Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1846-04-02
LOOK TO THE SENATE.

Look TO THE SENATE !" These words
were uttered by late radical print, from day
to day, in a spirit of distress and alarm. We
adopt and repeat them, but certainly in very
different spirit. We look TO the Senate, not as
an assembly in which national rights are likely
to be sacrificed orthe national honor furnished;
but as to a wise, deliberate, and dignifed body
Of men, now standing high in public conf.
dence, and called 10 act in an important and
delicate eXigency in our public affairs. Most
undoubtedly the Senate is regarded at the pre-
sent moment with very peculiar interest. No
lover Of honorable peace, no friend OF his coun-
try's welfare, but thinks daily Of It's importance
and the high nature of its present duties. In
its ultimate decisions we have confidence, and
that confidence has been increasing from day
to day. Its discussions have been, recently at
least. temperate, considcraie. and able; such
as became a body of its high functions and
character. A sober and anxious spirit appears
to US, especially of late, to have pervaded Its
members and we have no doubt that the
strongly preponderatng sentiment Of the body
is for compromise, settlement. and peace.
We adyerted yesterday TO the declaration of
Mr.. CHALMERS, made in his speech of Tues
day, that three tol1thS of the friends of the Pre-
Sidcnt in the Senate, and .fo9:tJths OF the
whole body, were in favor of compromise
We thought, we confessed, when the honora-
bic Senator from Mississippi stated this fact,
that the statement might prove to be little too
strong. But subsequent occurrences convince
US he was right. Among these occurrences
we give a prominent place to the speech of
Mr.. SEVER, on "Wednesday. This gentleman
is an ardent supporter of the Administration
one Of It's chief southwestern pillars. He is
well known to be among the foremost and the
boldest on all occasions, in maintaining what
he thinks his country's right He has been
reckoned, too, among the hfty-iour-iorty"
men; and we doubt not is so, in his opinions
and feelings. But, notwithstanding all this,
we have greatly misunderstood the scope Of
his observations on Wednesday unless he be
now ready to take line of boundary substan-
tally like that offered by the United States in
1926. Mr.. SEVER does not like the word "c0n-
PROMISE He thinks itimples, or may imply,
something like ceSsiOas. But, Objectionable
phraseology being out of the way, we greatly
err if the honorable Senator did not mean to be
understood that, for the sake of peace, he would
be willing to stop at toFty-nine.
We need hardly say to our readers, who
know the standing Of public men well, that
this avowal Of opinion Give are not mistaken
in supposlng such an avowal to have been
made) is Of no small importance at the present
moment ltmakes the prospect of ultimate
Unanimity-or near approach to Unanimty--
so much the brighter. We certainly rejoice in
it and we call upon that distinguished lover of
Unannnity, the editor of the Union, to rejoice
with us
We ought not to omit noticing the fact that
Mr.. SEvIER's speech was delivered four-and-
twenty hours after the communication to the
Senate of the Presidents message. In that
| speech, which we hope to publish at an early
dav, he maintains that the President is not so
committed, by any thing done either by him
self or by others. as to be precluded from ne
gotiating on the principle of compromise He,
/ therefore, evidently does not regard the Presi-
! dents message as changing the state of things.
| Now, let US ask, with all respect, and IN all
/ humility, why should not the one or the other
of the two Governments Immediately propose
/ to reopen the negotiation, ii II be not already
re -opened. on the basis 10 which we have so Of
ten referred Is not this PLAIN duty resting
on each and both the Governments Why
should agitation and alarm be continued p
| Why should useful commercial enterprise be
longer elnbarrassed.2 Why should both coun-
/ tries and both Governments be longer disturb
/ ed and annoyed by controversy which it is
now evident can be settled at once TO the entire
satisfaction of both countries
/ A disposition was manifested in the Senate
Yesterday to bring the debate to conclusion
in few days. II viii probably be terminated
next week and we indulge the confident hope
and expectation that il viii be terminated BY a
declaration Of the Judgment of the Senate, So
4 just and pacific, and supported by such strength
ofnumbers, as to show clear path for each
or either Of the Governments 10 go forward
with amicable propositions; and, in our indg-
ment, il viii be an honorable rivaly between
them to see which should tread that path first
--,Ndii0Na h3cihemcer, March ".