The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-05-26

40. II gives the public some idea Of The immense
correspondence annually carried on in this country
We elsewhere publish Judge Johnson's decision
against the constitutenalty Of the canal law This
document win be attentiveiy read by all who take
an interest in the legislative history Of this State.
In the Board Of Assistant Aldermen, a message
was received, on Monday evening, from the Mayor,
returning the report and resolution in favor Of grant
ing Saeob Sharpe lease for ten years. at the rent
oftwenty Thousand dollars yearly, of the slip at the
foot of Wall street, with a ferry privilege, for the
purpose of establishing ferry to Brooklyn. The
reasons which induced him to withhold his approval
from this measure, win be found in the official re-
port elsewhere. The document was laid on the
table and ordered to be printed.
The steamers to bring the next news from Cali
fornia and other parts of the Pacific are the North
ern Light, Crescent City, and Empire City. The
agents of the Northern Light cannot tell when she
win be due from San Juan. The Crescent City, from
Aspinwa, il expected ON the lst or ID, and the En-
pire City with the mails, on the 9Th or 9th Of next
month.
The Cambria lie the steamer due this week from
Liverpool She viii bring six days later news from
Europe. We may expect to hear Of her arrival at
Halifax to-day or TO morrow.
didates-The Turning Point OF the Cam
paign.
Once uyOn a time there was a celebrated back
woodsman, known as Captain John Scott. His
rife when leveled by his unfailing eye, was inevi-
table death TO the "varmint'' singled out as his
victim The tip Of a bears car in the thickest
ehaIparal the glimpse Of squirrels tail in the
top Of the loftiest hickory, was enough for him.
He fred and the animal invariably fell. The ter
ror Of his name extended far and wide through the
woods, till it became much the dread Of the In
dams and wild beasts, as it was the admiration of
the white settlements One day, while saunterng
through the forest he epied old coon cndeavorng
to hide himself from inspection by lodging round
the topmos branches of tree at least one hundred
and fifty feet high. But it was Of no use. The in
exorable sharpshooter brought his deadly rife to
bear upon him, when the sagacious old coon hung
out his Gag Of truce, and demanded parley. els
that you, Captain Scott 70 Eyes, sir'' Captain
John Scott - "Yes, that's my name'' swell,
don't shoot, captain-Ill come down." 1t is an old
story but it has a most admirable application to
the case in hand
The infallibe rife Of Captain John Scott never
more completely covered the mark than does the
letter Of Captain Robert G Scott of Virginia, adj
dressed to the democratic candidates, individually,
on the fnalty of the Fugitive Slave law. 1t meets
the issue exactly-t admits Of dodging-it leaves
not loop hole Of escape 1t reduces the question
to this practical text: will you, if elected Presi
dent, maintain unimpaired the provisions of the
Fugitive Slave law, even to the extremity Of veto
ing any act Of Congress which may be passed
during your administration, which shall weaken or
repeal the effect and intent Of the provisions Of that
law ! This is exactly to the point-it anticipates
the designs of the Northern agtators meets them
upon the threshold, and requires of every man
aspiring to the White House that he shall show
his hand-whether he is for peace or WARRIOR good
faith treacheryfor the constitution the higher
law for the Union or disunion.
II has recently been given out that, after Gen.
Scott shall have been nominated by the Wing Ma
tonal Convention he will define his position on the
Compromise measures. We presume from his ex-
traordinary precauion thus far, against any COM
mitment on the Fugitive law, that the position which
has been prescribed for him is this:-That he be-
lieves, in the lump, that the Compromise measures
have happily allayed the dangerous excitement
which existed between the two sections; that these
measures including the Fugitive Slave law, are the
laws of the land, and that such, if elected Prcs
dent, he will, according to his constitutional oath,
see that the said laws are faithfully executed"
Now, we apprehend that this or someth ng like this
is the dodge intended for General Scott not BEFORE
but after. he shall have received the whig nominal
ton. The dodge, too, is quite plausible. What
more you ask Of the President this fugitive
question than that he will the law faithfully
executed" II he does that, what are his private
opinions to us, that we should attempt to choke
them out of him !! Surely, for the sake of harmony
in the wing party, and for the sake Of the spoils
| (ifty millions Year, you cannot demand anything
more Of General Scott than faithful execution of
the law. This pledge would, doubtless, prove to be
satisfactory to the wing party, with the democrats
occupying similar ground. And to conclate the
Van Buren, and other available anti-slavery ele-
ments of the North, there was reason to fear that
the Democratic Convention would go no further;
and that thus the most critical and vital issue
which has agitated the country for the past
thirty years, would be left wide open for agitation,
modification and repeal, and for the consequent
revival to tenfold bitterness, of the late perilous
excitement between the two sections Of the Union.
livery often happens that the greatest discoveries
arc the results Of the most trivial accidents, and
4 that the simplest plan OF overcoming great op-
stacle escapes the scrutiny Of wisdom, and science,
and persevering inquiry, for years, until some lucky
genius hits upon the secret by accident or intuition
| The sublime theory Of the laws of gravitation we
thus owe the falling of an apple upon the head Of
Sir Isaac Newton-the application of steam to ma
chinery is thus attributable to the accidental OBJ
servation of Watt of the force of the jet from tea
kettle; and the idea that the East Indies could be
reached by sailing due west, gave world to
| Spain and the Pope, but ultimately to the Anglo
| Saxon race. II is also related that when CO.