The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-02

The democrats of this State are making a
great deal of fuss and noise over what they are
pleased to call the consolidation of the party
which has just been effected at Syracuse. They
are overoyed at an event which they have Mr..
Buchanan's warrant for calling "one of the
grandest events in our history" Now what is
this consolidation, and between whom has it been
effecteds Why, everybody knows that the par
ties consolidated are mere groups of ofice-seeking
politicians, who are and have been always ready
to divide or consolidate for the sake of spoils.
In 1852 they consolidated-as they have just
done-for the sake of sharing the spoils to be
won under the flag of Franklin Pierce; and in
1863 they quarrelled, each of the little miserable
factions accusing the other Of having got more
than its share of the loaves and fishes Now they
consolidate again, in order to try to carry the
State for Buchanan. Should they succeed, they
will quarrel as fiercely as ever next spring, and
the hards will accuse the softs, and the softs the
hards, of having cheated in the division.
Or put them to the test of principle. In 1851,
the radical ground of the division of the demo-
crazy was on the question of free soil-one sec
ton going for the ostracism Of the Van Buren,
men. the other for their reception into the bosom
of the party, as detected, if not repentant
sinners. The two factions being Erecoucilably
hostile on this issue, Pierce was proposed
and presented to the people on the Baltimore
platform of opposition to further agitation of
the slavery question. How this was swallowed
alike by hards and softs, they know best; certain
it Is that they swallowed 1t with seeming case,
and elected Pierce without difficulty. No sooner
was he elected than n split took place. You may
suppose perhaps, that this was occasioned by the
interference Of Pierce with the slavery question
in defiance Of the Baltimore platform. Not at
ALL The split was caused by the appointment to
Office Of more softs than hards. Ii was when
they saw the fattest Offices in the gift Of the
government passing from them and going to
the softs that the loyalty Of the hards to
the constitution gushed forth In armed re-
bcllion. Ii was when they were cheated in
the division Of the spoils-when John Van
Buren, and bis friends proved unfaithful to the
maxim. which ought, at all events to have been
familiar in some Of their ears-"Honor among
thieves--it was then that Bronson and OCo-
nor, and Cutting, and the other patriots Of Ro-
man mould discovered that Pierce was traitor,
and that they, at all events, would have no hand
nor part In the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of their beloved
country. So they withdrew from the sordid
arena Of politics and with language that would
have been fitting in the mouth Of Aristides or
Fabricius. they declared that between them and
the softs there could hcnceforth be no CON-
mon interest, no bond or tie Of any kind what
ever.
some three years have passed since then, and
now we hear shouts Of consolidation and read Of
old Judge Bcardsley embracing Lorenzo She
pard What has happened since the rupture.
Noslbg but what ought, In reality to have
widened H. Franklin Pierce has grossly violat-
ed his pledge at Baltimore, by re-opening the
slavery discussion; and so far from desiring now
TO set ii at rect, Mr. Buchanan comes before the
country as the champion Of policy which must
perpetuate and envenom the quarrel-of policy
which seeks to make Kansas a slave State per
force. Yet the same hards and the same softs
who coaleseed on the non-intervention platform
Of Pierce, and afterwards quarrelled onthe ground
that II was not honestly carried out coalesce
afresh this week on the armed Intervention plat
form Of Buchanan. Pro-slavery Or anti slavery,
hard or soft, black or white, II i in truth all the
same to them, and they stand always ready to
coalesce at moments notice on any and every
platform that can help them to the spoils. For
| the men who met at Syracuse are not the
great democratic party Of this State, or any pro-
per representation Of il. They are a group Of
Office seeking politicians, who have, in general,
no character TO lose and no principles to stick
to; and whose only object in going to Syracuse
Is 10 try and arrange matters in some way, by
making compromises and sacrifices Of the princ;-