Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-01 00:00:00

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT,

THE CONTEST FOR THE PRESIDENCY : THE STATE
OF PARTIES. THE SLAVE TRADE : DETERMI-
NATION OF THE SOUTHERNERS TO REFRAIN
FROM IT ; THEIR MOTIVES OF ACTION ; A
QUESTION OF POLICY. SYMPTOMS OF SLAVERY
DYING OUT IN SOME OF THE STATES. THE
ACQUISITION OF CUBA : ANXIETY TO ACCOM-
PLISH IT ; PROCEEDINGS AT WASHINGTON.
REFORMS IN CONGRESS. MEETINGS OF SYM-
PATHISERS WITH THE IRISH CONSPIRATORS.
SEVERITY OF THE WEATHER : SUFFERING
AMONG THE POOR. FAREWELL. BALL TO LORD
AND LADY NAPIER AT WASHINGTON. CON-
GRESS OF EUROPEAN EXILES AT NEW YORK.
Still does the controversy rage, alike in
Southern and Northern journals, as to the party
Probabilities of the approaching Presidential
contest. It involves, of course, a complete review
of the state of parties. The two principal ones are
.„as yet the Democratic party, now in office, and the
Itcpublican party, now in opposition. At present,
it seems, there is not much to choose between
them, as to their chances respectively,—unless,
indeed, there arises such a mutiny in the Demo-
cratic camp as some people seem to think that
Senator Douglas's course is already prdducing,
and which would have the effect of bringing out
two or three Democratic candidates for the
succession ; in which case it is not at all
improbable that the Opposition candidate may
have only to walk over the course. " From the
present disordered and divided condition of the
Opposition forces," says one of the close observers
of the game, "they have quite as good a prospect
for two or three tickets as the democracy. Indeed,
from all the existing intestine rivalries, jealousies
and antipathies on both sides, and from the
conflicting movements of cliques, factions and
sections for the succession, we can undertake to
predict nothing but a disorderly scrub race, and a
contest over the three highest candidates in the
next House of Representatives for the Presidency,
which may possibly tear the Government to pieces,
and drive the country headlong upon the rocks of
disunion, and into something like that horrible
anarchy of revolutionary Mexico." For, as the
writer goes on to show, whatever may be the case
with the other side, " there is no visible hope
from the democratic party. It has filled its
mission of good ; it has entered_upon that suicidal
mission of mischief which is the inevitable result
when disappointed leaders, demagogues and
reckless spoilsmen of the same faith turn upon
each other. The Opposition command an over-
whelming popular majority of the Union ; and in
behalf of the Union, and of law and order, this
majority may be consolidated in 1860 against all
the sectional disorganizers of the day." But then
there is yet a candidate to be found to take advan-
tage of all this. With " a good national name "
—and that of General Scott is given out as such, as
being " a name synonymous with patriotism and
nationality "—it is considered, in certain quarters,
that "the Opposition may sweep the field, and
inaugurate a party in power competent to hold
the Government for twenty years to come ; but in
default of some such movement as this, we can
look for nothing else than a- scrub race of fighting
sections and factions, and a final contest in
Congress, which may involve an abrupt dissolution
of the Government, and, North and South, a
general call to arms." A little time will show.
Meanwhile, although more than a year has yet to
elap
apse, there is all the usual underhand political
Seuerning going on, as actively, though not perhaps
so openly, as if the election were close at hand.
The question of the Slave-trade has been
reviewed anew by the Southern Press ; and great
credit is taken for having come to the humane
eTiclusion, that it would not be proper to renew it
1 Present. The real motive, however, for declin-
ollpg to persevere in the recent attempt to do so, is
Wquite a different character from what they
7°llld persuade us it is. It is a two-fold motive.
i,1:1 the first place, the law is found to be against
and in the next place, Northern indignation, to
893" nothing of the indignation of the whole
civilised world, would be too stronglor them, they
"d, to resist. One of the organs of the Slavery
Party says it is " opposed to the agitation of the
question of re-opening the African slave trade in
this Union, on the ground of its utter impractica-
e,ullitY and mischievous tendency to divide the
South on an open question of policy, whose
control, if practicable, would be in the hands of
its enemies in the Union, and as a question likely
t° distract the public mind of the South from
practical and pressing questions of vital import-
,,,ltnce." This is, doubtless, a very plausible excuse.
There can be no doubt, however, that it would be
a Most impolitic proceeding to make any further
attempt to revive such a trade. And it is its
With
which is the great restraining influence.
ith reference to the views recently expressed by
the
Southern Press, adverse to its revival, the
'veto York Herald has observed,—" We have no
doubt that these views faithfully represent the
?Pinions of the great body of the Southern slave-
holders and non-slaveholders upon this question,
,and we accordingly hope that we shall not soon
hear of another African adventure into Georgia,
Alabama, or any other Southern State, like that of
the mysterious yacht Wanderer. The world's
uemanas for cotton of late years have operated to
raise the prices of negroes in the Cotton States to
an average which is very tempting to the African
trader • but as the only safety of the South is in a
igid adhesion to the federal constitution, and the
laws of Congress enacted under its authority, and
We are glad to see that the policy' of the South
in this matter is so correctly understood among
the leading organs of Southern public opinion."
It is, indeed, I repeat, made altogether a question
. of " policy,"—not of humanity, or right, or justice,
Or honesty.
It would appear, however, from a statement in
e same journal already quoted, that without the
Slave-trade, Slavery may not unlikely come to die
out of its own accord, in some of the States. For,
it is related, "the high prices of slaves farther
the
are rapidly carrying off in that direction
t‘i_ae slave population of Missouri. And thus, from
Plessure of free white labour upon her shores,
labour
from the superior cash value of her black slave
Ishour in the cotton and sugar States, Missouri at
1210 distant day must become a free State ; and in
Pe season Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and
44tentucky will follow in the same direction, under
Lue fundamental laws of climate, products, and
compensation. These," it is added, " are the fixed
and natural laws of slavery ; but under them, and
Under the saving compromises of the constitution
lu favour of State sovereignty, slavery, even when
reduced to the limits of the cotton zone, will be
competent to maintain itself,"—only this in a
uuninished degree, and under still prevailing uncon-
genial influences which must make it dwindle
t
waY altogether, perhaps, in no long process of

„The idea seems to grow stronger that the acqui-
sition of Cuba is to be accomplished ; and, what is
7.P1.1 more astonishing, that the paltry thirty mil-
lions of dollars voted for the purpose by Congress
'rill suffice to buy it ! No doubt it is very impor-
tant to the United States to have Cuba. But they
seem to forget that others have an equal interest
in preventing it. ” Cuba," they say, " overlies the
great routes between our Atlantic and Pacific
empires, and commands the outlet of that vast
valley, unequalled in the world for territorial
extent, activity of its population, and mighty
destiny, which is drained by the Mississipi and its
branches, with their twenty thousand miles of
river navigation." And, therefore, it is very
natural to add, that " in acting upon this measure,
Congress should consider, not the five hundred
millions of dollars of our trade that now pass
annually under the guns of Cuba. It should
remember that in thirty years we shall have sixty
millions of people in this Union, and, according
to the ratio of our past commercial increase, we
shall then have five thousand millions of dollars
111 value flowing out of the Mississipi valley, and
passing between our Atlantic and Pacific shores.
the purchase of Cuba may be valuable now, but
it has an incomparably greater value for the gene-
l'atien that is to come after us." All this may be

very true as respects the interests of the United
States. But there are other interests to be' eon-
sidered in the case,---,and this they don't care to
do.
In fnrtherance of the efforts that are being made
in Congress for the acquisition of Cuba, the
Senators of the Government party have had a
meeting at Washington, with regard to the
expediency of supporting a measure expressly
enjoining upon the President the purchase of
Cuba. The Bill already in the Senate appropriates,
as has been stated', thirty millions of dollars for the
purchase of the island. But this process is
considered too slow, as well as its issues being
too dubious. Mr. Douglas thinks Cuba must be
taken first, and negotiated about afterwards,—
well knowing, as a lawyer, the importance of
possession. The question of annexation is a
popular one, and capital of great value will be
made out of it in the contest for the Presidency.
Meanwhile a resolution has been introduced into
the Senate calling upon the President for all the
correspondence between his Government and
Spain relative to the purchase of Cuba.
Two great reforms in Congress are proposed,—
the removal of the little desks at which the•mem-
hers separately sit, and which encourage them to
keep writing letters when they ought to be
attending to the business before them ; and the
abolition of the vicious " lobby " system,—the
lobby, of which it is remarked, that " originally
consisting of a few poverty-stricken old soldiers,
asking for pensions, has grown into the third
estate of the government, and the numerous gangs
of its luxuriantly supplied dependents, which now
swarm in the purlieus of the Capitol during the
sittings of Congress, will afford some idea of the
spoliations upon the treasury and the pockets of
the people." These, then, would be practical
reforms of no slight importance.
The Irish Phoenix Club heroes have, as a matter
of course, the sympathy of their compeers in the
Republic, who have had meetings in New York to
give some public expression to it. One way that
is proposed of doing this, is to raise a sum of
money towards defraying the expenses of the
defence of the conspirators who are to be put on
their trial. Irish rebellion very naturally meets
with a good deal of fellow-feeling among those
whose participation in former attempts of the
kind have made them exiles from their native land.
The weather in the Northern States has been
lately the severest experienced for many years.
At New York the mercury has been 10 degrees
below Zero—at Buffalo 20, and at Ogdensburgh
(or the northern border of the States) 36 degrees
below Zero. This, after some days' continuance,
was followed by a partial thaw, with sleet, and
dense fogs. Many have perished from the intense
inclemency of the season. There has been much
bitter suffering among the poor of the laige towns,
and some, it is feared, have perished from cold and
hunger. And yet, so far, little or nothing has been
done to alleviate their distress. There is now,
however, a talk of something being attempted.
The clergy have done most for the suffering poor
as yet. But for the alms, indeed, they were
enabled to give, many more must have perished.
Lord and Lady Napier, it appears, are to have a
farewell ball held in their honour at Washington.
It is expected to be a grand affair. They are both
very popular in the federal capital, and they
deserve such a mark of respect, if only as a return
for their own brilliant assemblies, which the
senators, representatives, and principal citizens
have so liberally enjoyed.
A curious sort of Congress has been held in New
York, of self-chosen representatives of almost all
the States of Continental Europe, for the purpose
of settling the affairs of the old world, from which
they have, as patriots, very cruelly no doubt, been
exiled. Yet, though in exile, they are patriots
still. The papers tell us that " the speakers ad-
dressed the audience in five languages. The dullest
of the addresses was that delivered in English
by Signora Mario. The audience was too foreign
to appreciate the lady's eloquence. Had it been
otherwise the meeting would have been very
enthusiastic, as the speech was a regular bomb-
shell into the camp of the enemy. There was
considerable consumption of lager beer and cigars
in the same building where the meeting was held,
which was entertainment enough for many who
could not understand English, so that all seemed.
pleased." What were the important results ar-
rived at, deponent saith not.

THE AUSTRALIAN MAIL.

ALEXANDRIA, Jan. 24

The Columbine arrived at Suez yesterday morn-
ing, bringing 28 passengers and £75,461 sterling
in gold. Her dates are—Sydney, December 11 ;
Melbourne, December 18 ; King George's Sound,
December 24 ; Galle, January 8 ; Aden, January
17. She was detained three days at Melbourne
for a supplementary mail bag.
The European arrived at Sydney on the 15th
of December.
The Oneida left Galle on the 25th of December,
and should leave Melbourne for Suez, on the 21st
inst., with the January mails.

SWITZERLAND.
BERNE, SAN. 29

The Federal Assembly has been closed. The
President in his speech said—" We will maintain
our independence as an united and armed people,
but without giving offence to neighbouring states."

AUSTRIA.
VIENNA, JAN. 30.

The Empress and her sister, the Duchess of
Calabria, departed to-day for Trieste, where the
latter will embark for Naples.
This seems to show that the Kilg's health is
re-established.