The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-09-19
PRINCE NAPOLEON On THE WAR.
His SecOnr Letter from the
United States.
OplSions on Political Parties, Congress, Lead
ing Men, Social Manners, and the Fu'
ture Destiny Of America,

closely The political men in whose hands placed the
cstnies of the United States, and to examine if posi-
BILE the positions Of the belgerent armies. avail my
self of the sailing OF the steamer to convey to you my
impressions, and shall do so Nth all the sincerity imposed
upon by tie most lipeg faith in The future Of the Anei
san nation, and by the desire of seeing 1t emerge
quickly from the crisis in which It is plunged.
II was on tho 4th of August that / here, and
halted not at Washington ITSELF but at Georgetown
a small city which is suburb Of the federal capital
Georgetown has most delightful situation The house
which occupy is removed from the noise of the city and
may pass for villa II Is well shaded and quiet The
surrounding scenery is rural and peaceful Magni-
cent treesrea of the New World remnants of the
old forest-proect their gigantic shadows over meadow
Of lively clear green, which falls in gentle slope.
At about mile distance ribbon of silver appears to
now through the foliage it Is the Potomac an arm of
the sea- four times wide the Rhine On the oppo-
site shore extend beautifully wooded hills which, in
snng toward the left allow the spires and roofs of the
little city Of Alexandria to be in distant horizon
On the plains and slopes beyond the Potomac scat
tered numberess small white spots and the top of the
great trees is bathed in whtsh smoke which relieves
admirably the rawsh Of the landscape The spots
the tents of the Northern army of the army the
Onion, which protects Washington the right shore of
the Potomac The white smoke that Of the bvouacs Of
camp of 20, 900 men, have crossed, at the rate of
New York from Washington have had the spectacle
those great works of American industry which ours
what the great cities of Babylon and Nneveh were to
towns have crossed arms Of the with fright
hl rapdty on two iron rails suspended the abyss
have arrived, at full steam the top of immense ed
Aces the lower stoys of which occupied by people
Or applied TO uses unknown TO then have felt the
siibce move and have perceived that was steam
boat and that they run on it the train of cars us
bale of would be placed an ordinary vessel
TO vary these splendid but somew frghu spectaocs
have had along the route the sight of army in the
Of sisk
wounded dark and soled uniforms, gloomy and grave
faces Of soldiers who, with their guns between their
legs and with Indifferent and sad expression watch you
as you pass. Baltimore gave somewhat the
idea of besieged city as to Washington, /
imagined myself, while traversing it, in town in
vaded overrun, stained by war at the moment Of the
passage and soourn of great armies or just years
ago, IN Italy have seen Alexandria, Brescia and Milan.
The peaceful federal city has appeared I'M
der the aspect of camp, with streets encountered with
horses wagons guns, and resoundng with the rattle Of
arums, with the houses transformed into hospitals and
barracks their open windows exposing Of suffer
ing uncleanliness and disorder. Well a resting place
from all these things grand terrible painful not to
speak of dogday heat and Of Saharan dust find my
self suddenly mt Georgetown in the midst Of verdure in
The bosom of quiet Tranquil nature taking from its
tact with the most prosac works of only some fea
lures calculated 10 set OF its poetic beauty.
We will speak some other time OF picturesque America
AT this moment our concern is with America political
warke-a prey TO civil and TO terrible revolu
hons, ne Their more less than the old nations
The Old World. will speak to you to-day of the mon
Of the government but first it will be weto recall in
few words, some facts Of cotemporancous history You
know that the Old American parties loyass federasts,
wings democrats, Know Nothngs, after successive dis
locations, fusions and transformations ended by peng
uassed into two great divisions, democrats and repub
icans. IL is useless to state that these names
almost arbitrary do not at all correspond in America
70 the ideas which they would represent in France
Here the republicans are COMPLETELY democrats and
The democrats entirely republican, in the which we
generally attach 10 those words Really the distinction
between the two parties rests almost exclusively the
manner OF regarding the slavery question. The demo
,ras-I speak Of Northern democrats, for tie South
'hs slavery interest dominates and controls all politics
pias anhSa
States where it exists. Buchanan and Douglas have been
lhe last heads of that party to which the interested adhe
hon OF the South has given, in these latter times,
constant and marked preponderance IN the di-
section of affairs. The republican party, Of later
hc principle of the abolition OF slavery, has
tendency 10 seek that result The .knl Of the party
are far from acknowledging that precnsion but its ad
venturous and reckless members (ies enfd 7ite) do
,ot make concealment of it, Hence the horror which
:he republicans inspire in the South hence, in fine, the
present revolution, the South having quite simply
separated from the Union because the nomination OF
'epubcan candidate, and the advent of that party to
have appeared to it be the Inauguration Of
policy of which the last word is the aboson of sla-
Perhaps there is outside of this incendiary
question a shade of difference between democrats
and republicans in their mode of understanding the
political and social organization Of the United Staes
rhe democrats no matter how far advanced in the ideas
which their name recalls still attached a certain
east 10 Jefferson among others VINO quite hostile as he
was to the principle of authority had nevertheless fund
H ideas IN common with the first and most lllustrious
.oundcrs Of the republic-Washington, John Adams
srankin-satesmen who would pass day for aristo-
,rats OF the first order Thus the democrats have
driven back but have rather yielded to that immense
Ultra democratic current q should say demagogicai,
that expression were not often employed in
sense which would not convey my ideal.
which since twenty years has transformed the
shysiognomy Of the United States, and altered
profoundly the social conditions of the country,
is that current which has by degrees brought the
srincipa of elections rdiculously short termone
year, for example, two years at most for the highest
'fces-those OF governor, judge representative II is
shat current which has opened the doors election halls
to all foreigners to that crowd of emgrans who almost
everywhere enjoy the rights Of citizens soon as
heir foot has touched the soil of the United Statess
tendency menacng TO tho conservation Of tho Anglo
blood and character II ia that popular which has
tawn with it the last prestige federal authority under
pretext OF preserving State sovereignty, and which
has consequently weakened authority the States them
selves, under peteXt OF preserving individual indie
eendence SO that in all degrees of the hierarchy public
offices are considered as the spoil of small number of
men, who dispute about them and share them among
themselves and that honest and capable citizens keep
soof through that sentiment OF self love which
would make them seek them in another country These
the movements which the political institutions and
social habtudes Of the United States have foIoweda
movement which is interpreted to the eye Of the most
superficial observer by deporable exaggeraon care
ess5css in manners and by the almost complete aban
donment of the usages and forms Of the world is
der the administration Of the democratic party that this
deSeiopemen has been wrought for it may be said that
since Jefferson all Decentralization their head
have belonged to that party Then came the repub-
was already an excess, and to accelerate a movement
which had already attained a frghtfu rapidity.
They have just come into owor for the first time with
Mr.. Lincoln Likewise all the men whom party advance.
meat has elevated TO the highest offices arc new men,
strangers for the most part 10 the routine of public bust
oess still greater strangers to those external forms with
when staesme are accustomed to surround the exercise
81 authority
The democrats had 10 certain extent among them an
uninterrupted tradition which, although much weakened
runs back however to some lustrous personages The
republicans have the first jump and without any
apprenticeship to the government, having everything to
learn diplomats as nnancers az alministra as
economists and as men OF the world-a that REQUIRES
practice and study:-statesmep are not improvised
Mr.. Abraham Lincoln is the first born of the republican
party; he first schoolmaster, afterwards LAWYER
vr rather attorney then deputy for two years and was
besides perfectly obscure and unknown When then the
republican party was reckoned at the beginning Of this
year, and became known that by acting unanimously
they might have majority in the Presidential election
the leaders assembled for The great and legitimate operation
y dtdtng the offices and funds in the event Of success
All went well IN regard 10 what concerned the offices
secretaries u state ministers. diplomatic envoys direc
tors, &C.; they agreed easily But the great question:
the reserved questionthat of choosing Presientpro
voked several storms Each name put forward raised
violent protests
Success was endangered for want of agreement upon
whom TO fix the nominal leadership. Then it was that
Mr.. Seward present Minister OF Foreign Anar. who As
imam of mind and capacity might have the greatest
claims on behalf Of himself and did raise the voes, op
position, said to his frends--"You must have ! see