The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-01

II has been understood that Mr.. CaIhouu--nt
content with the living i'll that he spent the las
twenty yeMs 0f his life in psopAguing --len be-
hind him, as a legacy for posterity, two books
the principles of government. as a science lear
that one Of these was finished the other, incon
pleie not actually cut short, perhaps by h;
death but len imperfect by design, like his fa
tastic predecessor, Bentham's +" Fragment on q
veyn.senf." The former of these is, l believe, a
exposition Of the philosophy of our government
the latter, development Of the philosophy q
government in general. shall be glad to has
them see the light for, when they do, there will
before exact criticism, be speedy end of III ~
shallow pretensions Of this egregious Aristotle 3
who was all made up Of paradox to invent ant
ana sophlsm to maintain. His great trick (not
very new one) was TO set up, with magnfcen
air OF comprenensiveness, imposing generaism
so VIDE and so loose that they could not well
either confuted or admitted and vet looking Tx
absolute Truths. From such he proceeded to :
que, as axioms, and from such anything, in ar
matter, may be proved. But what Is logic, unle
il starts from sound principles Mr.. Calhoun
always sought, first, the conclusion which
wanted to establish, and the metaphysical iptr
duction afterward. What genius Of abstraction
is to be the editor Of these, his requests to Soci
Science, | do not precisely learn. Mahomet hel
his Ali, Richard Brothers his Halked. 10 Smith
his Bennett; and surely the great prophet Of poi-y
teal transcendentalism will find his evangelist
Brownson, believe, had turned Calhounite, when
he turned Catholic rather strange solecism for
one who held that truth in matters of government
is but derivation from truth in matters Of faith
For MIR. Calhoun Presbyterian, of the true
metaphysical breed of the Scotch Coyenantera.
Leaving religious opinions apart, Raf Waldo
Emerson would, fancy, be the most competent
commentator for the visions of John C.. Calhoun.
IL SECRETARIO.
Washington CORES. Louisville Journal
If Mr.. CALHOUN had only known that he left
sucha prescient genius behind him, that wouldds-
molish his book before seeing it, he would never
have left his political orphan to such cruel fate.
A few such fre-fies as II Secretario fancy that
they can furnish enough light to dispense with
the sun. When that luminary rises they are
capable by their opacity of obstructing only
very few of his beams
This is the writer Of whom the editor Of tie
Journal said he was like Damascus blade
flashing in the front Of battle We admit he is
very flashy-he is a perfect flash in the pan
Why soiH venerable contemporary of tho
Union continue to make himself laughing stock
by appearing in public astride Of that wretchei,
broken-down hobby--the alleged peculiar friend-
ship for the peculiar institutions Of the South Of
Northern DEMocRATs' In recent article, COM
menting upon the wish expressed by some gea-
tlemen OF the South to destroy the nationality Of
parties, he saws:
'sWe must say, at once, that we are for main
tanning in all their force the unity and principles
OF the Democratic party. We shall want all its
power to meet and overthrow the Wing phalanx
which Mr.. FILLMORE is rallyng and embodyiig
to oversaugh us. His Cabinet, decidedly Wing
as IL is, bespeaks his purposes. We must not
disband, or fritter away our forces, lest we he
caught IN moment of conflson and see all our
principles FRUSTRATED. Will Mr.. FILLMoRE even
assist in settling the agtating subject of the day,
deeply interested as heis in putting this stumbling
block out of her way! How many Northern
Wings will he bring to the rescue? How many
Webster's are to be found in his squadron! TIE
South is 70 look to the Democratic party Of the N5sh
ad the Northwest mainly for the adjustment Of these
difficulties. She cannot carry the question alone
by her own efforts 1t would be fortunate, in
deed, if her own Democracy were so united us
to contribute their utmost to assert her rights and
to protect her from aggression. But her whole
Democracy cannot do it alone. They must lock-
for other votes; and where will they principally
find them! In the manly potes Of The Sial,cari Pc
mocracy Of the North, pho ,ciH risk everything for
their country, the Constitution and the Union =
The italics in the foregoing paragraph are our
own. 1t is, the editor asseverates, g to the De-
mocratic party Of the North and the Northwest
that the South is to look to mainly for the adjult
ment of the existing difficulties growing out OF
the slavery question--such an adjustment, the
editor means, and no doubt intends to be UNDER
stood, as ought to satisfy the South.
Upon what facts is this assertion founded? Is
upon the fact that, during the present session Of
Congress the Democratic Legislatures Of Conncc-
ticut, Maine and New Hampshire, have all pass
ed resolutions adverse to the introduction of slave
~ into any portion of the territory acquired from
Mexicoi The following resolution has just been
adopted by the Democratic Legislature of New
Hampshire
Resolped, That the people of this State ere
bound by no compact, express or implied, to stf-
fer the introduction Of slavery into territory now
free and that they are unalterably opposed to the
erection OF any territory without its prohibition
by positive law" M
Does not the Union kro,e that this resolution
embodies the sentiment, not merely of New Hamp-
shire, but of the whole North--as well of the
Democratic party as of the Wing party of that
section of the Union3
The doctrine Of the Hunfer section of the De-
nlocratic party of New York, to which section Of
the party, and It's representative in the Senate,
the Union no doubt had special reference in the
foregoing paragraph-the doctrine even Of tits
section of the party in New York, as declared at
one of their State conventions, Isl that the exist
ing laws Of the territory acquired from Mexico
u
principle Of Jurisprudence that the mere act Of ec-
quiring foreign province works no change in its
laws, but only in the allegiance of It's
people" They are, therefore, for the .Msricm
proviso, which they believe just as potent to ex-
clude slavery as the Wilmot itself.
The Michigan Legislature, which nominated
General CAss for the Presidency, passed the ful-
lowing resolution:
"Resolred, That the hostility to the extention
of human slavery is no,o and eper has been Tia
principle of the Democratic creed, and that to
abandon it at the present crisis would be crime
against the free principles upon which our ms i
tutions are based"
And what are the opinions of Gen. CAss hifn-
self, the great leader of the Northern and North
western Democrats, on this exciting subjecs2
He believes the Mexican laws prohibiting the
introduction of slavery into these territories are
now in force, and he would vote to repeal them
or to remove the obstruction which they inter-