The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-10-17

obtain pOweE In opder 70 achiese success they
have ATTEMPTED to ignore every practical .qpes-
ton Of the gay, and are now calling upol nen
eftvery shade ofpolitical opinion 10 forget their
differences and unite in the support Of thoh two
respectable old gentlemen who stand upon the
sll-embrReing platform Of 'the Union, the Con-
stitution, and the enforcement Of the Laws"
Had they made an effort at their Convention
last spring, in Baltimore, TO construct platform
having the slightest SAVIOR Of actually about it.
there are few persons, we imssiss, 81 ordinary.
Intelligence in regard to political matters who
believe that the effort could have resulted in
anything but most unhappy failure The Con-
vention itself was composed of the most hetero-
geneous materials white spirits and black,
blue spirits and gray" and spirits of every other
conceivable and inconceivable hue, met there
together. and, at the FIRST glance which they cast
at each other, they seemed to feel how utterly
impossible il was that they could be so mingled
and fused us to form a common political mass,
exhibiting anything like uniformity of tint
Knowing that they could only agree upon two
points-a relentless hatred of the Democracy,
and an Unsuitable greed for "the spoilsn-they
deemed it wholly inexpedent to agtate any one
of those thousand questions in regard to which
they were conscious that distraction lurked be-
meath them, and that discussion Of them could
only engender discord and alienation among
themselves, and TINS ensure, in advance, their
own defeat Therefore, they PIT forth, as
platform, a few high sounding words, which
may readily be moulded into any shape desired,
and proceeded to call upon their fellow-citizens
to rally to their standard They do not propose
to do anything in particular, nor do they conde-
scend TO inform an anxious people hop they
expect TO administer the affairs of the country
They simply ask everybody to have unlimited
confidence in their ability and disposition to do
everything as il should be done and they, them
selves, are to be the exclusive judges OF what
ought to be done. Is this because they are
haunted by suspicion, that, il they were now
to disclose their Interior policy, the people would
not trust them!
The supporters of Bell have, for the moment,
'agreed to disagree" in reference to every vital
question now before the country. Aiming, for
the present, only to acquire the control of the
government they undertake to postpone, until
after they shall have grasped the reins of power,
the announcement of their governmental policy
The ultimate consequences, to themselves and to
the country, which must inialhbly result from
this mistaken course of procedure, seem to have
inspired them with no apprehensons; and, in
deed, one could almost be tempted to believe that
they consider power, for ITSELF so eminently de-
sirable that, if they may but enjoy its sweets for
one delicious instant, they care not what Of ca
lamity the future may thencclorth have in store
for them and theirs.
Suppose Mr. Bell were made President. In
that event, il would obviously be impossible
long TO reprcss the inherent tendency TO conflict
among the homogeneous materials Of which lis
party is composed. In conducting the admins
trati0n of affairs, the non-committal course now
pursued by Mr.. Bell and his supporters, would
from the very nature Of things, be no longer
practicable He would be compelled to come to
some positive decision upon each of those grave
questions which now distract the popular mind
and 10 matter what the character of his decis-
ion in any case, might be- the very fact that be
made decision at all would inhllibly bring to
the surface in the form Of suicidal warfare of
the party upon ITSELF all those clements OF inter
nal dscord that are now kept inactive only
through the stronger force Of determination TO
acquire, ifpos; ible, partisan ascendency. Mr.
Bells party is made up Of men who are newly
] ii 400 nj Kxbn f-np
from all sorts and diyersitics Of broken-up po-
litical organizations. Each man Of them is still
welded to his own peculiar and distinctive prin-
cplcS, and it is difficult to find any two Of them
whose principles are in all respects harmonious;
and, Notwithstanding the apparent harmony
with which they are now laborng for the sue
cess of Mr. Bell, the essential differences between
them are still as wide and strongly marked as
ever and are only awaiting the hour Of success
to burst forth with an energy proportioned to
the force which has, so far, repressed their man.
ifcstations. The members Of the party have
not, by any means, or to any extent abandoned
their former principles they have merely
agreed, for temporary reason, that they will
not, for the present, insist upon the recognition
by the party, of any principles that are to be
held in common but as honest men, they will
be bound, ifthcy once obtain the control of the
government to depart from their present policy
and earnestly labor. each TO the extent of his
ability, TO naugurate and carry out the princi
pies of his political creed. The very attempt to
agree upon plan of action will divide the party
into multitude of hostile factions, and not even
'the cohesive power of the public plumber" can
avail to counteract the centrifugal forces oper-
aiing from within. The condition of the party
win be like that Of the crocodile that was tempt
cd by a kid in whose carcass was concealed a
canister Of gunpowdcr, communicating with the
shore by means Of wire, through which, when
the voraciOus monster had swallowed the bait
a spark of electricity was sent, which blew the
uncouth creature into thousand bloody fag-
ments. The only difference between the two
cases is altogether in favor Of the crocodile. for
be had no reason to suspect that in yielding to
the promptings of his appetite, he was mourning
any danger; whereas, the Bell party. in their
fierce hunger for authority, propose to gulp de-
liberately down, with their eyes as open as their
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