New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-06
WOLVES IN THE FOLD.

Within twelve years past the jackson an Duren
Democratic party-a party which claimed to be
the nea descendent and true representative of the
old JefiersOnian DemOcracy-has been transformed
into mere Shareholders party-a party of which
the avowed object is the political ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Of savehOlding and its territorial extension well
into portions of the territory Of the United States
hitherto solemnly devoted to Freedom as into new
territories acquired and to be acquired from our
feeble neighbOrs on the SOuth-Mexico and Central
Amortization the express purpose of being con.
yerted into Slave States. A letter, lately pub
lished, Of Mr.. F. P. Blair, addressed to the
New.YOrk Republicans, and made up largely
of letters Of Gen. Jackson written at the very
close of his life, throws much light upon the per-
sons and the means by which this most remarkable
party revolution has been effected. Mr.. Cal.
houn is here distinctly pointed out as the great
engineer by whose arts, and cOntrivances, and &C.
cret INNINGS, in conjunction with the treachery of
the late President Polk, party devoted to Demo-
cratic ideas and popular rights has passed, in the
dark as it WERE under the control of leaders most
violently opposed to every of its original prin
ciples, and who are now applying the political
influence and leadership thus treacherously OBJ
tanned exclusively to the accomplishment Of certain
local and selfish purposes of their own.
The author Of this fine scheme for using the
Northern Democracy as the tool and instrument for
converting our National Government into the cham.
pon, upholder and e1tender of slavehoding, was
the late Mr. Calhoun, who proved, indeed, from bis
very first entrance into public life down TO the day
of bis death, terrible thorn in the side Of the
Democratic party. A man Of domneering spirit
and Unsuitable ambition, he was from the first al
ways seeking out new combinations and suggesting
new courses Of policy, by means of which he might
Gust the then leaders of the party and raise himself
to the head it. He fret came cOnspcuOusly into
public life as Member of the Congress that de-
clared war against Great Britain. He was ex-
tremely jealous and active in fsrcng Madison into
that declaration against his own better judgment
to its policy and with total wan. of preparation
for it which speedily involved the country in serious
disasters. In the midst of these disasters, and as
the financial necessities Of the Administration be-
came more and more pressing, Calhoun undertook
to set up for himself, often thwartng and opposing
the measures Of the Government, particularly on
questions of finance and trade, and starting
schemes his own in opposition to theirs. He
put himself, indeed, so distinctly forward as the
champion Of anew system of policy on those sub
jects in opposition to that Of the party with which
he acted, as to lead Samuel Dexter of Massachu-
setts in famous letter of his addressed in 1914 10
the Massachusetts, Federalists on the policy to be
pursued in respect 10 the war, to point out prob
able union between Massachusetts, and South Caro-
lima, or rather between the commercial and cotton
growing States, means Of escape from that sys-
TEN Of commercial policy adopted by the Demo-
cratic party, and which the Federalists had so
warmly opposed.
So favorable was the impression made by Cal
Loun On the old Federalists by his thus flying in
the face Of his own party, that many of them were
strongly Inclined to support him for the Presidency
mPreierence to John Q. Adams, sgainst whom, as