The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-06-21
The Baltimore COnvention-The Political
Parties Of the Day and the Spoils.

Parties Of the Day and the Spoils.
The work Of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the demo-
cratic party, so prOmisingiy begun at Charles
ton, has been renewed at Baltimore, with every
indication of a Mississippi steamboat explosion.
The postponement of the Convention from April
to June which the friends of Mr.. Douglas vainly
imagined would bring :" the sober second
thought" Of the seceders to graceful surren-
der has operated only to widen and deepen the
chasm which divides the conflicting factions.
Mr. Douglas has played bold. persevering and
desperate game. He has lost it, His fatal mis-
take. with all its variations and vicissitudes OF
the last six years has been that misty ghost of
an abstraction called squatter sovereignty. In
pursuit of it he has swamped himself and his
party. The success of the republican ticket In
November is thus secured unless ia the inter-
val some unexpected accident may interpose to
prevent it.
But these present discords of the democratic
party are not wholly chargeable to Mr.. Doug
las. nor to his disastrous Kansas Nebraska
bill. These are the more immediate causes
of the explosion, but there are Others be-
have brought about the same result,
had the Missouri Compromise remained
untouched to the present day. The spols, and
the ravenous appctites of the party leaders.
aspirants, expectants, drllmmers and trum-
peters, sappers and miners, and cooks, solutions
and camp followers of the party for the spoils,
would, sooner or later, have done the work.
The real trouble which has broken up the
democracy was introduced as the ruling idea of
the party quarter of a century ago. in that
demoraizing battle cry Of Marcy. that ito
the victors belong the spoils." The spoils. in.
deed. began to be recognized as the legitimate
sinews of war in the terrible struggle OF Gen.
Jackson with the United States Bank but il
was under the administration of Martin Van
Buren, that the party in power was first left to
stand or fall upon nothing better and nothing
else than the spoils. Thus, had the opposition
raised no other Issue against the democratic
party in 1910 than its wasteful and reckless
uses and abuses of the spells, that would have
been sufficient TO defeat II.
As 1t was, the wing party rode into power
as upon wbirlwind; bat In 1911. In con-
sequence Of the death Of Harrison aud
the quarrel with Tyler. and the Texas annexa-
ton question, and the spoils, they were defeat
cd, and the democracy were reinstated around
the aeshpots of the Treasury. In lsis the mill
tary glory of General Taylor, and the rebellion
of Martin Van Buren,, were accredited as the
causes which resulted in turning out the demo
cracy again to grass Blu, it was the craving
desire Of the wings Cor the spoils that led them
to set aside the foremost statesman OF the age
for "a nomination not a, to be made" and il
was the disappointment Of Van Buren, and his
adherents concerning the spoils tha, ended in
his running as an independent candidate against
the nominee Of the Baltimore Democratic Con-
yention.
In 1852 Seward and his dangerous sectional
programme on the slavery question did mach
to break up the wing party; but the party might
have survived that defeat might even have
escaped a defeat for the dstracting causes
In the camp concerning the spoils. and the ter
rible pressure outside the camp for new
distribution of the spoils. SO. in 1865.
necessity for new division OF The spoils would
have defeated the democracy but for the per
sonal popularity OF Mr.. Buchanan In Pennsyl-
vania. and the saving intervention Of Fillmore
as third candidate. Had Fillmore withdrawn
upon The nomination Of Fremont. the latter
would have ben elected; but Fillmore, Ike
Van Buren. had on account TO settle with some
OF bis old party associates in the important
matter Of the spoi's. and. like Van Barren, he
settled il.
In 1861 he quarrel OF Nc. Douglas with the
present administration began. no, upon the lie.
compton constitution. but upon the question OF
the division Of the spells Of victory accraing to
the State Of Illinois. In 1853 the New York
DEMOCRACY throughout the State was split into
two very nearly equal parts upon The para
noun. issue Of the diyisioa Of TIE spoas