The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-15

we may possess tine only 6aeeHurd e8eAasr
sectional collision which may rcnd tbs Union
into fragments. s tss8 IS ss
These October elections may contribute to
make the Seward engineers Of the republican
camp somewhat overbearing in the matter Of
the House organization; but q bold and firm
front on the part Of the Southern opposi-
ton party will not only enable them to
decide the House organization, but to divert
the republican party in 1860 from sectional
disunion conflict to grand national jubilee,
like that of 1910.
Political Movements = Thurlow Weed
with an Eye 70 tho Eastward.
On the day before yesterday Governor
Banks, of Massachusetts,, arrived In this city en-
route for home, after delivering non-political
address OF Detroit and paying flying visit to
Chicago. By some curious coincidence, Thur
low Weed was in the city at the same time, and
had an interview with the Massachusetts, Gov
ernor. The conversation must have been Of an
absorbing nature, as it continued over three
hours
II requires no special cleverAess to see that
two men like Governor Banks and Thurlow
Weed do not talk together for three hours with
out special motive. Weed is q busy man.
So is Banks. Weed has all sorts Of intrigues /
for all sorts of things constantly on hand.
Banks is never idle. One week we hear of his
issuing Napoleonic bulletins to the Massachu
sets militia in muster assembled; the next he
is thousand miles of, making speeches to the
farmers of Michigan or Illinois. In his own
State he seems ubiquitous, and nothing can be
done, not even country school house "dedi-
cated,' without the Governor is present The
quantity of clever speechmaking he does is
something wonderful.
Of coUrse such man as Banks does not
escape the attention of Weed, and the sudden
devotion of the high priest of the lobby to the
Massachusetts favorite can only be explained
by the circumstance that the great uprising
against Weeds Magnus Apollo, Seward, has
suggested to the former the propriety of keep
ing one eye upon so strong man as Banks
is likely to be-as he is now, in point
of fact. This is quite in accordance
with Weeds usual tactics. He Is a political
gambler, bound to have something, or every
card that may possibly win, and would throw
over Seward in moment provided the chances
of victory seemed to favor the claim Of the
opposition upon another man.
It may be we'll enough to refresh ourselves
with the history OF Massachusetts, politics
during the last ten years. as the readiest way
to explain the political elevation of Banks and
Wilson over obstacles which might well be
deemed insurmountable by men less active and
persevering than they. Massachusetts has been
until lately the most aristoeratic of the Northern
States. Its aristooraoy has been partly one
of wealth and partly Of letters. On the one
side was the wealth in State street, and on the
other letters, represented by Harvard College,
which had always been great political power
in the commonwealth. Harvard furnished all
the ideas for the old wing party; the Lowell
corporations and the State street banks found
the money. Robert G. Winthrop, the beau
ideal Of State street wing, with few others,
managed Massachusetts, politics in the quietest
and mvs. comfortable way Setting in the
shadow Of their sure majority, there was no
one to modest them or make them afraid. Once
Massachusetts, cast her electoral vote for a
was an error, caused, no doubt, by "the sym
pathies of YOUTH" deeply repented Of and
never repeated. State street and the College
and the Lowell corporations made eGover-
nors, and Judges, and Senator'S, and representa-
tives, and members Of the General Court. The
democratic party was managed by Hallett,
Greene and Company political firm which
had no desire to extend its business or take in
new partners. Each year they put up ticket for
State street to knock down, and it was done in
the quietest and most gentlemanly way. There
were conservative democrats ready for the
federal spoils, and there were equally conser-
vative wings, who always had the State spoils
and hoped for something better. Things were
agreeable all around. 1t was the Golden Age,
the Saturnian reign Of whiggery, and it was
expected to last forever. Why not? There
was Mr.. Webster, Mr.. Everett, Mr.. Choate, Mr.
Winthrop, Mr.. Davis, Mr.. Sidney Bartlett and
many others-all brilliant men, all learned
men, all duly certified, parchmented and rib
boned by Harvard College-no less than Doc
tors Of Laws, every man Of them. The Com
mon Councimen quoted Demosthenes in the
OllBlhui UlCch, VIC Ctdtc LAVuoc lcpouuucu
with Virgil and Horace, no false quantities
panied the classic ear, and sages, after the best
Athenian patent, dispensed the law and the
gospel for the Old Commonwealth.
But while wandering in these pleasant val
legs and reposing by these green meadows, the
sages forgot the maxims Of their ilustrious Gre
clan and Roman predecessors. The aphorism
that as times change men change with them,
passed out of their minds, Other people, how
ever, remembered it, and there had been grow