The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-10-04

A@l4a{' EHtN From the Boston Post Sept. ~.
President Pierce and the Compromise Meas
ures- Restoration OF Harmony TO tho Coun-
try. eu 4. f.e9 e..
The New York Journal Of Commsrcs recently made
the following remark in relation TO the compromise
measures u
"The manner In which tho national administration has
acted with Reference to the mainenance and of
the ship OF State la. Produced much doubt TO the real
present standing and ndition OF those measures"
How much doubt! Did the Journal of Commerce
make this remark with sincerity! We respectfully dis.
trust the existence OF This doubt the present stand
ing and condition" OF the compromise measures Tor II
1.-THE OF the consequences is given to facts Indicative OF
doubt their condition than there is of the when
the sun shines We charge that this doubt is affected.
nsincere, hypocriticai
To consider this matter properly, il will be necessary
to look at these from The stand point supplied
by the Journal OF Commerce selnanely, the relation
Of public sentiment as 10 the doctrines which were pro-
claimed by Congress in 1850, through the united
sells of Clay and Webster and Cass and Dickinson and
those other patriots who in the hour OF peril, forgot
everything but their duty 10 their country" These are
the words OF This print They refer doctrines, prn-
cles 10 measures, and the relation Of public opinion
them They refer TO the great, vital. aembraclng point
TO The reception OF these measures; and TO their re-
cepon, no, by locality. or by section, or by ndivd
us leaders, but by the country whole. by the
Of the people, and 10 the legitimate consequences OF such
reception s. aa,nH H
In order judge canddy to this point, and Of the
wisdom OF the policy OF General Pierce and the admins
ra,on In guiding The ship OF Stale In reference 10 the
compromises. n is lar aud legitimate test to compare
Indications OF public opinion now with indications o the
OF public opinion at the time they were patrotcay
agreed upon. tAAt HH (" Ah
As this charge comes from whig source. il may be
we'll to take wing exposiioDs In The perlous times OF
lSI9-3o, when the extreme ength 10 which seclonasn
was pushed in The North drove the South to advocate The
extreme remedy Of the Stale rights school he great pa
lrots, Cass and Clay, Calhoun and Webster stood
common ground The peril grew ont of the open qnes
,ions California; Utah, New, Mexico, Texas, and
the surrender OF fugitive slaves The heayings OF public
opinion as The settlement Of these questions. dslu bed
all interests; that the ordinary functions OF govern
ment were interrupted, and the ties Of fraternity ,ha,
bound parts OF our country were severed. g Here We
are Daniel Webster slated in the Senate July IT. $780,
10 government, seven or eight months from the be-
ginning Of the session, hardly able 10 keep the govern
nent alive All is paralysis. We are nearly brought 10
sand" Ilis mol necessary 10 do more than to advert
10 what was equally in the religious, commercial
and political world; when associations coeval with
our Union were asunder when intercourse
trade was spreading and old political parties were
broken up. AT length the CO; ceed and shallow fanai
cism that had scornfuy aud geaced on
this feeling became alarmed hen real statesmen. like
Cass and Clay. and Wet and Douglas. devis.d and
carried through the compromise measures; and Their
prophecy was,o be seen in their speeches that their
adoption and maintenance would restore the ordinary
functions 10 the government and The old harmony 10 the
ctuutry. r
But would the country sustain these measures' After
the adjournment Of Congress, and Tor atwelvemonlh.
the public mind was agita,ed il never had been ag-
lated before These measures met with torrent OF IN
vectve such before never bad been encountered by
apy measures OF cover mept. large majority OF the
whix party Of the North strongly impregnaed with
the sentiments and minority OF the democratic
party; while the free soil party exhausted the Language
s vtuperaon. The cry went forth IRON abolItonisis
in Congress 10 repeal ,hsm. Ii was then that William
Sewsrd ncucaed everywhere the doctrine that 10 sur
render fugitive slaves was doctrine 10 violation Of lhe
divine law Ii is well TO bear in mind dales. II WAS al
Cleveland, Ohio October, 1850, that he endeavoed 10
demonstrate that one spIIl-his own sentiment" bad
work chiey in the whg party and ts antagonist in the
lie he
ect he then and there laid down. to vii :"to bring the
parties OF the country into an effective aggression on the
subject OF slavery All thIougn me Noiln--h he wing
party by large majority, m the democratic party by
minority and by The tree soil party in sold pbalanx-weTe
the conproniee measures vehementy opposed. By The
pulpit by the pess in legislative assemblies IN party State
con, eniions IN ciy meetings in Town assemblies. the
duty OF repeal clamoIousy urged IL was as com.
the day 10 bear open rebellion 10 ihe execution
OF this Law proclaimed II would be easy 10 quote col
umns 10 sustain this statement To show how lar ana
cism went recall one resolve which Pennsylvapia
convention passed, which declared "ihat Geotge wash
inc ton was Infamous nd vile Tor signing The act OF 1893
as Mald Fillmore for signing the act al 1850. Both
were Infamous; both laws were Infamous" Sill, we
say, let dates be kept in view II was In Apni, 1851
that Sewa I'd wroe his elaborate letter TO the Msssachu
ses free soileys counseling constitutional resistance
10 the fugitive law uniil shall be repealed This open
opposition TO law in the North made The qualifying cause
OF opposition IN The Souh and there sfons and pow.
erul party atrayed against the eompfomse meas
4 urea 8gp. f = t.sE 81. 49, s.Dr ~ . sAlsit, IF
This was the ,ine when The patriotism Of lhe Nonh
breasted northern fansicism The resistance counselled
by Seward and The rebellion threatened by hs black and
white followers met by the Union meetings, such
ss that in which Franklin Pierce made o his most
eloquent speeches, and TO which Daniel Webster adj
dressed his patriotic Castle Garden letter This ceIebra-
ted letter pledged himself to stand by those who stood by
these measures and the support OF these was The
ieat of sound national sentiment Auecedents were for
gotten in all who pledged TO sustain the Com
promise Fee. soIlism whig. democrat, or abolon--
sneeted al this acon-at these " Union savers"th
last az il does tins days but the patriotism OF the North
went steadily on raliyng public sentiment The doc.
irine that il The aramount duty OF good ciizens
10 oppose the prevalent higher law, resistance doctrine,
by adhesion the settlement OF the disturbing questions
Az an insianee OF the adhesion given to the fugitive law,
take that OF Mr Webster He wrole . IL is not such
measure as hal prepared before ef the Senate and
which, ot course should have supported II I had re.
NAMED in The Senate But il received tbe sanction oil
the two houses OF Congress and OF the President OF The
United States II is the law OF the land, ad az such is
TO be respected and obeyed by all good citizens have
heard whose opinion IL worth regarding deny us
eonstituonality" Such was the adhesion winch DAD @
\ iei Webster gave 10 the compromise measures TINS
the ideal OF the Journal of Commerce's Unlonsm or
sationalIty The object Of the Union meetings was 10
make converts 10 these doctrines and sustain the ComPFo-
mise.
Again We remark these the times OF doubt as
to the condition and standing OF the compromise meas
ures Nor this doubt removed by the action oi tie
two ssiona Com o June, 1852. The wings OF
the North and Northwest had gone by vast majority,
against the Compromise in Their local meetings ana
lbough they adopted platform acqutescng IN the com.
promises IN the National Convention at bslimore OF
June. 1852. yet, in ihs language OF the New YORK ir
bune it was torced ramned down.. by the potent m
unalon, 'swaow in sence or Dol, ! and NllisIa ~.
more and Daniel Webster were refused nomihauon
had he frenda and oil the