Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-08-07
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
FRIDAx MORNING, AUGUST :, 1857.
.a5... snno.r.Ncr OF NATIONAL PARTIES
nv FITCuIE s. DUNNAvANT.

RRunav MORNING, AUGUST =, 1857.
TIE IMPORTANCE OF NATIONAL PARTIES.
In ,he United States, il is einineniy essential, oi
,na neace and auet OF the country, aud the security
of The government, that there should always exist at
es.. two parties based upon principles pertaining to
politics esq science, not as an art for the attainment
of single ED, and applicable alike to each aud al
she States in 1.-THE Union. From the days OF Hami!
ton, Madison; Jefferson and Jay, such was The poii'i
cal condition of our country, until the agta1ou "
the slavery question began !ns!diousiy 10 ofei' o.,
tention from the principles Of government ~ ''e
try tricks and sinister purposes OF oes'sn''r N.'N
goguss. By degrees, at FIRST gradual o"' soou H.
oressinp and extending With almost unparaieieo "a
niditv. il has at last aunihated every other Issue
AMONG ,bo.e who commenced the agitation by en-
cro.clinp mon ard mpuguinG the rights OF the
South. and a. a consequence, tho slaveboldlpg
States. have been obliged by every consideration Of
n,o,ec,on to their own interests and honor to acceP.
this succedareum, and engage in sectional strife
With the institution Of slavery ss the only ISSUE or
as the paramount. question in contest 1t Is 'mpossi
Bile that he two opposing parties can both oe na'ou
al. And indeed, it is allowable that neither may
be- II is Of course, 10 be expected that the waoie
South should be united in defence of its interests
eouslity and honor. And should the whole
North be- undivided in the assault upon our
institutions both parties would be- essentially sec
tional. But while the oppouents OF slavery
have no Southern coadjutors, aud Can cohse
quenty lay no claim to nationality as o party on tue
other hand the advocates aud defenders OF Slavery
counting fifteen of the thirtyone States as unan,'
NOUS have also allies and active co workers through
out the North and hence il is an established fact that
while the abolition or Black Republican party issec.
tioua in it's objects in it's organization and in it's
ton, its only opponent the Democratic party, Is III
principle natioua now as at any previous period Of
our political history. Should the day ever come
when there is national patty in this country when
the South has no Northern vudcators and protectors
and the North is undivided in sentiment and IN action
against the interests of the South, it will be mpo's
BILE to preserve the Union longer. As Yet, we seer
such is not the case. But there are significant signs
of the danger Of 80 ruinous an issue OF mpena
;ug events. Heretofore abolitonism was content TO
skulk upon the skirts and in the shadow OF one or Tue
other of the two great national parties rePndiateu
by both. But now il assumes an Independent atti'
tuds of open attack arrays itself into separate par
~ and threatens in thunder tones to su6lugate the
Soutb or dissolve the Union. As nothing can come
out of nothing may be asked, whence the personnel
of this new but powerful party that enters the lists
against Democracy with towering crest and defiant
srl Have its ranks been recruited by Democratic
deserters or s it an organization formed out OF the
fragments of some defeated, dismayed and dsbanded
party7 That has received reinforcemeuts from the
rank, Of the Democracy in the persons OF Selfish amoi
tious and unprinciped aposates, who. with hopeol
and place, have abandoned the faith which
they once professed to cherish With religious sincerity
and zeal, We will not deny. But with the loss OF all
those renegads., the Democratic party still STANDS or
vanized throughout the North, and armed and pro-
tected with the panopy Of its original principles. lts
numbers are lessened but s creed not altered hoi
Il its organisation affected l, canuct be- then that
the Black Republican party is composed for tue most
part, of quondau Democrats. And still We ask
whence came this numerous army Of Abolition
stsl The Democratic troops are stlll 10 tue
Geld, and it therefore cannot BIZ that they
have all mutinied. and are now marching
md fighting under another flag. But lot
Is look again, and sse if the Wig party OF the
mocracy. Ine eye ,earcue. ,uo -.
vain for even vestige Of the followers 'f Wehsser
and Clay. They cannot have passed away from
earth with their great and gallant leaders But there IL
DO Wig flag flying the position once held by that
party is altogether abandoned and unoccupcd.-
Those who composed the party are still alive, and
hey must be somewhere. Can it be possible that
his Abolition party is the old Wing party! 1t ls
,ven So in person, but We will not say in pr'ne.p"e.
And where, too, is the Wing party in the Soulful 10
ito honor be il said, it is through the agency Uf its
patriotic cooperation with the Democracy, that the
holding States enabled to present au almost
Undivided conservative constitutional party and re-
st effectively the aggressions Of our ssssants in
be North.
Why is it. tia: the Wing party in the anti |
slavery States has become converted to the ne
arious dogmas Of Aboiitionism, while the Demo.
ratio party retains its organic alton, aud still
uteiy resists the enemies Of our institutions |
!. is attributable to the difference in the orr.
inal construction aud primary principles Of
be two parties The one was always advo
sting and upholding doctrines, which could not be
nforced without latitudiuous Liquidation the part
f the Federal Government. The other has ever as
teadfastly maintained an accurate discrimination be-
the sovereignty of the separate States and tue
uthor;ty Of the United States. The Wing party, by
onceding t., aye, claiming tor the Federal Govern
nent prerogatives not delegated aud entrusted to
" the Constitution long ago opened or indicated
7ay for the circumscrpon if not ultimate extinction
{ slavery And hence, WHOM the National Wing |
arty, from tue impracticability and appropriately of
q general principles, was disorgsnizei aud obliged
, be disbandsd. its Northern members, whe had
opsd for the attain nent OF their designs upon slave.
had No hesitationiu abandoning every other issue,
nd rushing into the embrace Of Aboli'ionism.
The Wings of the South, We are free to admit aud
roud to proclaim, have always been as sound on the
avery question the most interested citizen OF the
outh could wish. Blu. With all eye to other OBJ.
'cts they oonteuded for principles. which, when
arried out to their legitimate limits, were suscepti'
le Of being employed to the serious detriment of
outhern institutions Happily for the country this
nee powerful party, extending from one end Of the
)pion to the other, s now known more in political
optess. In the Nor,hti utterly lost in Abolitonism,
nd 10 the South it is to all practical purposes abau.
oned its principles forsakeu and its personnel cous,i.
u,ipg noble host in the ranks of Democracy. 1t s
,s for the republic say, that this is So because lite
riuciples are under the absolute control of the
'orthern wing that was, would have proved ruinous
0 the South. But could the old Wing party be re.
directed, and its Northern members constrained TO
tsnd by the South as the Southern members them.
slves We should consider it, with all its Objectionable
,uets, an acceptable substitute for the Black Repub
can party, which has grown out of lie dsorganizs,
on in the North. This, however, is presuming
q inpossibiity, for as long as Aboli,iousm exists
will attach to that party the principles of
hich are most strongly in favor of Federal usur
alton. National parties ars desirable. Tor the same
sasons that sectional parties are dangerous and rep
eheusble. A confederacy of sovereign States ispre
umsd to have been formed for the purpose Of promo
my the interests and securing the rights OF each and
Il it's members. Aud political parties contendng for