The New York herald., 1850-09-17

Inc irregular progress and jostling of svents 9
.he onited States leave the spectator in doub
whether the condition of political affairs in that
country be more pregnant with promises of safety
or with menaces Of danger. Ii i, announced that
the weight which the Senate cast so recklesslV
into the scale OF disunion and disorder has been
| hastily Withdrawn. Penitent or frightened il has
| passed, a. separate enactments substar tally the
| same measures which, as portions of Mr.. Claws
| Compromise bill, il rejected by decisive majori-
1 ties. So far As the upper chamber of Congress N
| concerned, California is now State, and ten mn-
hons of dollars are prOffercd TO Texas Is the price
| Of her claims on SaAta Fe. These results only
what might have been expected from the air of un-
reality which hung about the miserable exhibition
of the Slst July. II is not, however, quite certain
that the recantation has been so timely or so COM
piete as quite to restore the prospects which faded
IN that unfortunate sitting There seems to be
grave ground for fearing that the real or appa rent
subservience TO Texas, betrayed by the defeat Of
| the Compromise, has emboldened the Texan Repre-
sentatives to enlarge their demads, end the Texan
government TO persist in its sed0us preparations
and, at all events, the want ofserousn sss and cos
slstency which the Senate has exhibited must have
the worst effect on the conduct of the lower house.
whose members never feel themselves called uPsR
TO show larger measure Of selfrespect on decency
| than the older and more reverend assembly
We gave our readers to understand, in our last
nolice Of this subject, that the strange decision
which the Senate adopted on the last day OF last
month, was chiefly to be ascrlbed to change ia
| the dispositions of the Texan Senators. From tie
| peculiar relation of the Texan State to the South,
",
sent political uncertainties, to the votes of single
individuals, and still more of single States, there
are hardly any consequences which may not be
anticipated from The perseverance OF Texas in an
aggressive policy, either at Washington or in New
Mexico. Whether she will press further the ad-
vantages she has gained will depend mainly ON
the importance which she attaches to the inlnedi-
ate payment Of ten million dollars in hard cash.
If she grieyously wants the money-and 40 smaA
number Of persons in America appear 20 suspect
hat she does-she will probably lend her aid 70
further the Compensation bill just sent down by
The Senate to the lower house. But Mr.. Pearos,
OF Maryland the gentleman who originated this
measure, and the same whose unlucky moti0a de-
ieated the great Compremse-has already ac-
corded TO her more liberal boundary than did
possibly be encouraged to believe that
little more clamor, and a little more obstruc-
tion, may enlarge still more materially the
limits assigned TO their State, without subtracting
single dollar from the proiered ten millions II
is also possible, though not quite so likely, that
their irritation at the proceedings of New Mexico,
and at the support which these proceedings seem
likely TO receive from President Fillmore-cona-
bincd with their sectional partizanship, and with
their natural desire TO extend the area of their do
mestic institutions-may ultimately overcome their
Partially to subsidy, and may tempt them 10 a
bold stroke for the whole OF Santa Fe Ii is plain
that the more violent of the Southern party, who
do not now affect 10 conceal their confident hopes
that severance Of the Union is AT hand, are doing
everything in their power to inyeigle Texas into
the course OF policy just indicated. That the E1-
militia into New Mexico, and that the President
and Mr.. Webster have solemnly declared their
intention TO interfere, il necessary, between the
Texan government and its so called dependency.
are probably many reasons with these politicians
for attaching themselves 10 the cause OF the mai
content state, and for urging her 10 more disAs-
trous extrcmities
Ii may probably tend to render our readers more
familiar with the terms of the question, as discussed
by those Immediately intereslsi in it, If we remind
them that Texas claims, as part OF her own terri
tory, the whole Of the enormous area bounded 80
the north by the parallel of 36 -, and the wes
and south by the great river called the Rio Grands
del Norie. lnasmuch as Southern acquisyeness,
even when most extraordinarily developed, has
never asked that an inch OF ground north OF 30 -
should be slave SOIL these pretensions OF Texas
implying as they do that the territories south sf
that line should be dedicated to negro servituds-
are co-extensive with the most eXtravagant hopes
ever conceived by the South. Mr.. Clay, pursuing
his mission Of mediation between the sections ofthe
Union, proposed that the disputed countries should
be divided by line northeast and southwest, which
may be roughly described as crossing them dags-
naly The portion c the territory abutiing Texas
was TO be assigned 20 her, and was therefore 10 lorn
portion Of the hafdozen slave States ia be hereaf-
ter carved out OF her area. The residue, living the
upper waters Of the Rio Grande, was to belong 10
New Mexico, and II was TO be cursed with slavery,
or blessed by freedom, according as the population
settled therein should hereafter decide. Mr.. Clays
arrangement was at first accepted by the Texan
Senator'S, but IL was afterwards repudiated by them,
on the ostensble ground of its inadeguacy TO their
r. ",
the rejection Of the Compromise b which vas
its consequence, Mr. Pearce introduced his project
OF compensation, which assigned them additional
territory 10 the extent OF about two hundred square
miles. IL seems that the Texan Senators showed
Themselves favorable TO this proposal, aad snuc-
toned II by their votes. Since, however, the finh
DIVISION IN the Senate, the extreme Southern parti-
Saus belonging TO the House Of Representatives,
have held Il meeting, and have resolved that they
will support the rights Of Texas to the whole dis
trct south OF 70 deg. 80 min, should she think NJ
In SO fh.Va Ia 80. =. Il al
lurements ef this skilfully disposed bait will bs
heishtened by the intelligence that hostilites are
actually commencing IN the disputed districts, aat
by The message OF Presdent Fillmore, denouncins
the conduct Of the Texan Executive.
We have said that the policy which the Texan
representatives may be induced 10 adopt WILL in an
probability, determine the fate Of the California and
Comp Is1tiOn bills. Their hostility their vacl-
ation viii equally mperil these measures, and the
danger Of failure is largely increased by the COM
posiuon and character OF the lower house OF
Congress. While the inexperience and comparative
youth Of lis members render II an assembly IN
some respects Infinitely more hasiy than the Sc
aate, Their closer connection with the people, and
their briefer tenure Of their seats, breed too ina
picii subsefyience 10 general opinion and an yas-
bic terror Of unpopulany Hence, though threats,
denpncistions, and verbal exccsses of all kinds
have been rife in the House of Representatives
since the commencement Of the seq ion, u has
been found Absolutely impossible TO wiring from IL
n clear opinion on any one point Of the slave cos-
troversy. Not less than two or three hundred re-
solutions have been submitted Tor its approval, and
every one has been rejected. In body thus Huc.
tuahng between tmidty and passion, mmenss
hazards must attend the career Of measures which
are the touchstone or popularity and the watch
word of party zeal in every corner Of the Union.
Until we receive distinct intelligence OF their suc-
cessful passing, we cannot congratulate the United
States on fortunate close of n season of trials.
SfSoUfAs FANuY-Died, in Salem, Mass Al
gust 2Ist Miss Sarah PuTbeok. aged forty-one.
Aaron purbcck, of Boston, was a ship master in
he trade between Boston and Great Britain, and