New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-03-10
WHICH h THE NATIONAL PARTY

Every set Of men claiming to constitute pot-
zeal party have of course, certain measures which
they are united to carry forward; they must have
principles and aims in common in order to exist as
party at ALL and these may be either national or
sectional. In fact there are at present only two
political parties in this country: that which adyo
Gates the extension Of Slavery, and that which is
opposed to it, Shall the further extension Of
Slavery be prevented this is the all-absorbing
question on which the political mind of the whole
country is met in debate. That there are other
great questions exertHg an equal influence upon
parties is an assertion without foundation in fact.
True, when servile demagogues are to be elevated
to lower, or the ends OF d selfish few promoted,
some means must be coutryed to conceal the real
object from the people, who are finally to decide
the matter So, when Slavery ExtensiOnsts would
elevate their fayorites or enforce their peculiar
doctrines they invariably raise the cry OF the
Union in danger" The shareholders, as body,
declare that unless their outrageous demands are
complied with, tho Union shall be dissolved; and
Northern demsgogues, in the hope OF preferment,
echo the idle threat; so that, Notwithstanding the
absurdiiy of their attitudc-snce it is by the Union
alone that the interests of the South are sustained
the buster of few tt ousand shareholders, joined
WITH and in a measure controlling, the mercantile
and political arstocracy of the North have hitherto
invariably prevailed over and silenced the honest
convictions OF the great mass of the people.
The question of the Extension or Restriction of
Slavery has been construed by the Slavery party
to be conflict between the Ant-Slavery sympa-
thies of the North and the material interests of
the shareholders. Hence the assertion that the
slaves are better off as they are than they
would be ii free, has been considered an eI-
tinguisher to the Restitutionists. But these
are not in reality the points in dispute. The
true question Isl Shall the present selfish grat6ca-
ton of few aristOcratc shareholders be deemed
of more importance than the future good of the
whole country 1t will be admitted that the term
national" as applied to party in cOntradistinc-
ton to sectional" is used to distinguish that
party whose principles conduce to the interests of
all, instead of seeking the qualification OF few.
Therefore the Extension or Non-Extension party
is either sectional or national in just so far as the
Extension or Restriction of Slavery may or may
not cOnduce to the best interests Of the whole
people of the United States. Let us see what ele-
ments existing in the country, are to be taken into
consideration in the settlement Of this question.
The people of the Northern States are, for the
most part, lab0rers, men who earn their bread by
the sweat of their brows, but who are independent
in their circumstances and their characters. The
one absorbing purpose Of their lives is to imporve
their own condition, and they are far too Indifferent
to every thing that does address itself to that
desire; but they are intelligent, and understand
their rights; they have foresight and beginning
to perceive their danger; they are ambitious, and
appreciate their independence; they are cool and
courae eOus, resolute and enduring; men of iron
nerve and will; above all, they are laborers, ald
hate whatever degrades labor.
The population of the South may be div ded into
three classes the say ehoders who are the capital
ists and actual rulers; the non slavehodng whites,
who are poor and ignorant, and whose condition is
but little better than that of the slaves and lastly
the slave in fact and in name. The idea of Slavery
in the common mind is the idea of unpaid labor
subject to the will of taskmaster. The sympathy
excited by any like condition OF labor without in
dependence must so far as the present argument is
concerned, include the non-slayeholding white
ard the negro of the South in q common class. A
great majority of the legal voters Of the South have
no sympathy with the shareholders. They feel
that Slavery is heavy curse upon them that it
deg aides themselves to the condition of slaves, and
they bate and dread it accordingly. In any serious
contest that N "a. arise Labor 81 the Soash wolld