The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-08-15

Political Jok1ng-The Jokes u the Virginia
We publish to day from the Richmond En-
q,4rer an amusing article on the political jokes
of the New YORK HERALD, which, at the present
stage of dead low water in our party politics,
is about as good rs anything we can pick up
from our party newspapers
The Enquirer says that that propensity for
joking which sometimes seizes the HERALD
that itching for popular quizzes which pulled
into Importance George Law, and almost elect
ed Fremont, which ventilated SO lately the con-
Trajectory qualifications Of Simon Cameron, has
again perpetrated several very good jokes"
and among these " good jokes" are enumerated
our opinion Of the Wise and Hunter factions in
Virginia; our views concerning the bad null
Gcation odOr which will attach to the next de-
mocratic National Convention, from the fact
that it will be held in the chief city of the
South Carolina nullifers and secession fire.
eaters; and our opinion that Gen. Scott, from
present appearances, is the only man upon
whom all the factions and sections and odds
and ends Of the opposition can be united in a
homogeneous practical national party.
Now, in the first place, we took up George
Law-"Live Oak George''-not as a "good joke"
nor as "a live hoax" but as an experiment with
an entirely new and selfmade man, fresh from
the body of the people," But George Law
proving himself utterly unequal to the exigen-
cies of his position, we dropped him. With re-
gard to Fremont, we have heard, for the first
time, that the democracy in any quarter have
ever regarded his nomination or the HERAID's
support of him as Joke. With the dead weight
of Fillmore upon his back, so strong was Ere
mont that q change of fifteen hundred votes out
of half million in the Pennsylvania October
election of 1856, he would Lave made his nomi-
nation "good joke" to the republicans, but
very serious "joke" to the democracy; for it
would have cost them the spoils and pluRder
of the Presidency, of one hundred millions
year.
Next, in reference to the locality of thesDe-
mocratic Convention OF 1860. Have we been
'joking" upon that point? Can it be denied
that South Carolina is surcharged with the bad
odor of nulidcation?-an that after this Kan.
sas business the national meeting of the demo-
cracy in Charleston-that hot.bed Of ultra-nig-
ger nullifcation-will have a bad effect among
the frightened democracy of the North? Is
not party, like an individual, known
by the company it keeps, and very apt
to be judged accordingly? Have not the de-
mocracy gone as far South as they can venture
with safety, for some years to come, without
going down 20 Charleston, among the nulliders,
in 1860? Would not even Buffalo be better
place for the purposes of the democratic Presi-
Dental jugglers considering the broken down
and broken up condition Of the party in the
North? Let us have an answer to these ques.
tions, and upon the presumption that We are not
Joking"
Concerning our views OF Gen. Scotk we nd
here to the position that no expedient except
the nomination of some such national coaserva-
tive man, viii avail to bring the existing dis
cordant cliques and factions Of the opposition
together in 1860; and now, having disposed Of
the "good jokes" referred to by our Richmond
contemporary, we have few TO enumerate Of the
Virginia and other Southern democratic politi-
clans, perpetrated during the last twenty five
years.
That tariff notification movement Of 1882 80
was "a good joke" but was spoiled by old
Hickory wasn't it? That Southern secession
movement, looking to q separate Southern con-
fedcracy In the event Of the admission Of Cali
fornia rs free State, was 50 good joke we
suppose (; but IL would have been still
better had not the Virginia cbivalry
been the first TO back down The repeal
of the Missouri compromise, in which work Mr..
Senator Mason was a prominent leader, was
good joke" and has resulted In a countless
catalogue Of good jokes TO the Southern demo-
cracy. including Governor Wise, and the North
ern democracy including Mr.. Douglas Finally,
the rejection Of the Lecompton constitution by
the people of Kansas shows that the English
compromise TO the South was a very poor
"ioke:" and Mr.. Senator Hunter, of Virginia, of
the English Conference Committee, has thus
been proved the prince Of jolly jokers.
Had not these Kansas compromisers supposed
that we were "joling" when we urged upon
them the adoption Of the Crittenden bill, they
of the South would probably have discovered
that the English substitute was q practical joke,
which would never pay expenses. Read the
testimony of Mr.. Senator Hammond. But, in all
seriousness, we would admonish the Southern
politicians that upon the niger issue they have
carried their joke little too far; and that upon
the Presidential question, the squabble between
Wise and Hunter must be settled in the inter
val TO the Charleston Convention, or that the
result to the Virginia democracy will be any
thing but o joke.
EDITORIAL CoNvENTroSs.--Editorial convcn-
tons arc very much in vogue with country edi-
tors everywhere, and they are all pretty much
Of the same character is TO say, general
Notifications at some ones expense besides their