Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-07-01
For the indicator. j

commenting upon the article Of s'Henry
Clay Whig,," which it was pleased to copy
at your request, and as an act Of courtesy to
you, says:
''Should several of the Southern States*
cut loose from the Democratic party, there
will be chance for the formation OF great
National Opposition party, which many con-
Eseryative men at the North will gladly en-
brace" #
This presents the very gist Of the differ
ence between Henry Clay Wing" and the
Spectators party, and shall proceed, with
your leave, to discuss it.
The first inquiry which arises IS, what
reasonable grounds are there for expecting,
or Of thinking it polite or expedlent, to try
to build up a new party at this Juncture,
composed Of elements equally opposed TO
Black Republicanism and National Democ-
racy? Where are the popular manifesto,
tons, in any quarter, north OF Mason,s and
Dixon's line, or west Of the Ohio. that give
show of encouragement for such move
ment? The Black Republican and Demo
cratic forces are already marshalled and IN
the field. The conservative men outside O.
those organizations, which the Spectator
family styles many" the article it quotes
from the New York Post describes as mere
detection Of weakened politicians
squad of miscalled conservatives and ma
tionals." Then, what, | ask again, are the
grounds for an effort SO perilous to the in
terests of the South ? In what quarter Of
the nolitical horizon IS there single ray of
light? Nowhere, in all the North or West,
is there any plausible sign Of encourage
ment. The masses everywhere are indif-
fcrent to it, if not against it, Why, then,
seek 10 divide us :?
But is this really all the hope the Amer
leans of the South have Of getting up par
ty to defeat the Democracy Do they mean
in any contingency, or upon any terr4s, to
seek union with (what is mildly called)
the elements Of opposition to the Democra-
cy at the North, in the coming contest?-
If they do, the country ought to know it.
The sooner the better. We have seen one
such experiment made by them already
All remember their impotent and humilia-
ting effort to get up national party at the
last election. The scenes in that travail at
Philadelphia cannot soon be forgotten 80
Brought together upon . quasi national plat
form, how were they treated by their North
ern associates The slavery plank was
ruthlessly and unceremoniusly knocked from
under them, and even the repeal of the Mis-
souri, Compromise and the Kansas Nebras-
ka Act, which the whole American party
South had planted themselves upon, in com
mon with the Democracy, strongly denounc-
ed. But even this was not all: They were
made the dupes of a shameless fraud, By
being permitted to nominate national man
whom the majority did not intend to sup.
port-thus using them to aid abolitionisn
by weakening the Democracy in the South
Such was the result of the grand expert
ment of 1856 to build up national party
Southern delegates who ventured to remon
strate, were Kissed, reviled and insulted
and Tennessee delegate denounced The
| Convention on the floor as the most disor
.derly and disgraceful body he had ever seen
He said he .'had been in all sorts of fights
with all sorts Of people, but that he did no
wish to lose whatever Of character he nigh
rave, by mixing up with such low-aune
material as he found there" Brownlow, o.
the Knoxville Wing, in writing to his pa
per, spoke Of them as "vile, unprinciplet
rascals. sruf;ans," &C. And in des
cribing their treatment Of Gen. Zollicoffer
while addressing the Con yention. he said =
.sWe have not oyerstated the picture, r.
II have no confidence in any ocths, obi
cations or pledges taken BY these vile Abo
litionists"
In view Of these facts, then, I would en-
quire, seriously and soberly, are the Amer
leans Of the South prepared to re-enact these
scenes Of standardization and folly? It il
difficult for men or parties to retrieve false
step once taken. Now is the time, there
fore, for calm reflection. Will they not take
heed to their ways? Can they permit ;
blind hatred to Democracy to be their over
ruling principle Of action !? Has patriotism
no claims higher than those Of party? The
crisis is upon u.s. There is no escape from
it. The vital issue is made, whether w
are to have a Government or a Union at al
and shall we allow the enemy to triumph
by ill-timed and pro6tless divisions among
ourselves? No! Let us initiate the noble
example Of CLAY and CAss, and DICKINSON
and WEBSTER, in the momentous struggle
Of l850-forget our party differences fol
the time. and stand shoulder to shoulder il
unfolding the compromises Of the Constitu
ton.
Seward the arch traitor, characteristics this
war upon our rights as s'war Of antago
nistic systems'-'sa conflict between slay,
labor and free labor" and that 1T is mis-
take to think the collision accidental, IN
necessary, the work Of interested and fanat
ical agitators" 'It Che says) is an ire
pressible conflict between opposing and en-
during forces, and it means that the United
States must and will, sooner or later, be
come either entirely slave-holding nation
or entirely free-labor nation. Either the
cotton and rice fields Of South Carolina, and
the sugar plantations Of Louisiana, will ul-
timately be settled by free labor, and Charles.
ton and New Orleans become marts for le.
climate merchandise, or the rye fields ane
wheatfelds of Massachusetts and New York
must again be surrendered by their farmers
I to slave culture and to the production d
slaves, and Boston and New York become
once more markets for trade in the bodies
and souls of men,
The. first step necessary to the accom-
plishment Of their aims, as indicated BY
Stewards programme. is the dismissal of thu