The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-16
The Political Ab.tract,ons Of the Day.


wise there might be hope entertained of the
ultimate extinction of that class of public nui-
sances who are known by the not very appro-
pirate me of politicians. If this class were
restricted to those who possessed any enlarged
knowledge of the science of government to meA
Of high aspirations or enlightened views on
national or State policy, to men familiar with
history and able to trace effects to causes there
would be little fear of our being overswarmed,
as we low are with rantiug demagogues and
patriotic placemen but as it is, there is no ham,
let 50 Insignificant as not to be able to boast of
Its half dozen public men anxious to thrust them
selves on public attention and to feed at the pub
lie crib. The locusts Of Egypt were hardly more
numerous, and certainly could not have been
more noxiOus, than are our swarms of politicians
all over the land. And, as an inevitable conse-
quence and necessity of their existence we are
never free from agitatiDg questions of greater or
less importance and sometimes the more frivo.
ious aud preposterous these questions are in
themselves, the more noise is made about
them.
There are at the present moment several ques-
tons Of that character agtated with more or less
effect in different parts Of the country, and we
may be sure that there will be no abatement
of effort on the part Of politicians to keep them
alive in the public mind until after the next
Presidential election. They all come within either
the category of frivolous or preposterous but
the three principal of them are: the revival of
the slave trade, the Intervention Of Congress in
the affairs Of the Territories, and the extent and
character Of the privileges conferred on natural
lied citizens These are the three most promi-
nent political hobbies Of the day, and it is to be
taken for granted that they will be ridden in.
cessantly by the spouters and humbugs Of all
sections OF the country, at least until it shall
have been seen who is to be the next President
Of the United States.
1t is only within the last two or three years
that any Of even our most desperate nulli6ers
have ventuged on such thing as suggestion
d the reopening Of the African slave trade
Now it is a familiar topic, and in certain
portions Of the South favorite one The
question has been introduced into the Legis-
laturcs Of several OF the States and Senators and
members of Congress not few have begun to
identify Themselves with it, aud to commit them
selves and their political fortunes unreservedly
or conditionally to this new, most unpopular and
impracticable scheme. They have raised the
black flag of the African slave trade and their
cry is for legal restoration of that traffic or
Southern confederacy. But these men are the
mere eAeryescence of the South. The people
Of that section are, as q whole, as much averse
to the idea as are the people Of the North In fact
while opposition to it is but matter of senti-
ment to the North, it is one of interest with the
South, and particularly with the slave owner,
whom the agitation ostensibly processes to serve,
for every new importation Of Africans would de-
preciate to that extent the market value of his
slaves. 1t is not to be expected, therefore, that
an interest representing an aggregate value of
four thousand millions Of dollars would look an
provingly upon measure the Inevitable effect
Of which would be to depreciate that in.
terest within few years fully one,half
And so there need be no apprehension felt of this
slave trade movement assuming any very impor
tant dimensions. The selfinterest of the South
may safely be depended upon to prevent its be-
coming anything more than stunted abortion.
that may serve the present purposes of seedy
politicians, but can never serve any other pur-
pose. fit were possible OF realization, and if
all restrictions on the African slave trade were
abolished, the first effect Of the movement would
be destructive, In political sense, to the South;
for Virginia and Kentucky, and Tennessee
and Missouri, and Maryland and Delaware,
would soon cease to be slave States, and would
make the preponderance of free States OYER
whelming TO the South. The agitation on the
subject is therefore nothing more than clan.
trap device Of demagogues to enable them to
make noise in their respective localities, and
perhaps to get some of them sent to Congress or
the State Legislature instead Of to the peni-
tertiary or State Prison.
The political hobby that comes next to this in
importance, and which is being ridden both
North and South, is that in relation to the right
Of Congress TO intervene in the affairs of the
Territories 30 far as to protect slavery in them.
Five years ago it was given out that all Diff
cuties of that nature were rendered impossible in
future by the application of the famous nosrum Of
popular sovereignty; and the Kansas Nebraska
bill was hailed, by the Southern democracy in
particular, as an infallible preventative against
lac evils OF slavery agitation in Congress. But |
hat nostrum has failed signally. Squatter sove.
eighty has fallen into contempt, and the Kansas
yebraska bill, instead Of being dnality in re- !