Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-09-29
The American Opposition Present


party in its gradual decline from the days when it
was represented by WRBsIER. CLAY, EyERETT-by
statesmen such as Athens, Rome or England might
we'll boast Of aud when it msnfully declared pTin-
cple the basis Of its efforts and it's leaders taked
their political reputation and their prospects Of pow
CT upon the maintenance Of that principle, down to
the era Of SEWARD, BELL. CRITrEEDEN, when it
aVowed no principle. possessed no faith, had no
definite intentions, but tried TO keep together the
old organisation hopes that something might turn
up come political plumber of their OppOnsnts, some
lucky combination of Antagonist influences, which
EigAt reverse the Wheel of Political fortune and
place them in power. Sink or swim, in asserting a
principle, was the word with WEBsTER: swim with
the sid of principle, if it win keep you up, if not
try another; that is the maxim Of The present OPP
position.
Such change cannot lake place in an instant, it
must be gradual Process and that process it is our
present purpose to trace.
Il should here be stated that the Wing party had
really become the Opposition before it had lost its old
lesders-that, one by one, all the measures we de-
scribed as distinctive of the true Wing lin other
words Esderal) principles, bad been excessively
defeated, and the party limited its efforts to a
Resistance to the Democratic policy II is not less
true that Mr.. WEBSTER ceased to be the leader of
the party, even at the North, before his death.
The successive nominations of Generals TAYLOR
and ScoTT in preference to him, eVinced that sink
OF swim was no maxim with them, that with all
their respect for Mr.. WEBSTER, they had prefer
snce for swimming with any one rather than sink
ing with him Il was well for him to die before the
election Of 1852 Defeat after an honorabiy con-
tested action would have been no irrepsrable blow
to him-he had sustained it before and held up his
head proudly as ever-but the utter Generalization
Of his party which followed that defeat would have
been too much for his proud spirit; and he could
not have ayersd it, for he was already the reject
ed Of Massachusetts. That infatuated faction,
which We heard Of only yesterday clamOring for
the removal of his statue from the scene of his ex
plets, had already commenced their virulent abuse
Of the statesman who was too true to his country
60 join In their fansticsm too true to himself to
yield TO their dictaton. And yet that is the fac
tion, though soorDed by WEBSTER with all his
Northern predictions, whose alliance is court
ed by the Southern Opposition leaders.
Their old leaders and their old principles absu-
dOned, the policy of the Opposition party from 1852
TO 1854, lie Gordian knot which it would puzzle the
scamen of q MAoHIAvELLI to unravel The knot
only be cut by The assumption that they had no
policy; indeed, they svoWed this themselves. Many
Of our readers must surely remember the peculiar
tone Of political sbnegation which oversPread the
eloquenoe Of Wing orators during the first two years
Of the PIERCE administration That was the period
Of maximum depression with the Opposition; the
interval between the dates Of their death par
~ and their resurrection as faclion-beween the
time when they ceased Ia be Wings and that when
they commenced az Knew No hings The time was
come, they said, when parties should cOre TO an
end old issues we've abandoned, existing parties
were oonen ling for nothing why not then lay aside
an obsolete and useless armor? Let factious con-
troversy cease and universal peace abound. What
blessed state Of pastoral bliss he lion TO lie
down with The lamb, the infant to play with the ad-
der Happy, peaceful nation!
But nobody believed them II was very unchsrit-
able, but men will Judge by evidence, and it was
observed that they themselves showed no symptom
Of abandoning their party organization, though
they had abandoned the principles for which it was
instituted that they lost no opportunity of th Wsrt
ing and harrsssing the Democratic administration,
or Of forcing into place one of their own body,
whether it wss as the Governor of State or as
town constable.
Nobody believed them: and the result signaly JUS.
tiled the scepticisu, for during that very time there
wss cOnoocted and mstured the bitterest and most
intOlersnt faction, the most prOscriptive and bgOted
party organization that has had the efrontery
10 show lite face in free State.
Need We describe the Know Nothing conspiracy :!
For 1t not party at first 1t was secret plot
for getting control of the municipal institutions of
the Eastern oiles-s secret club for the purpose of
Overruling and packing and bullying the city con
stituenoies. Tue wonder was that any one should
have been so infatuated as TO imagine that such a
scheme IS this could ever form the basis of great
national party, tine very essence of which must be
. great national principle plainly asserted and Wig
orously defended Ii took, however the State cleo
lions Of 1866, and the Presidential election of
1856, TO convince them of their mistake, and when
it forced itself rrssstihly on their convictions how
utterly forlOrn was the condition of the party.
The movement had succeeded, where alone it
might have been known it could succeed, in those
hot-beds Of Abolitionism and political roWdyism,
1hs great Eastern cties among those nests of fes-
tering vipers which the proud WEBSTER shook from
his skirts and trampIed beneath his feet and which
turned and stupg him to death. Everywhere else
it miserably failed But this failure was not half
che trouble. So intoxicated had been the leaders
Of the movement in their anticipation Of victory,
that they themselves industTOusy cut away all 9th
er ground to stand upon vocferously and pertins-
cOusy they exclaimed that the old Wing issues were
obsolete and the Wing party disbsnded-that the
new party was no more Wing than it was Demo
Srstic-thst in fact, it WAS party at all party
was dead, aud Wings and Democrats might with
equal consistency iOin the new organization.
nothing offended them so much as for one to tell
them that It was the old Wing party under q new
phase II Wss no Wing party it would accommo-
date equally Bank men and aRti-Bsnk men, Tariff
men and Free-trsders. All the old questions were
superseded-sll might sit under the shade Of The
new wide-spreadng tree which had so wonderfully
sprung up in night
Alas it was upas shade for them under is
dark Shadow sckeued aud died the last lingering
hope Of the party it had declared is own DEATH aOd
the Know Nothing leaders had taken out letters of
administration upon its effects and the result was
''sUaa IONA the estate was bankrupt.
The inevitable result Of a defeat, therefore, was
utter destruction. beaten army eau recover itself
and rally if it has e position to retreat upon aud
entertainments behind which to radt. but the insane
leaders of this fJrlorn hope had blown NJ all forti
hcstions and brokea down all bridges behind them.
The new doctrine being rejected by the nation the
old principles could not be REQUIRED to, fer thew
had, formally aud vooiferously been abandoned one
and all.
The party, therefore, was utterly demoralsed but
not utterly disorganiysl The old battered party
machinery being no longer adapted for the assertion
of principle, might still be used as an engine for
the acquisition of place, and the party becsms sim
ply the Opposition
In America tnen, as in England, we find the party
surviving the principles of the party aud
working vigorously the no principle system. Hsv-
ing no principles as party the individual partzans
sEs enabled to sny principles they please aad
A. is perfectly astonishing to obs erve the Goodness
With which they practice the maxim Of being all
things to all If theymeet with old line WhiF
then the ancient principles of the party in full
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