The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-09 00:00:00

Sir, to whip all creation." Such is the talk of
thousands of New York heroes who have never
smelt powder, except on the 4th of July; and such,
with scarcely a change of phraseology, is the staple
of hundreds of leading articles in hundreds of news-
papers throughout the North. This may be indemi.
table resolution, or the heroism that knows no such
word as " fail," or it may be mere brag and bravado,
born of conceit and emptiness ; but it looks, to eyes
that are not American, uncommonly like the pride
which we are told, on the highest authority, goes
before destruction, and the haughty spirit that
precedes a fall.
Mr. Lincoln's friends will not permit the deeds of
the army wholly to divert the minds of the public
from the Presidential election of November, and are
taking every possible means to procure his nominaa
tiort as the candidate of the Republicans, at the great
Convention of the party which is to assemble on
the ith of June at Baltimore. Every State in the
Union is busy choosing ita delegates to that body,
and some States not in the Union will be as fully
represented as those that are. Louisiana, Florida,
Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, and North and
South Carolina, claim to be present. Tile two
Carolinas have already chosen their representa-
tives ; and as both of these States are in Confe.
derate possession, except a few corners on the sea-
board, where the Federal armies and gun boats
have effected a military occupation, the Federal
army and navy, together with the camp followers,
black and white, have constituted themselves into
State Conventions, organised meetings, drawn up
resolutions, carried them in. the most approved
fashion, and duly instructed the delegates so
named to vote for Abraham Lincoln, and for
none but him, at Baltimore. It is expected that
upwards of 1,500 delegates will assemble, and
that Mr. Lincoln's nomination is assured. It is not
likely, however, that this result will be attained at
Baltimore without a split in the party, and exceed-
ingly probable that the largest and most energetic
section will muster strongly at Cleveland, and
nominate either Gen. Fremont or Mr. Chase. The
schism is keenly watched by the Democrats, who,
if they keep well together, and agree upon one can •
didate, have a very good chance of winning the day
by the weakness and divisions of their opponents.
All doubt of the willingness of Governor Sey-
mour to try conclusions with the Government on its
right to supersede the law and the constitution of
the State of New York has been removed by the
publication of this letter to Mr. Oakley Hall, the
district attorney of the county. The Governor affirms
that "if" the offices of Journal of Commerce and
the World were entered by armed men, the property
seized and held by violence for several days with-
out due legal process and without the sanction of
State cr national laws, the offenders must be pun-
ished. He directs the public prosecutor to look into
the facts, and, if they be as stated, to prosecute the
parties implicated, and to call upon the sheriff of the
county and the heads of the police for any force or
assistance he may need. Jt is to be regretted that
Mr. Seymour did not confine himself to these in-
structions, and refrain from following them up by
a long, vague, and rhetorical disquisition, fit only
to be spoken in a debating society, upon the bless.
ings of liberty and the evils of arbitrary power.
" For more than 80 years," says the Governor,
" we as a people have been engaged in building up
a universal faith in the sanctity of our jurispru-
dence. It is this which carries our commerce upon
every ocean, and brings back to our merchants the
wealth of every clime. In utter disregard of the
sensitiveness of that faith at the moment when
the national credit is undergoing a fearful trial,
the organs of commerce are seized and held in
violation cf constitutional pledges by military
force and arbitrary orders. These things," he adds,
are more hurtful to the national honour and strength
than the loss of battles. The world would confound
such acts with the principles of our Government,
and the follies and crimes of officials will be looked
upon as the natural result of the spirit of our in-
stitutions. Our State and local authorities must
repel this ruinous inference. If the merchants of
New York are not willing :to have their harbour
sealed up and their commerce paralysed, they
must unite in this demand for the security of
persons and property. If this is not done, the
world will withdraw from their keeping its
treasures and its commerce." Such phrases in a
speech at a public meeting of sympathising Demo•
crate, or in the mouth of Mr. Oakey Hall, when
arguing before the court on the necessity of ceiling
General Dix to account for his actions, would be
unobjectionable, if not wholly pertinent; but in an
official notification to legal functionaries, who ought
to be supposed to need no lecture from the Governor
or any one else, on such a subject, they suggest
buncombe and not business. The merchants of
New York, instead of being convinced by the rea-
soning, have very generally laughed at it; while
others, not merchants, who know the full impor•
twice of the question, have a misgiving that the
Governor's courage will never take any other shape
than brave words ; that he will bark, but not bite;
and that nothing will come of Mr. Oakey Hall's in-
vestigations. It is possible, however, that such
persons do the Governor injustice, and that he
really means to force a decision from the State
Courts on Mr. Lincoln's right to suppress a
newspaper, either temporarily or permanently.
It is obviously his duty to do so, irrespective
of consequences. If his purpose should be de-
feated by the apathy of the people or their ac-
quiescence in wrong, by the timidity or ve-
nality of the Courts, or by the general belief
that, although Mr. Lincoln may have usurped
powers not belonging to him, it is better in a time
of war to submit to encroachment than to weaken
the hands of the Executive—the disgrace will not
attach to his name. It seems clear, however, that
if the Governor should zealously pursue this course
he will have no great amount of popular sympathy
to sustain him. The people have temporarily, per-
haps permanently, lost their love of liberty. War,
paper money, and a lavish expenditure, have demo-
ralised them. An all-pervading thirst of public
plunder leaves no room in their hearts for the
nobler feelings that created and can alone maintain
their Republican Government. Even the House of
Representatives, where, if anywhere, some form of
protest against the arbitrary action of the President
should have found an expression, refused to con-
sider the matter, or listen to a speech on a motion ,
for inquiry.