New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-04
THE Triumph AT WILMINGTON.


the great democratic triumph just achieved AT
Washington in the election of Mr.. Banks as
Speaker OF course by democratic triumph we
mean the triumph of those who represent the orgi-
nal. old fashioned democratic principles of the
country-democratic principles as understood and
advocated BY Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jeffer-
son. George Clinton and Samuel Adams-nOt the
sham pseudo democracy which has for i;s sole doe
trines, at the South the extension of Slavery, and
at the North the spoils of ofce-the pretended and
hypocritical democracy Of Cobb, Wise, Mason and
Hunter of Pierce, Gushing, Marcy and Rich
ardFCn.
Waterloo was gained by the unAinching and I'M
conquerable steadness of the British battalions'
which drawn up in squares defed all the French
charges, till Butcher at last appearing on the
French flank, and Bonaparte able to wait no
longer for Grouchy to come up, ordered the last
desperate charge of the Old Guard, which parting
like the rest. the route became tOtal-nOt the bat
tie only being lost but the imperial throne along
with it. Just so the Republicans at Washington
firm as d rock against all assaults, whether III the
House or from without the House, against open
violence and secret treachery, against cannonades
by avOwed enemies and underminings by pretended
friends endured it all most nanfull!; till the Ad
ministration traders, pressed by the clamors OF a
host of unpaid officials, satisfied that the Northern
Know.Nothncs, much as they might wish it, did
not dare to come mp TO the scratch, and clutchlng
at the hope of making Mr.. Aiken Speaker, con-
seDted to the plurality rule, charged desperately
at the heart Of the Old Guard, dashed fercely and
confidently on the Republican squares, which in
vain thy attempted to break, rolled back in confl
sion, and fed the field.
One of the greatest marks of extreme stupidity
is. not to know when one is beaten. Mr.. A. h.
Marshall astonished at result which, TO judge
from the speech he made in casting his vote for
Aiken, was entirely imputed to him, made an at
tempt to rally the routed forces, on the ground
that, though Banks had received plurality vote,
a majority resolution was still needed 10 put him
in tie chair. Thirty.nine more were found desper-
ate and infatuated enough attempt to stand upon
this bubble. But the Bonapartes of the Admin
istratOn saw plainly enough that the day was lost,
that all was lost but their honor; and Messrs
Cobb, Aiken and Smith Of Alabama and the
majority of Mr.. Banks's opponents, feeling that
they had something of that sort to lCse were by
no means inclined TO throw it away as they ran;
and under their judicOus leadership, the honor OF
the Anti Banks men was saved. This triumph
over the meaner element of their own organiza-
ton, may serve to console Them at least in part,
for the less of the Speakership. To keep within
the sympathy of honorable minded men, irrespec-
tive of politics, is something to boast Ofat least
on the part of those who have resisted an attempt
to push them out Of it.
This first great victory attained at least
within the memory of the Oldest OF the
living, by Freedom over Slavery cannot fail
to have great results. We look upon 1t as
the commencement of Few era in our history.
If a Speaker can be chosen without the aid of a
single Southern vote, and in spite of strong cohort
of Northern doughiaces avOwed and secret-why
NAV not President be chosen in like manner
The North is no longer terra incognita which
mocks the efforts of political nsvigators to find IT,
1t proves at last TO be firm lsnd-a standpoint
whence it is possible to leap into the Speakers
chair-why not into the Presidents
This long struggle Of nine weeks will not
have been thrown away. 1t must serve
10 convince our Southern brethren that the
North is not. as they have all along taken it for
granted, mostly made up of fools and knaves who
can at any time be frightened cajoled or bribed
into the basesi and mesnest of self-humiliatiOns.
This unsuccessful struggle OF nine weeks TO put
dougAface or a STAKEHOLDER in the chair-instead of
which Mr. Banks sits there-cannot fail TO satisfy
the more intelligent OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES that We
Of the North are not to be clssSed, as they class
their slaves, among the inferior races destined 20
be ruled by the superior Southern races but thst
however it may be with negroes, or with their
own poor white folks, We white folks of III
North are men and equals, and must be treate
as such We hold in all due estimation the nat
ursly and spontaneous politeness OF Messrs. Cobb,
Aiken and Clingman, and we must not be under
stood as intending TO say anything TO disparage i
in the slightest degree, but still We spprehend it
was the flashing of this idea OF the manhood Of the
Northern people through their brains Simultaneous
" with the announcement of Mr.. Banks's election,
that served in part to prompt their very courteous
conduct on that occasion. Men who respect them
selves and show il in their actions are always sure
of respect from eveybody-exeept few stupid
and brutal bafbsrans Of whom only one or two
now and then find their way, as Members, into the
halls of Congress.