The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-13 00:00:00

THE UNITED STA7ES.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
NEW YORK, JAN. 29.
Two months have now gone by since Congress
met, and they are, apparently, no nearer a settle-
ment of the national troubles than before they
came together; So many different plans for com-
promise have been devised that one is lost in
attempting to comprehend them all. I have, how-
ever, succeeded in getting them together, and will
briefly attempt to give you a synopsis of them.

The President was the first in order. He called
for a surrender by the Republicans of everything
for which they had contended. His Message was
referred to a special committee of 33—one from
each State, and there his plan was quietly
slaughtered. No one has heard of it since.

On the 18th of December Mr. Crittenden intro-
duced his measures. As amended, they provide
for amendments to the C.onstitution to the effect
that slavery is to be established, and protected in
all territory " now held, or hereafter to be ac-
quired," south of 36 deg. 30 min. ; that Congress
shall have no power to abolish slavery in the
States ; nor in the district of Columbia while it
exists in the :adjoining States ; nor to prohibit the
slave trade between the States; that the Fugitive
Slave Law 'shall be amended so as to give the
owner compensation in case of a rescue by a mob ;
and that no amendment of the Constitution shall
affect these provisions, or authorise Congress to
abolish slavery in the States. These resolutions
also declare that the Fugitive Slave Law is Con-
stitutional, and that all State laws interfering with
it should be repealed.
On the 24th of December Mr. Douglas brought
in his plan. He proposes an amendment to the
Constitution to the effect that Congress shall make
no law in respect to slavery in the territories ; that
existing laws shall remain till the organisation of
the territories as States, with or without slavery ;
that no more territory shall be acquired except by
treaty ; that when acquired, the existing laws in
regard to slavery shall remain unchanged till ad-
' mission as a State ; that the areas of the new States
shall be of as nearly equal extent as possible ; that
the extradition of slaves shall be made by territo-
ries as well as States ; that there shall be no negro
suffrage ; that the United States may acquire terri-
tory in Africa and South America for negro colo-
nisation ; that Congress shall have no power to
abolish slavery in places within its jurisdiction
situate within the limits of slaveholding States;
nor in the district of Columbia, without the assent
of Maryland and Virginia ; n.or to prevent the
slave trade between the States (but the African
slave trade is to be for ever suppressed) ; and that
the value of fugitive slaves shall be paid to the
master in case of rescue.

The next proposition, in time, was submitted by
Mr. Rice of Minnesota—that all the territory north
of 36 deg. 30 min. should be at once admitted as a
State, to be called the State of Washington ; and
that all the territory south of that line should be at
once admitted as a State, to be called the State of
Jefferson, with a right to subdivide each into new
States as they should become peopled.
Mr. Seward's was the last plan that has been
brought out in the Senate—if his sketch of what he
was willing to vote for can be called a plan. He
was willing to organise the territory into two
States,—to give the South a guarantee against
interference with slavery in the States, and against
Personal Liberty Bills; and to have a law passed
to.prevent invasions of one State by citizens of
another. I call this Mr. Seward's plan, although
he does not regard it as a plan for compromise, and
will not bring forward one.
The committee of 33 in the House of Represen-
tatives to whom the President's Message was re-
ferred had many sessions without being able to
agree. The majority at length reported a series of
resolutions to the , effect that the existing discon-
tents at the South ought to be met with constitu-
tional remedies, giving more effectual guarantees oi
their peculiar rights ; that there should be no
attempt to interfere with the surrender of fugitive
slaves; that the several States be requested to
repeal their Personal Liberty Bills ; that
Congress recognises slavery as existing by the
laws of the Slave States ; and they recognise
the justice and propriety of • the surrender
of fugitive slaves ; that there is no cause
for a dissolution of the Government; that it is the
duty of the Federal Government to enforce the
federal laws and protect the federal property, and
preserve the Union ; that the laws of Southern
States interfering with the freedom of Northern
citizens travelling in the South be repealed ; that
the States be requested to pass laws to prevent in-
vasions of other States and Territories ; that no
amendment of the constitution affecting slavery
within the States shall be valid without the assent
of all the States; that New Mexico be at once ad-
mitted as a State ; and that the Fugitive Slave
Law be amended so as to be less objectionable to
the North.
A minority from the same committee made a long
report, recommending a resolution that the provi-
sions of the constitution are ample for the preserva-
tion of the Union, that it needs to be obeyed rather
than amended, and that the extrication from the
present difficulties is to be looked for in efforts to
preserve and protect the public property and en-
force the laws, rather than in new guarantees for
particular interests or compromises or concessions
to unreasonable demands.
Another minority report from the same commit-
tee, signed by Mr. Adam, only states that he has
arrived at the conclusion that no form of adjust-
ment will be satisfactory to the seceding States
which does not incorporate into the constitution of
the United States a recognition of the obligation to
protect and extend slavery. He deems it unadvisable
to proceed a step further in the way of offering un-
acceptable propositions. It can be of no use, he
thinks, to propose an adjustment which has no
prospect of being received as such by the other
party.
Still another minority report is signed by seve-
ral Southern members. They think that the pre-
sent difficulties can only be remedied by consti-
tutional amendments, and suggest the Crittenden
compromise. If these or something like them can-
not be carried through, dissolution of the Union
is inevitable. They recommend a convention of
the States, with a view to peaceable separation,
partition of ' the common property, settling the
terms of social and commercial intercourse, and
making permanent arrangements for the naviga-
tion of the Mississippi.
The Committee of Thirty-three having made such
a lamentable failure, what is known as the Border
State plan was next introduced, which proposes
amendments of the Constitution; that Congress
shall have no power to legislate concerning slaves
in places within its exclusive jurisdiction ; that in
all territory north of 36 degs. 30 mins. slavery
shall be prohibited, that in all south of it Congress
shall pass no law to interfere with it, and that
States may from time to time be created out of
these territories with or without slavery as
the con-
stitution of each State may determine that the
African slave trade shall be for ever prohibited ;
that Congress shall have no power to prevent the
domestic slave trade, nor to abolish or control
slavery as established within any State. This plan