New-York daily tribune., 1856-01-16
THE SOFT ADDRESS.

For Mr. Nicholas Hill, jr., and his associates at
Syracuse, who have just passed the extraordinary
resolutions (to which we yesterday called the par
ticular attention of our readers,) to prepare the
WAY for their admission into the Cincinnati Con-
yentiou, in which they Frustrated Themselves in the
dust at the feet of the Notwithstanding their
breasts, and, like so many lepers, crying out I'm
clean Unclean!-fo these men, just guilty OF
this signal act of selfish ,reachey to undertake to
read TO the rest of mankind d lecture on political
duties, and especially on the observance Of good
faith, as they do in their address to the People Of
which we this morning publish considerable pOr.
tion is certainly great piece of impudence
Yet what could Mr.. Nicholas Hill, jr., do His
case was desperate one. Not even New-York
lawyer whether Of the city or of the country Bar,
could be found bold enough to venture upon direct
defence Of the total somerset on the Slavery ques-
lion which the Softs had then and there just com
pleted. But what could not be done directly,
might be done indirectly. If the Softs could not
be defended, the Republicans, the KnOw-Nothings,
the Temperance men, might be attacked, aud the
attention Of the honest portion of the South party,
thus drawn of from the mOnstrOus treason by
which Mr. Nicholas Hill, jr., aud his associates in
iniquty were attempting to barter off the votes of
10 many honest men-obtained under false pre-
lenses, for the chance of being permitted 10 retain
10 many offices in the Custom-H House for themselves
and their friends.
The attack upon the Republican party exhibits
Just absut the degree of fairness to be expected of
such men having such an object in view. Itwould
hardly have done to have told the rank and file of
the Soft party that fhe Republicans occupy precise
~ the ground and with precisely the same objects
which the Barnburners occupied in 1917 and ISIS,
when the, first came into existence as a distinct
organization. The fact, therefore, is totally sup
pressed that the Republican movement is entirely
defensive. Instead of being represented as it is
as movement to prevent the spread of Slavery
into Territory into which had been once agreed
by the South that Slavery should never go-i is at
tackled as aggressive movement, started without
apology and proyocatiOn.
What would Mr.. Nicholas Hill jr., think of
lawyer. who, in arguing suit for assault and bat
tery, should dwell with emphasis and iteration
upon the menacing words aud movements of the
defendant, without in the slightest degree advert
ing to the facts that those words and movements
were caused BY an attempt on the part of the
plaintiff, Mr. Hills delectable client TO brosk into
the defendants house. and whom in fact the de-
fendaut had caught in the very act of phndering
his goods by such plea, Mr. Nicholas Hill r.,
might earn his fee, and therefore accomplish, so
far as he himself was concerned, the object of his
argument; but he would hardly entrap an iutelli-
gent jury into giving him verdict.
Even apart from all the prOvocatiOn hitherto
given BY the South, We can see in these very pro-
ceedings at Syracuse, and in this very address of
Mr. Nicholas Hill jr., ample reason for the Organi-
zation Of the Republican party. Not content with
stealing Kansas, the Shareholders are at this mo-
ment making an attempt to put the State Of New
York into their pockets. 1t is openly given ont
that nobody is to be allowed to participate in the
nomination to be made at Cincinnati, except those
who shall agree to make on the Slavery question,
total surrender to the pretensions of the South
II was indeed by this giving out that the politicians
assembled at Syracuse have been forced into the
passage Of the extraordinary resolutions for which
poor MIR. Iiill has attempted roundabout sort oi