The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-13
The Slavery Agitation.

The Slavery Agitation.
| The Union lashes itself into furious
passion, because we ventured to express
the apprehension that Mr.. BUCHANAN and
his friends would not be able to effect any
other arrangement of the territorial diff
Guilty, than that suggested by President
TAYLOR. The sole organ interprets this
apprehension as 'ttraitorous design OF
the cabinet"
We have been led to form this opinion
from the acquiescence of some Of the
leading Democratic presses in General
TAYLoR's plan. When the Albany .Argus
and New York Post unite in asserting to
the policy Of WIG President, it cannot
be far out Of the way. They would pick
flaws in it, were the thing possible. Add
to this that some of the most distinguished
Democratic statesmen are committed to
General TAYLoR's policy, and we really
can see no reason why there should be
any material difficulty in carrying it
through.
If this policy cannot be pursued, we APP
prehend that the Democratic presses Of the
North will seek TO push the issue on the
Wilmot proviso-with the amiabe purpose
Of testing their "natural allies" This is
what we desire to avoid. It is unneces-
sary, and therefore unwise.
We copied the other day some resolu-
tons adopted by the New Hampshire Dem
ocrats on this subject. We now copy an
editorial paragraph from the Republican
and Farmer, Democratic journal pub
lished in Keene, the residence of the pres
ent Governor Of New Hampshire. This
paragraph is in the following words:
ssLet California come into the Union as State
Let General Taylor have the benefit of thus evad-
ing the proviso and let the South be relieved from
the modification of the passage of the proviso
where it can be of no practical importance. But
if the South persist in factious course, making
slavery the sine qua non, we would be glad to
a resolution embodying the proviso brought up as
a separate question, and passed by Congress; or
it cannot be passed, rejected, and this question
be put at rest for the present session.
But TO return to the sole organ. 1t
charges the Cabinet with 'straitorous de-
sign," because we have expressed appre-
tensions in regard to the promised COM
promise of Mr.. BUCHANAN. 1t is treason,
the Union argues, to express doubt on
this point.
If the Union will only turn to its own
columns for the 18th Of January, it will
find touch Of the same kind of treason
in the following words:
''Itis not the Wing party, it is not Cen
eral Taylor, nor Messrs. Toombs, Ste
phens, Smith, Corwin, Ewing, Seward,
nor their political contfsres-that will
save the great and glorious Union from
the dangers that beset it. That duty is
the duty of the great Democratic repub-
lican party of the nation"
Here is direct menace that General
TAYLOR and his friends shall not settle this
question. fit is treason to doubt that Mr..
DOChhNAN anu lis lIiCuco CW octtlc tic
question, we submit that it is high treason
to say that General TAYLOR shall not set
tie il.
So long as the question is settled, and
the country derives the benefit, we care
not who gets the credit. We may be
permitted, however, to indulge a prefe-
renee; and our preference is decidedly
for the scheme of President TAYLOR, for
no other. reason under heaven than that it
seems to US the most practical, the most
prudent, and likely to be the most salts
factory.
The truth is, that the whole of the pre-
vailing excitement is the work Of mere agi-
tators. II was set on foot by the Union
newspaper, the authors of the Southern
Address, the Abolitionists, and a few
malcontent Wings who were disappointed
in their aspirations for Cabinet honors or
foreign missions under General TAYLOR.
If these disappointed gentlemen and few
of the Bitter-Enders were out Of the way,
we should apprehend no sort of difficulty
in arriving at satisfactory solution Of the
whole question.