The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-25

:, SDule, one Ot the senators from Louisiana' ut-
Hycred powerful speech las, Monday, in sup
n port of the general policy of Intervention. II
Is was particularly remarkable as being in oppo-
|" stion to the ruling sentiment of the South. An
elaborate speech by Mr.. Seward, on the same
\ subject, we present ID this weeks Era.
= THE STATE OF THE CoUNTRY-THE CRISIS
The country has been dragged nearly to
death with compromise We have been COM
, promising and compromising for half a CEN
tury. in our Constitution and Laws our Poll
ties and Religion until we have become ma
ton of trimmers tme-seryers, And towards
Principle is voted an bstractOn-Right and
Truth arg b9nished from our reGtcal ethics
Craftsmanship is made to consist in the science
7 oi ex pedieiits 20 reconcile Contradictions Does
Question which goes to the foundation Of
our social or political system demand solution,
we shudder at its dimensions grow pale at its
possible consequences, shut our eyes to its
merits, seek by every artifce to postpone its
consideration Forced at last to meet it. the
first effort is, to see whether it may not be ar
ranged by compromise, instead of being settled
by Principle We know that the physical
universe is governed by law-that worlds upon
worlds move tremendously in their courses
only in virtue of submission to law-that the
violation of a physical law is followed by its
inevitable penalty-that "A man cannot put his
his hand into the fire without being burned or
take poison without endangering or destroying
/ life but in the world of mind and morals we
are inhdels our conduct says that there is no
God, no Truth, no Right no Wrong, no Prin-
ciple, no Law. The point is, how shall We man
age, and not Whdt is Truth We look at this
prejudice, and that interest, this difficulty, and
that danger this precedent, and that cOnse
quencc. How shall We avoid giving offence!
How prevent that loss That obstacle must
be consulted-that danger is imminent-the
ancients, what say they or, the consequences
may be dreadful All the while we forget to
ask whether there is right or wrong in the
matter; or, if we do ask this question, it is
only to determine how far we may compromise
with the one in disregard of the other
Look at the old political organizations
what are they about! Devoutly engaged in
harmonzing themselves by compromise, with
ont reference to Principle The question of
Slavery distracts them both. Their Northern
sections are opposed to the evil, desire its lin
itaton and ultimate extinction, know that
they have undertaken criminal responsibilities
in its behalf, are at times disgusted with its
demands, are aware of its desperate purpose
to occupy new territory, and secure itself per-
petual ascendancy-and yet they are lahorng
: to stlhe their convictions, to put down all ag-
tation. all excitement, all discussion, to unite
their rank and file in abject submission to what
ever its supporters may require, to plant them
selves upon the miserable imposture of the
fnality of the Compromise
~" The Fmaty of the Compromise ~ Are
we losing our reason as well rs our honesty
We build our house on the sands, and talk of
the finalty Of our work Is Error immortal
Is Truth, "crushcd to EARTH never to rise
again The shom Samson of to-day, meek
and unresistng will ere long bury under the
ruins of the Temple the rabble gibberng in
idiotic merriment over the fnality of his cap
tivity. Who talks of the fnality of the French
usurpation, or of the pacifcntion of Europe7
Men who have said in their hearts there is no
God Who talks of the finality of a Compro-
mise, which undertakes to make wrong eternal
and stihe free thought and free speech The
disbelever in God and Humanity
While we are imposing upon ourselves the
= contemplate deusion that the Compromise
must be regarded as final adjustment of the
, Slavery Question: the men who are helping us
y in this work of selEdeception are laboring by
a every means that a devilish ingenuity can sug-
: gest to overturn the free Constitution of Cali
= tornia, and raise the black flag of Slavery on
1 the shores of the Pacific Here they preach
peace-there wage war. And their supple
agents, the politicians and Presidential candi.
dates, in obedience to their dictation cry, "all',
4 we'll when before their eyes is going ON, with
G out disguise, stupcndous scheme for robbing
IL Freedom of the noble heritage it was hopec
Is the Compromise had secured to her WI,
:, docs not know that the only consideration tina
!. made that system of measures toerable at tn,
q. North was the conservation of the new world o
is the Pacific to Freedom and Free Labor Ore
~ gon, with its unsurpassed forests and mex
n haustible soil had free Constitution. Cali
Constitution The refugee from opprcsse
b. Europe, the laborer from oyerpopulated Asia
- the emigrant from the older States of tn
! Union, could there find home, with freedom
ID and responsibility, free from the faint an
n, blight of oppression.
re Had Slavery obtained toothold ON the Pacif,
we know that there would have been no peac
g for the new States to spring up along II
d shores. Divided by incompatible institution
K the Discords which have disturbed the peace
- impedcd the march, and demorazed tn
f Atlantic States, would have been propagl
a. ted in them Slavery, betting the con;inen
he would at once have opposed II barrier to tn
; free institutions of the North, and opened a
of tutons Southwardly The Compromise, it Wi
as iondly hoped, had prevented all this, and in
u u posed perpetual Limitations upon the extel
ii. sion of Slave Empire.
,r. But, what do we see While mon slept, III
ID Devil came and sowed tares The Compr,
TX mise narcotized the People, Hack politician
nc shallow, short-sighted selfish, without sing
y, conception of the true welfare of nations Il
er true foundation of national greatness, wraI
ID up in their own petty schemes for winning