The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-11
yhr WING Ouusas ~ WAshisgsss-Sesea snA
the Fugitive LAw-Troubls IN ths Camp

W. pNShoheu, cAUueScby, yostot0ey mOrDinks
the proceedings Of the Wing Congressional Caucus,
held in the capital Friday night, for tho purpose
of arranging the time and place for the Wing
National Convention. As our readers win have
discovered, there was involved In that caucus the
most important movement by all odds, that has
sprung up at Washington since the meeting Of
Congress. II is far more important than any public
of legislation passed or proposed, because
it involves the permanent question whether the
rowers Of the federal government shall be
dered into the hands Of Seward and the antslavery
sgitstorr, far the wing party concerned, or
whether the Union, the Compromise, and the Con-
stitution shall be proclaimed as the basis Of wing
principles. That is the issue between the wings Of
the North and the wings of the South. That is the
issue upon which Gen. Scott is to be tried.
The two most prominent characters in this whig
caucus were Mr. Mangum, Of North Carolina, the
chairman and the gallant Humphrey Marshall, Of
Kentucky leader Of the forlsm hope the South
possibly with the advice and consent of Mr.. Clay.
Mr.. Truman Smith, the chief cook and bottle washer
Of the Taylor campaign, was, Of course, hand,
and very prompt to move a snap judgment upon any
thing like declaration Of principles But Marshall
intercepted him in very explicit proposition,
curing the Northern wings to show their hands
upon the slavery question, before the South were
called upon to join them in n national convention.
The suspicious affiliations of Scott with Seward, and
his picbald an-slavery and abolition associations,
ard the equvocal bound attitude Of Scott
the Fugitive Slave law were the reasons submitted
for this demand. And they enough. Mr..
Marshall win be justified before the whole country
for graphing the bull by the horns, upon the
threshold. If Southern men submit to be dragged
Internationally into national convention, they will
60 out Of it with a capitulntion to Seward and his
schemes, and base surrender Of their brth-right,
for the very doubtful chances Of Of pottage.
Let the Southern wings bear In mind that if, by
surrender to Seward, they succeed in the election,
it will be the signal for renewed upon the South,
backed up by tho whole power Of the administra-
ton; for there will be power behind the throne
greater than the throne itself But let them also
bear in mind that by an open alliance with Seward
and his various knots and cliqucs Of agators, they
dcmoalize the national wing party-destroy it in the
| South-with all the hazards before them of most
irgorous defeat in the pitiful contest for the
| spoils.
There was q fair exhibition of irlnness among the
Southern wings, in support of the proposition Of
! Mr.. Marshall but the notice of Mr. Hangum, that
| he should consider the motion out of order at the
! next meeting, and the adjournment of the caucus
| to meet again Tuesday evening, give n sickly
| and bad complexion to the whole affair Mr.. Man
| gum would undoubtedly, upon satisfactory plat
form, be very popular candidate to with Ge-
neral Scott Perhaps his coleagues-Mr Badger, Of
| the Senate, and Mr.. Stanley, Of the Householder
tain the same opinion. II mny be that Mr.. Senator
| Dawson, Of Georgia, has aspirations for the
Vice Presidency. At all events the apparent willing
! ness Of all these distinguished Southern wings to
take Scott and his right Observation-Disclosures trust,
| give bad aspect to the whole case-the aspect of
final caving in to the most insidious and dangerous
| of all the enemies Of the South.
We have msgivings that in the second meet
ing Of the caucus, the Northern wings, aided bya
few members from the South, more intent upon
the spoils than upon principles and fidelity to
| their institutions will succeed. We have our
fears of just that sort Of compromise upon which
General Taylor was elected, and which resulted in
driving the country headlong to the verge of civil
war The Texas question 1t is not for us to pre-
sumo that the death of General Taylor was
Proyidential interposion for the salvation Of the
Union, but we have reason to suppose that, had he
| lived, the influence of his Seward cabinet would
have held him to his mistaken policy, and that the
Texas and New Mexico 1t is hardly necessary to
follow the consequences of such step at that time
the end, in all human probability, would have been
an abrupt dissolution Of Congress- the secession Of
the South, and the destruction Of the Union.
Now, the question is, are The wings of the South
willing to the risks Of another campaign without
platform! We repeat, that we have our misgivngs
4 that Mr. Humphrey Marshall and the compromise
wings Of the South will have to yield the wall to
| the force Of numbers, secede from the Northern
wing party If they cannot, neither in person nor
by proxy induce Gen. Scott to show his hand or
open his mouth upon the Fugitive law then it will
be duty which they owe to the Union and the
South to bolt, and leave the Northern wings to help
themselves. The late violent dcnunciations Of the
| Fugitive law, upon the Of Horace Preston, by
the leading organs Of Seward in this city and State
sboudantly show that there is to be peace upon
| that question--no fnality, acquicscence the
part Of the Seward wing of the whig party. Re
sistance and agitation to be renewed in every
Of the re-eapure CT runaway slave, till the law
il repealed, and other measures substituted,
which viii Freedom to the fugitive upon CROSS
ing Mason and Dixon's line, the Ohio river. And
this is but step in the abolition programme, the
ultimatum Of which is nothing less than the total
abolition Of slavery in the South, by peacabe or
bloody revolution There is no disguise in oil this.
1t is published to the world by the anti slavery
cieties themselves, Of whom Seward is the willing
organ in the Senate. Every inch of ground which
is lost by the South is gain to them, and they
never recede an inch Will, then, the Southern
wings knock under and cave in to the dctation of
Seward, and accept his candidate upon his
terms, conciliate his favor and the support of his
allies' That is the question.
The wings and the democrats Of the South have
each the alternative Of running independent
ticket if their Northern allies will not toe the mark
They have thus the power Of throwing the election
into the House Of Representatives, whore they will
have the strength to defeat the schemes Of Seward