New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-09-13
THR DOUGLAS BARBECUE.

line barbecue ~ OODtbS VNVu J'"'S
altoQe Their feast of cod victuals. ThefOod cooked
the day before was cold, and some of 1t otherwise
unpalatable. and tie speeches of the distnguishe'
men present, all cooked great while ago, were as
cold az the Winters day in the early autumn on
which they were delivered. The people VINO
went for a hot dinner came away hungry;
| and those more intellectual persons who wet
lon,i inc for some warm political doctrine came
away full of little el,e than the cold blast
Of windy defamation. No better entertaia-
mept was offered them THAI lotg disquS'lon
upon topic on which probably not Elk men In this
CITY differ in opinion. If there be one point on
which the great majority of the people are per-
fectlv agreed it is that the Union shall be pre-
served. If Mr. Douglas had nothing else to tell
us than that the Union is glorious and worth pre-
serving, it was hardly worth while for him 10 in
terrupt the pious journey On which he has been so
long travelling for that purpose. If there be any
novelty in the thoughts he presents on this subject,
it is this-tbat his apprehension of catastrophe
after the next election ari.es not from auy fear of
the success of the Republicans, but from fear
that that succets will lead Others to dissolve the
ConfedersCy. While We do not share hi. alarm,
and are persuaded that his opponents aud
ours will prove perfectly harmless We are bound
to acknowledge the simple justice he does to the
party with which we are connected.
We are comp, lied, however, to believe that his
apprehension is honest, and are not therefore, sur
prised at the con ,lusiOn to which hs comes, that
between him aud the party which he deuOunces-
that led by Mr.. BreckiUridge-t can be no
fusion. On this point he is earnest aud emphatic,
aud as beth factions in thi. State bad already come
to the same conclusion, bis declaration undoubtedly
will meet with the wsrmest approval. The gen.
eral caution of his statement on this subject is a
new evidence Of his political sagacity. For as he
denOunces fusion where it is impossible to make il,
so is he silent upon that which is already made.
Fusion in general meets with his approbad,n-
meaning Bell and Everett; fusion in particular be
repudates and cODdemns-meanirg Breckenridge
and Lane. The meaning of all which is that he is
perfectly satisfied not to be swallowed by one
party, and equally gratifed at the deglutton of
the other. Indeed, if there were any special char
ac'er in this meeting, it was in this aud ttis oay.
We certainly have no fault to tnd with Me-.
Douglas OT his exposition of the relations bet Eeen
i'm ard Bis WhilOm brethren the Democratic
faith for under the circumstances, we do not zee
what else there was for him to say. Bat ia other
aspects his speech disappoints us. We miss some
hing of his accustomed oOldress. Is he g'oTng
autoUsl 1t has not hitherto bee fault OF his to
ay that reverence to well-known facts that ard
written recOrds, which belongs to men Of lesser
enius. Should he pretermit that habit he may be
II ore correct but he will become much less anus
ing. Why could be not have permitted us also to
hear something Of that devotion to the policy of
| protection, with which he entertained his hearers
the other day at Harrisburg But perhaps we do
him Injustice. 1t may be that he supposed that his
following in this city was strong among importers
and bSgmsn who sell goods here for foreign houses
! But he need have had no such Teticouce on the
Slavery question. Here, at least, he might have
| given us bis EXTREMIST doctrine without fear of of
| tense. But except on the one subject of fusion,
there is nothing in his speech that either instruct
/ i've or entertaining.