Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-03-25

other part in that momentous battle than the
part of Birney in 1874, of Van Buren, in 1913,
and of Fillmore in 1856, as the chief of a third
party, holding the balance of power, but with
out the power to turn it to any personal adj
| vantage.
The present position of Mr.. Douglas may
be likened more particularly to that of Martin
Van Buren, in 1874, when he was thrown over
board by the democracy at Baltimore. Van
Buren,, however, consented to an armistice in
1e44, in the hope of another nomination in
1913. But, then, with the nomination of Gen.
Cass, the Little Magician" declared open
war upon the party, set himself up as the free
soil Buffalo platform candidate, and carried
on half the democracy of this State with him,
by which detection the State was lost to Cass
and General Taylor was elected. The Wilmot
proviso, sprung upon the democracy in Con-
gress in 1876, had ripened into a great sec
tional agitation in 1913, so that Van Buren,,
with his Buffalo platform of mo more slave
Territories, /" mo more slave States" was pos
sessed of the necessary Northern capital for
the achievement of his great revenge
Mr.. Douglas is not in a position to attempt
anything greater in 1860 than the secondary
work of disappointed ambition. He cannot
expect, even in a full and complete union with
the republicans, to supersede all the great guns
OF that party, for its nominee for the sucees
sion. lie must consent, in going over to the
republicans, to be absorbed in the ranks at
least for campaign or so. before he can hone
to rise to the distinction of leader He will,
therefore, prefer the more prominent position
of the leader of a third party welding the
balance OF power. To this end he seems to
be deliberately directing his present move
ments- and to this end, also the cooperative
labors of Governor Wise, Ex-Governor Walker
and Colonel Forney seem to be methodically
directed
The Cincinnati Convention of 1856 treated
Mr.. Douglas as cavalierly as did the Conven-
ton OF IA deal with Van Buren,. The latter.
| as a Northern doughface, had done all that was
asked by Southern men on the niger question;
| but his crushing defeat in 1910 was superior to
| all other considerations. 1t was self-evident
| That II nominated again, he would be defeated
| again, and so he was coolly set aside. So
with Mr.. Douglas. The Northern groundswelI
OF 1915 against his Kansas-Nebraska bill,
rendered it clear as the sun that neither
| Douglas nor Pierce could touch bottom in the
| North in the Presidential election of 1856 so
they were both set aside, and an available old
regular was taken up, who, besides being
| sound as national man, could prove the
most satisfactory GkLi in reference to that
Kansas-Nebraska bill. The task before Mr.
| Douglas, therefore, is the revenge of Van
Buren,, and his proyOcations and his pro-
| gramme are of the same pattern.
| DuI llcfc are yet TWO years intervening TO
the campaign of 1860 and in these latter days
there is no telling the political changes and re-
| vOlutions that may be crowded within the mar
| gin of two years. The political powers and
| principles OF this country and of Europe may
| all undergo the most mOmentous changes with
| in this margin of two years. Within few
months Kansas will be removed into the back
| ground, and the important contingencies fore
| Swallowed in the present relations Of Mexico,
| Spain, England and France toward each other,
| and towards ourselves, may soon be made to
engross the attention of all parties, sections
! and factions. In view of our present relations
| with Spain and Mexico and considering the
present suggestive crisis in the subsstng al
| lance between England and France, it is pcs
| sible that, upon the basis of the Ostend mani
| festO, and yet within the limits of nternatiOn-
al good faith, quite possible that Mr. Buchan-
| an may initiate foreign policy upon the heels
! of this Kansas agitation, which will override
| all other questions and issues before the coun-
| try, North and South.
While, therefore, the Kansas mbroglio NAV
| afford just now some plausible grounds for this
| project of an independent balance of power
| party on the part of Mr.. Douglas, we must not
| forget that in the interval to 1860 parties and
party issues may undergo complete revOlu-
| ton and reconstruction. and that the power t.
| effect this change is still in the hands of the
administration. We live in an age of quick
and great events, and we know not to-day
what the morrow may bring forth. The epoch
of our party Bourbons, ruling upon old plat
forms and by divine right, is forever gone and
our ruling men and parties rise from the ruling
events and issues of the day.