New-York tribune., 1885-10-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TIE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT.

The present volumes, forming the fourth ana
Efth of the American translation, embrace tAe
matter which constitutes Part " of the original
German work Perhaps som5 little violence Is
done to the authors systematic mapping out OF MS
subject by this arbitrary division, bat there are
great countervdihug al lvantasos ami alter all the
event at which the div iding line IS drawn the adop
ton of the Kansas Nebraska bill certainly marked
an important epoch in our history. Dr. Won Host
has treated the period under review with an ex-
haustiveness and minutehess Of detail which he
iustifes by its supreme Importance lie fears that
be may weary many readers. Admirable as his book
is we cannot say that fear is unfOuuded. HIS dis
ouistion is in fact too long, not because 1t takes
in too much bat because it lacks compactneos OF
statement aud severity of style; and few will re-
gret that the translator has found a convenient
resting place whore one may pause for while
without losing the thread of lea
The six years between the adoption of tie Com
promise of 1850 and tho election OF PIesl-
dent Buchanan constitute, the author says IL his
preface, the most important IN the development
of the "irrepressible conflict" between the North
and the South. The two volumes trace this de
velopment with a power of broad generalization
an acuteness Of insight and force and precision OF
Judgment which will cXtOrt almost universal
recognition, while the authors familiarity with the
minuti4e OF American politics, the significance OF
political measures and the characters of leading
public men fills us with astOnishmcnt. Ii is little
to say that no other forei gner has understood our
affairs well; 1t would DO very hard to name any
OF our own writers who have treated our political
history with such firm grasp of its essential mean-
ing. The compromise of 1870 was the establish
ment Of what Won Hoist calls the Gnaty - de-
lusion, which assumed that by an unreal and in
Sincere truce a conlIct arising not from the rivalry
of material an partisan interests. but from the IL
resstihla movement of incompatible civilizations,
the difficulty of slavery Lad been qulctcl Tor ali
time. The controlling thought Of these two
volumes is to exhibit the aEsurdity OF that de-
lusion TO show how the finality settlement con
tanned the causes of its own overthrow, and how
from the very day of its adoption. the problem
went on gathering PerplcXitios and pressing Tor an
answer it'll the continuance of the old union be-
came absolutely impossible Tho course of events,
ho maintains was hastcned or retarded by the
actions of politicians, but it was not shapcd by
them "Iac want of reason. tho passions and tie
increasing Generalization of the professional poll
ticiaus are indeed still found in alliance with the
powers IF fate, but at the samo time their m
potono3 IN the presence Of the progressive and
sternly logical development of actual circumstances
becomes more anl more apparent Seldom has the
What that is the Essential III 4 process of develop
mcnt III the worlds history ana the life of a great
civilized people, been so little influenced by what
the holders of political power Lave done or left u-
done as in this caso What they did anI what they
left undone had modifying effect only OH the How
of the process and even on that Ouly Ia a Surpris
Ingly small degree because the leading politicians
themselves were a necessary product of those act
nal circumstances" II tie fourth chapter of The
first of Il ESQ volumes DR.. Won Hoist gives still
more striking expression to the salno idea:
Even at tho present day people have not every
where, by any means penetrated the iuii meaning
of ScwarUs lebrattd expression, inc lIcfIc>NI-
bic cOuIIct.' Both among Americans themselves
aud among Europeans who have lived through the
critical period of tc United states, tAcr" are very
intelligent people To be found, who hold, witt more
or less teuaclty, that the collision Of tie two sec
tnns might la been avoided, were it not partly
on account of tho want of intelligence, ana parity
on account of the bad will OF the politicians WiO
were so strongly bent on bringing on tic catastr0-
pie moro intimate acquamianco with tins
hnaiity PERIOD, wiheh because tAeI5 Is 50 lIll e
ia t that refreshing, has not attracted very much
attention., shouI1 tet,I i!lcIh uILcIJH.y' ny It ~
diss llution OF the Whig party and the mcvltah'e
necessity of tae formation of the Republican party
which followed 1t, the disruption oi the Ohioh De
came uuavoldabI", ana thls new shapihe "i parry
relations not the work OF tile politicians, but
took place against thCr wishes and expectations
and spltc oG thor almost despdirng Efforts; those
who follow Il this development Of affairs with sat
isfactiun, and tried to promote 1t, were an evan
escontly small minority, which c0uid nave cNel-
cised no influence worth uicntioullg, were u not
that facts with tho irresistible weight of their
logic were their side.
This seems to us an cXtravaEant AMI misleading
statement Of what in lualiiel sense is ncvcrtle-
less true UnIoubtelly conflict was IN progress
which the intrigucs of faction could not greatly
afect; but it is a mistake to treat tAat conflict as
result Of tie evolution of blind forces. The de-
vclnpuleut Of what is essential in the life Of peo-
plc is always controlled by intelligent human
action and this DIR. Won Hoist would probably be
the last to deny although he sometimes seems ~ lose
Sight Of tic fact in this part Of hs work. One
might almost reverse his statements. and declare
that rarely has what is essential in tho life Of
people been So obviously influenced by politicians
as in the struggle between slavery aud freedom 1t
was moral revolt of the North which made the
proeress of freedom Irresistible. and surely it was
from politicians that the revolt drew small iart
of its life its i!apul,e and its efficiency Greeley
Simmer. Seward CHASE, Hall, Wade, Wilson, Lin.
coin and a lons list Of others who Hight G nawed
were professional politicians, and tLeir political
aptitude gave them a special power IN arouslng tie
drowsy popular conscience, and creating that great
rarty # moral ideas which under their leadership
reformed our whole National character. DR.. Won
Hoist does not deny the inuuelco 0t such leaders
but it seems to as that hc fails to make enough Of
1T In his profound search after tic hidden causes
of things o elects causes which lie in plain sight
d. In spitc of this defect however, his account Of
the Gnality period" is a wonderful stuiy. When
Senator Footo of Mississippi intro !ucel his famous
resolution in December 1851, declaring the COa-
promise measures Of 1880 a final settlement of tho
controversies growing out Of slavery, tbs dy"atos
CAV proof at once Of the absurcity Of the !ecara
ton and tic iusLcerity of S0uthcrn'partleS. Soma
tor Hale told no moro thaa the bitter truth when
he said that the Enallty resolution, as it was
understood by tho Shareholders, meant Resolved
that whereas the South Las obtained everything
which it has demanded it will be satisfied until it
and .pIa 10
thing new it will take IT, That truth is the KEY
TO all the agitation wLich filed the next melan-
choy years, until Douglas formally repndiatei tic
II GOOD fifth under tho randlleLl intro.