The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-24
Tie Presidential Questson--tan the Oppose
,soI, y .sDe"ss Doe Combined:


studies, speeches, schemes and intrigues to rhe
become accustomed to look to Washington more
in reference to the official movements Of parties
and clques for the succession than for any USE
ful proceedings upon the legitimate business af-
fairs of the two houses. Thus, the other day, the
speech of MIR. Washburne, of Maine, endorsing
the general drift of Mr.. Stewards Rochester
manifesto as the policy Of the republican party
for 1860, is regarded as having been delivered by
authority, and not upon the individual response
bity of the orator. In response to this PROPOSE
ton from the republican side, Mr.. Humphrey
Marshall, of Kentucky-the great gun of the
South Americans in the House-did, on Wednes-
day evening last, put in the ultimatum of his
party, which was represented in the Presidential
electoral vote of 1856 by the solitary voice Of
Maryland for Mr.. Fillmore.
Mr. Marshall takes the ground that there can
be no coalition between the republicans and the
rump of the American party until the former
shall have declared themselves ready to abandon
the slavery agitation, and "to march upon
a platform of broad, Union-loving and
practical craftsmanship And what chance is
there that the republicans will make this
iodisp, nsable concession to the conservative
opposition minority of the South? A very small
ch; nee, from present appearances. The Ameri-
can ar,y, which, with all its endeavors, North
and South, in 1856, was found competent to carry
only the secondary State of Maryland, has since
been so materially frittered away as to leave it
utterly hopeless in any other State for the future,
somewhat doubtful question.
In the meantime the republicans, from the
Northern elections of last autumn, have been
consoling themselves with the idea that they
have recovered Pennsylvania, and have the
Illinois democracy upon the hip, and are thus in
position in which they can better dispense with
the doubtful assistance of Maryland than that
general raid upon Southern slavery whereby
they have built up their party, almost as a unit
of power, among the Northern States. And thus
from all the signs of the times, we may conclude
that the South Americans, evidently anxious to
Join hands with the republicans will, hence
forward to the spring of 1860, find it impossible
to do so except upon terms which will render the
coalition in the South utterly incompetent to
carry single State, county or town. Such
terms will, of course, be rejected; and Mr..
Humphrey Marshall and his Southern opposition
party, should no broader fusion movement be
tried, will thus be left to choose between the
democracy and an independent ticket of their
own.
Meantime we perceive that a new and active
experiment has been started in Virginia for the
resusctation of the old wing party-an expert
ment, too, which seems to have been attended,
thus far, with remarkable degree of success.
Should it be followed up throughout the South
ern States, upon the basis of the prominent fea-
lures of the old Henry Clay wing party, the
result may soon be such respectable array Of
strength as will encourage all concerned to push
it into the Presidential election, North and
South, as separate party enterprise, should
nothing better be offered Thus Pennsylvania
and several other Northern States would pretty
surely be lost to the republicans, from the
diversion of the old line wings and conservative
Americans over to the resusctated wing party;
and thus this wing party in the South would,
while retaining Maryland, be very apt to
recover Kentucky, Tennessee and North Caro-
lima.
In any event, as the conservative materials of
the opposition, North and South, will not fuse
upon Mr.. Stewards Rochester programme, it can
hardly be denied, from the enfeebled and dis
tracted condition of the democracy as ma
tonal organization, that the anti-Seward wing
Of the opposition army will hold the issue of the
Presidential battle in their hands. They may, if
driven to a separate ticket carry the election
into the House of Representatives where the
condition of parties and sections is rather sug-
gestive of an abrupt dissolution Of the govern
ment than of a compromise upon any one of
the three candidates from which the President
will have to be chosen; Or these opposition con-
servatives may, by cutting in and out, as in
1856, contrive to throw an electoral majority
into the hands of the democratic candidate.
Such, from the existing dislocated and broken
condition of our political parties and factions,
are the doubtful contingencies of the next Presi-
dency. The odds are decidedly in favor of a
scrub race, and a contest in the House of the
most perilous character to the government and
the Union. But there is an opening through
which the democracy may win the victory; and
in default of this there is very simple mode
whereby the opposition as in 1910, may walk
over the course. This democratic trump card
is the Cuba movement, involved in the thirty
million project. Let it be tried and followed up,
and it will soon form the nucleus for the fusion
of the scattered odds and ends of the party and
for much Of the loose drift from the opposition
side. Let it be cast aside and the broken frag-
ments Of the party will remain detached from
each other, and enter the canvass of 1860 with
no other hope than the uncertain chances of
scrub race, or of a fatal division among the OPP
position forces, when there may be yet COM
mon bond Of union among them. The basis of
this union we have already indicated, from time
to time, as the platform of 1910; and some such
;nI ont national coucarvofivo candidate no