Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1859-05-18
Whal Would the Countrt cain bH ths

" ~ WNeAN tAAN gNhhtAy AAAu W huH
Triumph ofthe Opposition
The Washington tonsdldlipn very iruIy
says The name under whieh the yarious al
visions adverse 10 The national democraoy
are carrying on their war plainly indicates
their absolute desIisn.ion oe any common
principle OrpOlicy They can only call them.
selves ",he opposition and agree in their
eiiorts tooverthrOw The democrats party. and
to bring discredit aud odium on the present
Administration. For this end the dexterous
managers Of each division, and their baser
retainers, are making every exeriion and
using every stralagem to induce the diverse
and conflicting bands to give up their die
tinc,ive characteristics, and postpone all
their mctuaI antagonisms until the subver-
sion Of the national democracy shall have
been accomplished
Suppose their object consummated-
acknowledge the hypothesis is most improb
able, but imagine that the coalition Of par
ties and factions Of every stripe and hue has
triumphod-what them ? Who are to be
charged with the actual duties Of Govern,
ment2 What principles are to regulate the
Administration What measures are to con
sii,uie the predominant policy Of the men
whom our rather fantastieal hypothesis pa'
ces in pOwer2 Government is practical
business. The most conspicuous directors
of opposition are often, under the most fortu-
mats circumstances, found utterly unfit for
actual administration. They are first rate
at finding fault-exoellent in detecting mis-
nor mperfections-uhsur in magnify,
ing the little mice ofther parturient tancies
into monsters Of abuse when the ins are 10
be Ossailed yet when chance elevates them
to Office, they are discovered to be entirely
inefficient or impraotcable They cannot
do, nor can anything be done with them
The difficulty, however, would be immeas,
urably increased ia the case we have sup.
posed. How eau the leaders Of the various
political sections-prolessng principles on
the most momentous questions not only diff,
lerent, but diametricalIy opposite--be ex.
pect'd to carry on a government together
They may now he banded by their common
hatred Of democracy and the cohesive power
Of prospective booty but, once possessed of
the General Government, they must oonde-
scend on some predominant influence; and
which of the factions could predominate
without storm that would scatter all the
other conflicting elements to the winds2 u
would he most irrational to imagine that any
other influence but that of the strongest nu-
merical and sectional power would then ac-
quire the potential sway in the executive
councils Whoever might be nominally Pres
dent back-republicanism would be in the
ascendant, with oil its anti.social, uncharit-
able, destructive spirit and tendencies. The
most ntrocious want of American patriotism
would be construed into merit and the hons
ors and distinctions due only to statesmen
who love the Union and the Constitution
would be lavished on seetionalists.
These reflections, we know, have come
over the minds Of many who, in general, take
no impassioned interest in party politics.
What would the country gain by the tri-
umph of such an opposition 2-composed of
factions which, if they are honest and sin.
cere, are as adverse to each other as either
Of them is to the Administration The mum
berless aspirants to the honors and salaries
and hire of places would win what are their
only wants in such change. But those who
have been the instruments and victims of
these ambitious and sef.seeking managers
already feel ashamed of their positiou-will
not be seduced or oyerawed again-and are
asking what good would enure to the people
from the success of such combination
We would be willing to stake the whole
issue on this question, ifit could be fairly
brought home to every voter throughout the
United States. What would the country
gain by the triumph of the opposition2 Sew,
ard might win Bell might win. But if Ell,
ther won, what would become of the other
If they are honest, they can never coaIesce
and If they do coalesce, the most indulpent
observer Of political morality must condemn
one or both. The same is true of their re-
speOtive followers.
What, then, are you going to do? We
put this question to every old'line whig-to
every wayering democrat-to every natural.
lied citizen who may have been BETRAYED
into the opposition ranks viii you not
stand by the only party which has the dispo,
sition, and also the power, to sustain the in
tegrity of the Union and the supremacy of
the Constitution