The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-10-29

A CONSISTENT PoL1T1c1AN.- Senator Benjs
min, we perceive, in view, no doubt, of the des
perate condition of the Buchanan party in Lou
lsana, has consented to canvass portion of tn
State. Some of his appointments are publish
ed in the Courier. We believe he will succee
quite as thoroughly in Louisiana as he did i
Maine. Accompanied by Mr. Cobb, of Geor
gia, and Mr.. Orr, of South Carolina, the hon
orable senator proceeded to Maine, and deliv
cred one of his happiest ablest and most ingen
lous efforts. He returned to Washington unde
the pleasing conviction that the labor of restor
ing Maine to the democratic fold had been ac
complished, and only awoke from the ravishins
delusion when the lightning messenger trans
mitted to him the intelligence that the Lumbe
State had given twenty thousand majority
against the democrats The senator has beer
sgnally unfortunate in his northern tour. Per
haps he considers southern field better suit
ed to bis capabilities, and thinks that in Louis
lana, where, as whg, he was once almos
ldolized, he will CLEAN plentiful harvest. Blu
Mr.. Benjamin, the whig q. S. senator from
Louisiana, and Mr.. Ben the open, avow
ed deserter from his party, and advocate of de
,
different individuals, as the honorable" senator
will be exceedingly apt to discover in the course
of his contemplated canvass.
Mr.. Benjamin, one year ago. pronounced the
funeral Grafton of both the whig and the dem
ocratic parties. Of the former, he said it was
dead, and bestowed glowing panegyric ovel
its lifeless remains OF the latter, lie spoke as
follows:
although the democratic party is not yet 50 tho
roughly dlsorgansed the whig party it requires
political sagacity to perceive that it cannot maintain
itself as national party. The few truly national
democrats who remain at the north have been reduced
to minority ins gnican that their voice
~ heard in the Of popular clanor for what is call
ed frcesoil."
"The dissatisfaction engendered by the conduct OF
the present administration has thoroug ghly dshearten-
ed the party which brought it into power. They are
unable longer to cope successfully y with the growing
tantslsm and intolerance of the north and will be
unable to preserve the national features OF the platform
In 1T, as party, have little hope for the SOUTH and
neiherits failure nerts success in heensung election
would, In my Judgment, retard advance the crisis
now impending"
Politicians are seldom gifted with prescience,
but in sle case of the honorable senator it would
kealIy seem AS if for the nonce lie had received
some scattered rays of that inner light by which
his mental vision was enabled to pierce futurity.
The Illuminating power, it is true, was but par
tlal. His right eye saw clear y enough the dis
organisation and Standardization of the north
ern democracy, but his left was closed to the
signs and tokens of the revival of the whig par
ty. Under the influence of the divine afnatus
he proclaimed the impotence, the feebleness,
the dsintegration of the"democrats of the north.
He told the people of Louisiana that the demo-
tJo .ty, IT, 70
the growing fanaticism and intolerance of the
north, and would be unable to preserve the ma
tional features Of the platform. Every word of
this prediction has been verified, and was in
process of verl6catlon when a few months later
Mr.. Benjamin effected a magnificent and as
founding political! summerset, and eaped into
the loving arms and longing hearts Of the very
party which he had solemnly declared incapa-
BILE any longer of maintaining its nationality!
Meanwhile the whig party, whose dissou-
ton had been SO feelingly deplored by the sena-
tor, has awakened from that torpor which look
ed like death, and has Just held national con-
ventlon, and endorsed the nomination of Mil
lard Fillmore. So that Mr.. Benjamin was on
! y half prophet after ALL He saw the future
OF democracy with microscopic accuracy. To-
wa, Vermont and Maine have stamped his
prophecy with unerring TRUTH but when he
spoke of his quondam friends and associates, Of
the party which he lprofessed to cherish in his
heart of hearts, and which delighted to honor
him, the spirit of prescience failed him, and he
uttered words of femptiness and deluson.
There is whig party in existence, but Mr..
Benjamin has denounced it. There is no ma
tlonal democratic party in the north Mr.. Ben
jamin himself has said so, but still he afilates
with this dsorganised faction which he has pro-
unable to maintain the national fea-
lures of its plant form. To his arguments, we
trust our friends will reply by reading his letter
of 1855. IN. O. Bee.
So the declaration of Mr.. Breckenridge to a
northern audience, that the democratic party is
not in favor of the extension of slavery, is
caught up and repeated, from Dan to Beershe-
ba, by his obedient fuglemen-one of them add
ing, however, the mysterious and undiscovera-
bly, shrewd qualification, ''os a party'' In
the name Of Aristotle, and all the schoolmen,
and all the metaphysicians, and all the chops
|oglcans at once, what does that mean? Does
it mean that the democratic party sometimes
acts as the democratic party and sometimes as
some other political entity?-that it is now it,
self and anon not itself? Is it to be regarded
as Janus or Proteus?--or is it a shapeess
monster, like the mooncalf encountered by
Stephano, having a backward and a forward
voice; the one speaking in the tones of friend
ship and the other uttering foul words and re-
proaches? 1t isneedless to dwell seriously up
IN what is so ridiculous in terms; the absurdi-
y is too patent for criticism, and we will return
o subject of real Importance, which is the
:elation in which the democratic party stands
% the south. .. a=...
From the beginning of the canvass the south
1as been called upon to support the presiden-
;a ticket formed by the "national'' democratic
take to her affections and warm in
ner bosom the outcome of that nest at Cincin-
1at where expediency hatched availability
Southern men have been told to delay south
ern organisation, to give their support and con-
idence to national ticket and merge them
selves in a. national party, as the only one
having any claim upon them. But when the
eaders and fugemen are asked what is to be
;he consideration for all this--when asked if
that party and its candidates, in case it is sue
II 1