Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1857-05-09

| The information is due to our readers that the
Hon. HENRY W. HILLIARD, of Alabama, has for
mally given in his adhesion to the Democratic
party, both by published letter to that effect and
in recent political speech delivered at Montgom-
cry in which he also assigned the reasons for this
change OF his party relations. That under conyic-
tons of public duty with the wisdom of which it is
for our present purpose wholly unnecessary to in
quire, any more than to doubt the honesty with
which they are entertained, Mr.. HILLIARp should
have deemed it imperative upon him thus to de-
clare his accession to the dominant PARTY Of the
country, can surely afford to us no ground of egc-
PLANT or sr.fa Is et.iJect OF criticism
The public reasons, however, which politician
may assign for the line of conduct he chooses to
pursue may be considered to belong to the public at
large, for whose benefit it is to be presumed they
are announced, and for whose guidance they are
likely to be recommended by those who sympathze
with him in political sentiment. Among the rea-
sons which it seems have determined this change of
political relations on the part of Mr. HILLIARD
we find especial prominence given to the idea of
an impending struggle which in the year 1860 is to
"involvs the very existence of the South and the
Union,' and which, in his judgment, calls upon the
people of his section of the country to present an
undivided front to the :" Republican party of
the North in ausion to which he is represented to
lave said in his recent speech:
"The enemy, defeated, but not DESTROYED, are
marshalling for a death struggle in 1860 That
struggle will involve the Gerry existence of the
South and the Union. Could he hesitate to as
sumo the position of true Southern patriot in
this hour of peril and Southern destiny ?''
We confess that we read this statement with re-
greet, coming as it does from so distinguished and
SO respected gentleman, whose former political
associations-at least while he co-operated with
the Wing party-had warranted us in suppos-
ing him the advocate of conservative opinions and
prudent counsels. This idea of placing the dura-
ton of the Government on the issue of Presiden-
tia election we had occasion to discuss too fully in
the canvass of last year to renew it now "sufi-
cient unto the day is the evil thereof" But we
cannot permit the monstrous notion to be preached
in out of season, from any reputable quar-
ter, without protesting against it. That the const
tutioal election Of any man, of any Sect section,
party-even of Brigham Young himself, if he
were eligible-can swallow up or endanger the
rights or liberties of any other section, justify
the very subversion of the Government ITSELF is a
conception as absurd as it is thoughtless and mis-
chievous. The men who founded this Government
in the blood of the Revolution did not make its ex-
istence dependent on such contingency-one, in
deed, which would threaten it every four years If
they had constructed Government to be overturned
by SO anomalous cause as its own constitutional
action, it would not have been worth the labor of
framing.
That four years in advance of the coming danger,
which it was announced by the Democratic party
would be indefinitely postponed by the election of
| Mr.. BUCHANAN, our ears should be already stunned
by the notes of preparation for death-struggle
in 1860, seems to us, confess, rather exagge-
rated instance of that precaution which " takes
Time by the forelock." That the political waters
have been. deeply stirred by the recent sectional
strife, and have cast up mire and dirt when they
should rather have brought healing to the nation, is
fact Of which the patriotic in all parts of tho coun
try have been made painfully aware, but the per-