The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-10
III, Political Ficld--The Dead Issues OF the
Part and the Living Issucs for the
Future.


touching our late and approaching State cleo
tions-the stump speakers and newspaper organs
on all sides have been, and are, most assiduoasiy
tailoring to get up a popular excitcment-they
have failed to shake OF the general apathy
Which has fallen upon the public mind. The
reason is. that between the dead issues of the
past and the living issues for the future, we are
lust al that point OF dead low water which pre-
codes the turning OF the tide. The three late
oy,rsladowing subjects Of political agitation
Kansas, Mormondom and the filibusteriny ques-
tion--are practically settled, dead and done for,
and hence the failures and the folly of our stupid
party politicians in their attempts to galyanize
Til, sc dc!unct issues into life again.
Poor Pierce was elected AZ the especial cham
pion of the great peace measures OF 1880. But
he violated them, and, in conjunction with Doug
las, he re-opcncd the slavery agitation, and in a
shape so disastrous to the democracy that but
Tor the saving popularity Of Mr.. Buchanan, il
would have utterly destroyed the party in 1886.
Narrowly himself escaping defeat, Mr.. Buchanan
found among the first responsibilities OF his ad-
ministration the settlement of the ugly legacies
passed over to him from the imbece administra-
tons of Pierce and Fillmore, including Kansas,
with all its insurectionary complications, the
Mormon nuisance, rpencd into open rebellion,
and the Nicaragua filibustering imbroglio. He
has, however not only reduced these embar-
easements to practical solution; but, rs far as
practicable, he has settled the British question of
,nl
the late movement of the Southern fire-eaters for
the revival of the African slave trade. With the
practical disposition of these issues, therefore,
they have fallen, like the question of national
bank, among the ''obsolete ideas of the day.
What, then. have We for the future! The most
abundant materials for complete dissolution
and reconstruction of our existing political par
ties. Perhaps, too in view of the manifest des-
tiny" of Cuba and of the manifest necessities of
Mexico, the President in his next annual mes
sage to Congress may throw out some important
suggestions which will quickly bring these ques-
tions into the foreground. In any event. they
cannot remain much longer in the back ground.
We should not be surprised, for instance, if
proposition were to come up in this Congress. at an
early day, comprehending, in reference to Cuba,
II board of commissioners to meet a similar
board on the part of Spain upon the question
Of the sale of Cuba and Porto Rico to
the United States for round equivalent
in cash. The advantages of such trans
fer TO Spain are daily becoming more and
more apparent while on our part. both sections
oftse Union would largely profit from these i'm
portant acquisitions North commercially.
and the South politically-from the balance of
power which this accession of two or three new
slave States would involve.
Mexico is our sick man. of Turkey. and we
como, much longer avoid the duty ofinterposing
to rescue that wretched mockcry of a re-
public from its present rapid downward
course TO utter anarchy and barbarism. There
should be some propositions for Congressional &c
ton thrown out in the Presidents message OF
December upon this subject, contemplating, for
example, special embassy Of three or five com
potent men to Mexico, in view Of the absolute re-
construction Of her government upon a basis
which will secure her for the future against all
revolutionary conspirators from within or with
out. We are aware. meanwhile, that the
President has no. been disregardfu of the claims
ofMexico upon our humanity, nor ofo policy
in the premises; and we shall, therefore, antici-
pate in his annual message some suggestions cal
culated to initiate peaceful, radical and whole
some revolution in that quarter Of our continent.
And thus. upon this issue rs upon Cuba, we may
even now be standing upon the threshold Of
great public discussion, which, in Congress and
throughout the country, will leave our political
issues Of ls5G-7-'S as far out Of sight ~ the
issues Of Captain Tyler's administration.
in the next place, the financial revulsion Of
1867 has disclosed the utter iIcfficency Of our
existing financial systems State and national
for the practical purposes Of steady, honest bust
hess. in any Of the departments Of agriculture.
commerce. or manufactures or corporations.
Our banks, bankruptcies, tariffs. currency. &c.
must I've remodclled from top to bottom upon the
basis Of uniform federal system of checks and
balances, or these disastrous periodical rcvul-
sions will recur IA surely as the causes which
produce them. Under our existing laws. federal
and local, excessive paper money issues, exces-
slvc impor'auons, INSCRIPTIONS speculatons,
frauds, fcrgcrics and entertainments, and the
general extravaganza and dishonesty which they
create will, in due time precipitste another gene
raj collapse and all its ruinous consequences.
In this view. the federal legislation demanded
by the necessities OF the country, though cvadcd
at the last session of Congress cannot much
longer lie cvadcd. We hope that the President, in
December, will rc-enforce the whole subject upon
the attention OF both houses in connection with
the exigencies Of the federal treasury, and from
this point we may anticipate general agi.a-
ton. in all its bearings. Of the money question,
which, at least for a Presidential campaign or
two, will cast the negro question entirely in the
shade.
Entertaining these views Of the dead issues Of
Tho INST and Of tho living iset,oa which aro loorr