Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-09-24
a PolhIcnl Rip Van winkIe.

A Political Rip Van Wrinkle.
1t is announced in the papers that Thomas
Ewing, formerly prominent Whig politi-
clan, but who has not taken any interest in
politics for abont ten years, has pronounced
for the Republican party, and is about to
make speech in favor Of Lincoln. Now
and then we hear of frogs ibeing disembedded
from rocks, where they must have been
confined for many years, yet when released
from their narrow cells they exhibit signs
of life. So there are politicians who have
lived their brief day, and played out their
brief game, who seem to be taken with a
softening of the political brain, aud lose all
interest in political affairs. The fierce
ciamor Of Presidential contests, when the
very existence of the country is at stake--as
it is now in every Presidential contest
passes by them all unheeded, albeit, little
whileIbefore theirs were the Allan shoulders
that supported the body polite.
But, after alternating thus through sue
cessive party contests, all at once they begin
to show signs of quickening and anon it is
announced that they will address their fell
low-citizens on the issues of the day. 1t is
supposed, of course, that they must have
sucked from their paws great ponds Of polit-
ical wisdom during their long repose, and
public expectation is correspondingly ex-
cited and men who have borne the burden
and heat and opprobrium of the day of small
things in the party, until it has come to the
Pisgah where the land of official promise is
in view, hail these eleventh-hour resurruc-
tions, as confirming the Righteousness Of
their cause and the momentousness of their
crisis, by its bringing such patriots out of their
retirement to the rescue of their country.
1t would seem from this that active poll
ticians are all suspicious, and that true po-
ltical virtue consists in alternating, and
only coming out when sunshine is sure. We
have noticed this phenomena often, and it is
one of the most curious and inexplicable
things in politics. Why is it that when the
political brains are once out, the politician
| does not stay dead, but rises again to push
us from our stools with his unearthly pres
ence? Why does the political sepulcher,
wherein we saw him quietly inurned, and
after we have found consolation for our loss,
ope its rusty jaws to cast him up again?
Even in the days of miracles, raising the
dead was only considered practicable within
certain time, before decomposition had
taken place; but unwholesome political
bodies are brought up after ten years in the
tomb. 1t is certainly one of the strangest
things in our philosophy.
What trump has brought this Rip Van
Wrinkle from his ten years sleep2 Is Re-
publicanism any more worthy now than it
was four years ago. Any less radical? Or
is it because it is more promising? 1t is a
common tradition that the raccoon comes
out of his hole on particular day in mid
winter, and if he then casts a shadow, he
prognosticates an early release from his win
ter quarters. Hath this alternating poll
tician seen a streak ofsunshine, and his pom
derous shadow athwart the political prospect
Has he tired of waiting for the reactionary,
conservative blast-like the neither trump OF
Hudibras-the blast which is to breathe life
into the dry bones of the vale of the Wing
JelOSepndti anu clSNdtS lls lOSollS lutO OUJeCL5
of adoration2 and has he at last concluded to
fall into the current2
Retracing the political history of the
State for clew, we find that when he went
in, Wade arose upon the Senatorial horizon.
That was the time when 10. Geiger held th
balance of power in the Legislature, and
like another Joshua, commanded this great
Wing sun to stand still, and it obeyed him
Now the doughty General has turned to
hunting Cox and such small deer. Are we
to take up the clew where it was lost, and
to look for it in the fact that the place of Wade
next comes before the Legislature? These
political anacondas, that are torpid for ten
years after full meal, have TO strike al
large game.
Our investigation of this political phe.
nomena, is purely philosophical. We look
upon politics as the greatest curiosity of the
day, and on this as one of its manifestations
OF course we hope that the Republicans will
kill the fatted calf over this acquisition, for
politically, he was certainly very dead, an,
! now he shows signs of life.