New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-05

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The political future of the United States is at
this moment matter Of great curiosity. 1t is so
not merely in speculative point of view, but as
matter-so to speak-of business. To great
many aspiring and capable young men, who
regard Themselves as born for action and prefer
mept and who are not of cast voluntarily and with
their eyes open, to throw away their time and
talents upon hopeless and Improbable cause, this
is a question of very pressing aud even painful
interest.
During the past fifty years, very large proper
ton Of this class of young men, seeing that the
Southern States have controlled the national poll
tics and the patronage Of the Federal Government,
have unbesitatngly espoused the political doctrines
current and fashionable in that quarter, and have
revereDty placed themselves at the feet of Southern
Gamaliss in theh hope Thereby attaining not merely
souEd instruction in theoretical politics. but also Of
placing themselves in the line of preferment.
Such, We say, has been the course Of things in
years past; and it is undeniabe that in this way
quite q number of Northern men have carried
themselves and their talents to an extraordinarily
good market. But, before the young men Of the
rising generation conclude to attempt to play nov,
as to this matter the old game of the past, there
are several things which they will do well to take
into consideration.
With respect to the control which the slave
holders have exercised over the politics Of this
country, constantly increasing it has been, till at
the last two Presidential elections it has become 80
entirely predominant, it must not be overlooked
that this control has been exercised by them from
beginning to end not at all in their character of
Shareholders, but entirely 10 some other character
Originally the Democratic party under the leader
ship of Jeferaon put itself forward as the repre-.
sentative embodiment Of the strong feeling of hos.
tility to England which the war Of the Revolution
had engendered, sentiment by which the whole
mass of the community both North and South was
deeply mpregnated. Under other circumstances,
indeed, this hostile sentiment might soon have
died out; but the collisions on the high seas into
which we came with England, pending the wars
which grew out Of the French Revolution, served
to keep it alive; and it was by constant and perse
veripg appeals to the antpathies thus excited that
the shareholders succeeded in giving the country
three Presidents in the persons of Jefferson, Madi
con and Monroe, and in securing to themselves the
distribution Of the Federal patronage during the
frst quarter of the present century. They were
intrusted, however, be it noted and remembered,
with power, and were maintained 10 it, not 10 the
slightest degree in their character of Shareholders
but exclusively in their character of opponents to
the maritime usurpatiOns and pretensiOns Of Great
Britain. The first occasion on which they showed
the clOven foot was that of the Missouri debate;
nor was there q doubt that the disclosures then
made had much to do with the revolt which soon
followed of the Northern Democracy against their
Adams to the Presidency.
From this temporary defeat, however, the slave
holders soon rallied. Az they had maintained them
selves in political power for quarter of century
before by skilfuly availiDg themselves Ofprevaiing
and deep-sested antipathies against England, so
izatiOn, deep-seated and widely spread prejudices
against New.Engsnd, on account mainly of the
part che had taken in heading the opposition to the
Democratic Administrations of former years. Such
was the basis upon which the Jackson party Or
ganzed itself In opposition to the Administer
ton Of John Quincy Adams; and it was en-.
trey to the wide diffusion and lively force of this
feeling Of hostility to England, not merely in
the South but throughout the Western and
Middle States, that the new party thus organ
ICED, and which claimed the Dame of Democratic,
owed its triumph. The stand which General
Jackson took against the re-charter of the Bank of
the United States, supplied the new Democratic
party with another very strong popular element on
which to lean; nor can there be doubt that
the triumph Of Polk over Clay, SO far as the vote
of New.York and other Northern States eOntri-
buted to it-and without the vote of New York
Polk would not have been eected-was largely
brought about by apprehension lest the election
of Mr. Clay might lead to the revival Of Banking
mOnopolies which the Democratic party had done
away with.
In thus looking back upon the past, we find the
Southern or slaveholdiDg ascendency resting sue.
cessively on these very strong and widely difused
Enthusiastically to Great Britain and her pre-
tensions to interfere with our maritime trade,
antpatby to New. England, originating in the inter-
nal party politics Of the country, and popular hos
tility to the National Bank-an institution which
had been twice submitted to from supposed politi-
cal necessities, but which was always strongly
opposed by the prevailing current Of popular senti.
iDert. Now, tho psint to which We would par.
'icularly coll attention 10 this: None Of these
former platforms Of Southern sscendency are any
longer available. by the progress of events,
they hase become obsolete, and have wasted