New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-05
WASHINGTON.
IN. Compromise and the Presiaeney.

The fug1tlVc StdNC h@"
slecting Wing President. ....sr,esp
peonle talk about the =" COMPROMISE measures
.nd 90 confuse mems minds ABOUT 'nii's
-,h;.h in ;,selfis very simple and PLAIN i've avs
-.,e byoueht under this head and passed. 10 WIZ
@ .es for the admission of California. I'd. An
..,,hIisbipg Territorial Governments for our
-eou;stiops from Mexico Sd. An act for the SET
element of the Texas Boundary 4th An act
.bolishing the Slave Trade in the District OF
Columbia 5th An act for returning Fugitive
Slages.
Two Of these acts are no, open to legislative
action. We cannot turn California out oil inc
Union. and we cannot legislate ten millions OF
money out Of the breeches pocket OF Iexas ihto
our own. In the first place she couio NJ pay 4. "
she would, and in the second, she wouiu III Il '"0
could.
A third act is one for establishing Territorial
Governments for New-Mexico and Utah ms
was passed without the "Proviso," and was re-
slly the only act upon which any great contro-
yersy was waged. In this the South had her
own way 1t is most suggestive and provoking
subject for comment, but we Withstand the temp
tation and remain silent. The question IN re
gard TO it has been dropped for two reasons
first, because the Fugitive Slave law so excited
the resentment Of the North that it quite forgos
the "Proviso" for the period Immediately follow
ing the passage of the measures; and, second
because the conviction has grown general that
Slavery will not go into New-Mexco and Utah
Thus acquiescence in this act prevails even in
tbosa oraytors IL oIOuJest ueteIlhindtiOh
TO unhoId and adhere to the " Proviso" existed.
= ~ Ill.
trade in the District, for which nobody now
cares, and nobody ever did care. II is a small
act upon small subject, answering very
small purpose.
And thus it is that the Fugitive Slave La,c, the
fifth and last of the series, and that alone really
survives and has an active existence OF all the
much bruited Compromise Measures" Gov.
Davis, in his late speech In the Senate, demon
str ted this fact at length in a most conclusive
manner Hence it is, we make the declaration
that this law is the only thing in the way OF
electiDg Wing President.
Why it is so, is plain enough, as we will show.
The Southern Wings, ever since the passage OF
the Compromise measures, have been fighting
their battles on that platform Their newspa-
pers, members of the State Legislatures, mem
bers of Congress, stump speakers in general,
have all planted themselves upon these mea-
sures. They have given them their out and out
support, through thick and thin. They have
sustained them as the leading measures of a
Wing Administration, and by them they have
elected to stand OF fall.
Here arises the difficulty. The Compromise
measures, as we have seen, being resolved into
Al I II. .of
the Southern States having planted itself
thereon, land not having yet recovered from the
heats OF the recent contest on the Slavery quos.
ton,) it deems Itself under the necessity of fight
ing the Presidential battle on the same issue
and imagines that no candidate will serve the
purpose OF uniting and carrying the party, un-
less he make protestation In advance that he is
a"Compromse " man which means, in other
words, that he is firm supporter OF the exist
ing Fugitive Slave Law.
Now so long as the Southern Wings hold on
~ ,hIs conviction, Just SO long there can be no
union of Northern and Southern Wings on a
Presidential candidate aud of course, consider
ing the political complexion of the House, there
can be no election of Wing President. Aud
thus it comes that the Fugitive Slave Law stands
in the way OF that result
1t is well known that the Northern Wings
as well as all parties at the North, entertain
great repugnance to the provisions Of the Fugi
tive Slave Law. Any law for returning runaway
negroes would be distasteful enough, but the ex-
listing law is especially and Justly odious. For
this reason, no Wing Presidential candidate
could hope to carry single Northern State, if
he were to run as a special advocate and sup
porter OF that law in word and softly speak
ing, if he were to run as " Compromise can
didate.
But there is no reasonable doubt of the ability
OF Gen. Soorr to carry every Northern State
that went for Gen. TAYLOR, with the addition Of
Ohio into the bargain, il no were run without
reference TO this issue. Such is the conviction
OF the best informed men from all those States.
All that is wanted TO insure a moral certainty OF
his election, therefore, is the support of the
Southern Wing States.
And so 1t becomes question solely for South
ern Wings to decide whether or not we shall
have Wing President at the next election.
II they insist upon Incorporating such new and
ridiculous test into the code Of the Wing party
s(not adherence to the Constitution, not adher-
ence TO proper Fugitive Slave law event.
the support OF certain specific, existing, defec-
tive, repulsive law, then 1t is inevitable that the
Whig party is sundered and defeated. And " hat
is worse than that, II is equally inevitable that
great sectional party viii srise upon Its ruins.
And so, ON the contrary, if the Wing patty North
and South viii consent to discard ali such ;ijic-
ulous, temporary issues as the one alluded TO,
and will rally TO the support OF Gen. ScoTr as
they did to the support of Gen. TAYLOR. stand
ing upon their ancient and well known doctrines
and the welestablshed character Of their can.