic administra
ton, has been resolved into the vague
uothingism of "rcsistance to the aggrcs
; sion of slarc poner;" a new phrase fo'
l universal abolitionism, and oppOsi
ton to the Democratic party, which
! means Just a, much or just as little a
can be made of it to construct
, northern Sc e:tional party for mere par
Even the "Maine law" which wa
their catlolicon in morals, as anti
: slavery now is to be in politics, ha
been laid aside by this new party
u since its magicians and soothsayer
have seen the hand writing on tn
a a wall in the memorable Maine election
\ Since that uprising of the people, s.
II significant of the fate of fusion evel
in New England, we are gravely toll
J by the temperance zealots of the nev
e party that the Maine law was un
/ wisely mixed up with anti-slavery i
that state, AMI therefore the "rpaN
d cans" of Massachusetts must esche,
n it, lest they also share the like defeat!
Yes, fellow citizens, temperance
states,nanship, constitution, Unio'
,. nationality, law and Gospel are to b
|, all abandoned for negro philanthrop
). nv the leaders of this s'fusion" NOV,
: ;, ment. who call themselves "rpna
;. cans" Why have they chosen tn
n time-honored name, when their who
~ ,r craftsmanship is to be devoted to II