The hydraulic press., 1860-05-26
THE PoLITICALFIELD.


nor tempt us to mingle in its uproar. Nath-
Fless, it is our duty, as humble journalist,
to show our readers the careerings of the
tempest, though we manage tokeep our own
head sheltered from its peltings. In very
brief manner, we shall attempt An espose of
the present position of political parties and
organizations, and, if not thought imperti-
nent venture some opinions as to ultimate
! results
To the philosopher, who can plant him
self high above the, partisan animosities and
contentious that keep such an awful pother
on the surface of our country, and who can
divest himself of all interest and concern in
those aninosties and contentious, with the
capability of looking facts calmly in the
face, the political field presents very DIFF
ferent aspect from that which it bears in the
mental optics of the minglers in its turmoils.
TO the aforesaid philosopher there appears
but three distinctly marked political ele-
ments in the whole united Republic There
may be shades and varieties of these ele-
ments, but they are all ultimately resolvable
into the original and primary three. 1t is
the wrangling and the jangling of these
three political elements-like Poes bells
that keep up the present din and let us see
what they are:
The first is that potent and vehement nor
thern idea hatslavery is sincompatible withthe
genius of republican institutions and ought
not to be suffered to exist in confederacy in
which the democratic sentiment is the ac-
knowledged rule of governmental action. The
second is that equally potent and equally
vehement southern idea which persists in
regarding slavery as a benefcent and divine
institution and altogether compatible with the
principles and genius of republicanism. We
are using the terms republcanism and de-
mocracy in their Legitimate English sense,
with no shadeeor coloring ofithe shibboleth
interpretations given them by the political
sectaries who have-adoptcd them as partisan
appellatiyes. The first of these elements
composed of minds to which slavery is too
abhorrent to be toleratedAwould abolish
the detested Institution at any sacrifice, even
at the sacrifice of the American Union. The
second-composed of those who suppose
tlreir interests and happiness to be inextri-
cably interviewer with slavery-would sus-
tain the institution at any sacrifice and, like
their antagonists, have no hesitation in
jeoparding the Union in its defense. These
are the two great leading and prominent
parties of the country, and who are arrayed
each against each, each animated with in
tense hatred of the other, and each inspired
with partisan zeal as blind as it is furious
and implacablc. What, then, is the third
element?
The third element is composed of all those
minds, in the northern, southern, eastern,
western and central sections of the republic,
who believe the preservation of the confed-
eracy to be infinitely paramount in impor-
tance to the slavery controversy. The men,
who compose this third and last political
element, regard the men of the first and
second as fanatics, who, in their zeal to
push a pet idea to its ultimate consequences,
would not hesitate to crush the American
Union into atoms and immediate their coun-
try upon the altar Of sectional hatred. Upon
the merits of these three great political ele-
ments-whether regarded collectively or res
pectively-we, as an honest neutral, have
no claim to volunteer an opinion. Our bus
mess simply lies with facts, as they really
exist; and, in narrowing the political field
to these three elements, and explaining their
several characteristics, we have only dealt
with what all sober and rational men will
readily admit to be facts.
The pony, that is now gal1oping Califor-
niaward across the plains, will show us
what the first element has been doing at the
Chicago Convention. The second element
has already shown us what it would like to
do, in the action Of the boilers from the
Charleston Convention. What has the third
element done, and what will it do? There was
Convention, few weeks ago, at Baltimore,
of professed lovers of the American Union.
who nominated Mr.. Bell, of Tennessee, as
President, and Mr.. Everett, of Massachusetts,
as Vice President thereby giving mortal
offense to several hundreds of other ardent
lovers of the American Union, who inconti-
nently proceeded to denounce the Bell and
Everett nomination and to hurl their caps in
the air in honor of the Hero Of San Jacnto,
the only man, in their opinion, entitled to
be the chief magistrate of this great and
glorious repnblic! 1t is a pitiable condition
of things; bat it seems impossible to have
unanimity, IN even so praiseworthy work
as saving the American Union This lack
of concord in the third element-a lack of
concord arising more from human capri
ciousness in regard to men than from any
misconception of principles-has led the
friends of certain Stephen A. Douglas to
anticipate that the union-lo loving sentiment
of the whole country will ultimately settle
down upon their favorite There will be a
political convention at Baltimore, about the
middle of June, in which the friends of this
same Douglas arc expected to preponderate,
an there, no doubt, the effort will be made,
and perhaps effectually, to convince the
union lovers of the country that he. and he
only, can save the republic from the dangers
with which the first and second elements are
madly threatening it. However that NAV
be, it is clear to our comprehension that
there will not be less than three presidential
tickets in the field, and perhaps four; for
these same Charleston boilers and their af-
fEafnd partiSapS of tha co,,tl Ill