New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-23
One WAY 20 stop Agitation.

line Homeopathic prlnclPle Vi curing
Agitation by Agitating-using the hair of
the dog to cure his bite-appears to be in
high favor Just now at Washington, if we
may Judge by the following round-robin
recently subscribed by good many Mem
bers of Congress, and published in The
Republic of yesterday:
DECLARATION AND PLEDGE.
The undersigned, Members of the Thrty-iirst
Congress Of the United States, believing tha are
newsl of sectional controversy upon the Subject
of Slavery would be both dangerous to the Union
and destructive of its objects, and seeing no mode
by which such controversies can be avoided ex'
cept by strict adherence to the settlement there
Of effected by the Compromise passed at the last
session of Congress, do hereby declare their ln-
tention to maintain the same settlement lnylo-
late, and to resist all attempts to repeal or alter
the Acts aforesaid, unless by the general consent
of the friends Of the measures, and to remedy
such evils if any, as time and experience may
develop. And for the purpose OF making this
resolution effective they further declare that they
will not support for the Office of President or Vice
President or of Senator or of Representative in
Congress, or as Member of State Legislature,
any man, of whatever party, who is not known
to be opposed to the disturbance of the settle
ments aforesaid, and to the wal, in any form,
OF agitation upon the subject OF Slavery here
after.
This proscriptive Declaration and Pledge
suggests several important queries, like
the following
l. What is the extent and scope of the
phrase, originating on the subject Of
.Sarery ?" Does it include IN favor of
Slavery, for its extension and fortifcation !
or is it to be confined to agitation against
Slavery alone !
?. Suppose, for example, portion of our
citizens shoald move off into the present
territory of Mexico, Central America or
Hayti, and there commence agitating"
with intent to revolutionize and ultimately
add it to the Slaveholding end of the Union
las Sam Houston IL Co. did in Texas) are
they to be regarded and treated as agita-
tors of the Slavery Question, under this
pledge
8. Suppose they make the attempt, are
successful, and then come asking to be adj
mitted with their spoil into the Union as a
Slave State first, but ultimately to form
three or four Slave States, will these pledge
signers resist and prescribe them as 'Sla-
very Agitatorsl or shall that term be ap-
piled as heretofore exclusively to those
who resist and denOunce their nefarious
scheme
4. Suppose an attempt should now be
made to cOlOnize New Mexico, Utah or
Southern California with Shareholders and
Slaves, with view to their ultimate adj
mission into the Union as Slave States
shall those engaged therein be exposed to
the anathema denounced by the Pledgers 7
or is their wrath reserved wholly for us who
shall feel bound to resist and Off possiblas
defeat their efforts
These are test questions-they apply
to the actual or probable state of facts
and we call on the Pledgers or their organ
to answer them. When penalties are de-
nounced against an apPrehended line of
conduct, it is but decently fair to give those
exposed to them full and clear definition
of the crime for which they are to be sub
ected to privation and opprobrium. We de-
msnd, then, of the signers of the Congress
sional Pledge that they state distinctly
what is and what is not held to constitute
Slavery Agitation and whether agitation
in tarOr of Slavery is to be punished as
we'll as agitation against it.
As to resolving that no man shall be
supported for Member of Congress, or even
of State Legislature, who is not a thick
and.thin supporter of the Fugitive Slave
Law and its adjuncts, why that is two
sided game. according to our way of think
Ing. Let US see how it turns out.