New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-21

case the higher Divine Law may have
superior claim TO obedience, but IN matters
Of mere administrative business. IL Is
true that in the present case this ne" anu
unbeard of right has been exercised oy
legislative minority, and that the cl'cu"
stance that their number was Jast 'n"s'0A
out Of thirty two Senator's enaoieu ' r%
to carry through their plot wltnoo. ui',i
Guilty or practical violence ba' " 'a'
n,irCiole is true in their case. it is true IN
every case, and for any number OF init
vidnsls TO whom circumstances may give
the power to accomplish their purpose
In this election, then. it is not merely the
immediate conduct Of the reslgnlng Sen
ators. bat the fundamental principle of our
institutions. which is at stake.
Next, admitting for the sake of srgu-
ment, that the principle on which these
Senators acted is right one and ought to
be universally recognized as 'uch' the
question arises, whether they exercised II
with good motives and for justiiiable ends.
They claim to have acted for the salvation
of the Constitution. But it has not teon
and cannot be shown that the Constitution
contemplates or even admits of salvation
of their kind. Such aid and such defenders
itpeeds not and knows not. 1t has its own
guarantees, its own safeguards, It's own
tribunals appointed for its conservation
but its rescue from danger by revolution
airy process and tho DISCRIMINATION Of the
Government, is a thing which, had 1t been
supposed possible by its trainers would
have been guarded against by impossible
prohibitions and penalties. A strange way
is this, then, of saving the Constitutions
which begins and ends in an act that was
not explicitly forbidden, only because 1t
was not conceived to be possible when that
instrument was framed. But Ii IS nOtOrl-
Gus and undisputed that the salvation OF
the Constitution was bat a pleteXt, and
that the whsle affair was q mere political
vancouver TO crowd the Hunkers and
beat the Wings. Those then who can re-
gard the intrigues of party as better de-
serving their support than the Republican
principles and usages established by the
Constitution and hitherto held sacred by
the Legislature, will vote on Tuesday next
for the Opposition candidates.
The magnitude of the questio' involved
in the triumph or defeat OF the twelve SEN
ators, may be seen in the fact that the
speedy Enlargement of the Canal is sec
cndary to it. The former concerns the
very principles on which the State is or
ganized, the latter only its immediate ma
terial prosperity. How deeply that pros
perity is involved in the speedy Enlarge
ment we need not here repeat. The facts
are before the people. 1t cannot be denied
that by delaying the Enlargement the in
terest on the money already spent in it
will enormously increase its ultimate cost
that a large part of the busiress which
properly belongs to the Canal will be
driven into other channels, and its revenues
lost to the State; nor that the speedy COM
pletion of the work will at once vastly in-
crease our commerce, enlarge tho demand
for the products of our farmers ard mechan-
ice, give new life to every department Of
business, and send fresh and healthy &C
tivity to every portion of the Common
wealth. Those who do not regard this as
desirable will vote for the Opposition can
didates.
What will be the action OF the Legisla-
ture when it meets, we have, Of course, no
means of knowing. 1t is certain that a
prominent SUBJECT for its consideration will
be the Canal Bill, which the disorganiza
ton left on the table of the Senate, and its
fate will, in fact, be decided by this cleo
ton, so far as the Legislature can decide
it. That bill has now passed throug h a
we'll nigh exhaustive discussion before the
people. The arguments on both sides have
all been stated. From the fact that emf
nent juIists have decided that it is constitu-
tional, while others hardly less eminent
have declared that it is not, private citi-
zen, who does not feel himself equal to Dc.
eide where such doctors disagree, may
we'll be pardoned for holding his judg-
ment modestly in allegiance, or at least
for not expressing it with dogmatic cer-
tainty. But whatever may be the incli-
nation of any man as to the legal nature
Of this bill, he need not fear that it
will ever be carried out if it is not strictly
Il