The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1862-04-30
TRYING TO SEPARATE.

Many Of our readers are doubtless ia
miliar with a certain political event which
happened "under the oaks of Jackson"
about eight years ago. 1t was then that
the two political parties, the Wing and
Free Soil, met here in convention, and af-
ter sundry diplomatic maneuvers, "com-
mittees of conference" and divers individ-
ual demonstrations on the part of those
ambitious persons who were expecting that
some personal advantages might turn up,
tho high contracting parties finally came
together, fused, and TO all intents and pur-
poses became one in spirit and one in flesh,
under the expressive title of the " Repub-
lican party" The fusion of course bro't
together what were formerly antagonistic
elements, and so converse had they been,
in all former times, that assimilation had
been a process as difficult to attain rs a
union between Mohometism and Christi
anity. But the goal of political success
could be reached in no other way, and
this, TO the leading men of the two parties,
was cloud by day and pillow of fire
by night" and tempted them to self
sacrifice equal to that of the old patri-
arch, when he was commanded to offer
up the blood of his favorite son.
Abolitionists of the old school, men who
had grown grey in the cause of negro lib
erty, were there, and they too must occu-
Ply n prominent part in shaping and
moulding the new political fabric; and to
make it tenable for them its foundation
stones were all taken from the anti-slaye-
ry quarry. There were the Free Sellers,
Wilmot provisoists, and anti-sIavery men
of all shades and conditions of opinions,
who gave themselves over to the plastic
hands Of the principal managers, to be
used rs the nature of the emergency
might require. There were also the rep
resentatives of the Wing parity" who
had followed the lead of Clay and Web
ster through many deteat-though once
in a while victory-and they came tc
lay down their weapons of political war
fare at the feet of the image, which polit.
ical legerdemain had conjured up to tick
lie the fancy of the people. Their polite.
al Moses had long since departed to his
rest, and, like Noah's dove, they were
wanderers over the face of the earth, un
til the bow Of promise invited them into
the republican ark. They came, they saw
and were conquered, and the merging was
so complete that "whig principles" were
lost in the maelstrom of abolition section
alism.
Political synthesis, where the object is
solely and wholly selfish, must be follow
ed by its opposite, analysis, and this j:
now going on all over the country. The
parturtion may be in some cases, pain
full process, and feel like separating The
joints and the marrow. Political leaders
were the artifcers of the republican par
ty, but the people are the Simpsons who
are now tearing away its brazen columns
and razing this temple of Janus to it
foundation. Those who joined the repub
can party from honest motives, and were
blinded to its sectional tendencies, are be
ginning TO see tho consequences of thei
indiscretiou, and are learning that it,
"glittering geueralitics" have well nigt
plunged them into the gulph Of abolition
ism. This class Of men, not being poll
ticians, having no regrets TO leave behiuc
them, can part from their old associations