New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-03-16

whom they bribe-cowardly doughi3ces, VINO never
would have had the courage to venture upon this enor
nifty had they been supported by the expectation OF
being backed and upheld in it. The question then
arises-and most assuredly the public ofthe North Will
demand an answer to it-by whom were President
Pierce and his Cabinet encouraged to venture upon
this rascalty
This mputstion or the suspicion of deserving IT, Is
shared at present by two parties hitherto very power
ul at the North and nothing but the most prompt and
active exertions on their part to dsslpate thIs sus
picon can prevent it from riPening into conVc'ion'
The political Quetists and optimsts who began the
career of Gazing in by tOastng the Union however
bounded and thus ndorsiDg the annexation Of Texas
the men who had not political courage enough to vote
against the Mexican war, and who finally allowed to
be placed on their foreheads the brand of contempt
bic puslanmity by supporting at least by aequescng
in, the Fugitive Slave law; these are the men, the
Silver Grays, the Wing eOmpromisers of 1871, whose
lack of sound Judgment, Ito speak of it in the mde't
terms) whose willing support OF, or timid submission
to- all the recent sggressiOns of the slave power has
been principal encouragement to President fIerce
and his feOwconspirators to venture upon the niql
which they now have in hand. How dangerous how
fatal it is to daily with wrong let the example OF man
so Wanted fer intellect as Daniel Webster show Mr..
Webster excused himself from supporting the insertion
into the bill organizing the Territories of NeSMexco
and tab ofary clause prohibiting Slavery on the ground
that such prohibition entirely useless and supe-
rerogatory Slavery he argued was excluded from
those territories by the law of God by the climate sol
and geographical characteristics Such prohibition
would be idle as it respects suy eiiectt would have
upon the territory; and would not take pains use
"lessy 10 rtafirm an ordinance Of nature, nor TO
enact the will of God | would put ia no Wllmo.
proyso for the mere purpose of taunt or reprOach
Il would put into it evidence of the votes Of a
periOr power exercised for purpose but to wound
the pride, whether just and rational pride or an
irrational pride of the citizens of the southern States
49,. propose to in1ict no such wound upon any
body, unless something essentially important to the
country and efficient to the preservation OF liberty
and freedom is to be effected. Sir, ,cierersr
theYe Is substantial good to be done, WHEREVER
"THFRE Is \ FOOT or LAND TO BE PREVENTED FROM
"BECoMING SLAVE TERRITORY, AN READY To AR
| "REsT TIE PRINCIPLE OF THE EXTENSION OF
SLAVERY. lam piedged 10 il from the year 1887;
hare been pledged to II again and again; AND | WILL
/ "PERFORM THOSE PLEDGES but | will not do thing
unnecessarily that wounds the feelings of others, or
| that does dscredit to my own understanding" SO
spoke Mr. Webster in his famous 9TH of March speech
Ard what is the return which the shareholders now
make for all this tenderness for their feelings this ex
cessive complasaDce, this sacrifice of principle po
liteness this hesitation to wound their pride by re-
/ enactng the will OF God That which Mr.. Webster
/ was willing to coEcede out OF extreme good breeding
and excessive good nature, they clutch at as bare
concession of their right; and the principle of the
prohibition of Slavery being thus abandoned, they
boldly claim that Mr.. Webster has tied up his own
lands and has so far stultifed himself as to have
bound himself by leaving New Mexico and Utah open
to the Shareholders, to lay bare Nebraska also to
similar invasion!
Unfortunately, Nj. Webster is not here to reply to
this unexpected deduction by which his acts and
are thus urged to upset his professions and his solemn
and reiterated verbal pledges. Would to God that he
were here For, though betrayed by that false Deli
lab of a low ambition for place, his hair shOrn his
eyes put out and set to grind for his ancient enemies
the Pbllistines, by this time surely his strength
would have returned again and as he clasped and
shook the pillars of their banquetng house. what
palOr would seize those who yentured thus to make
sport of him Mr.. Webster is not here. But he has
left friends and representatives behind him. and what
DO they say to this to which his votes
proposed to be put Does Mr.. Everett, does Mr.
Eliot the late Representative from Boston who voted
for the Fugitive Slave law and the other Compromises
of lc5O-dO ell the euogsts of Mr.. Webster, clerical
and lay consent to this which the shareholders
now propose to make of bin and his votes If motif
they do not choose to be set down the secret allies
the substantial nsgators of this new attempt to ex
tend the area of Sayery-it is time for them to be up
and doing Mr. Everett need not suppose that speech,
riyaling in untimely politeness that of Mr Webster
and votes 30 far he voted at all entirely on the side
of the shareholders, will serve to free him from this
suspicion. Nor will the compassionate aid By way Of
certificate, extended by some gallant Senators who
seem to have regarded Mr.. Everett somewhat in the
light Oft sick GIRL and as such entitled to their
protection suffice to lift him out of the dust in which
he now lies grOyeDg at the feet of the shareholders
Something more will be necessary TO free Mr. Everett
from the suspicion Of being in heart at least if he had
but the courage to ayOw it, an ally and instigator of
President Pierce. And so of Mr.. Eliot He need not
think TO whewash himself by the mere formality of
presiding at meeting to protest against the repeal of
the Missouri Compromise And so the whole Silver
Gray party the Nebraska bill passes their silence
Will be taken for consent and the indignant public of
the North will justly hold them responsible as aiders
and abettors.
Very similar to the position of the Silver Grays is
that OF the entire northern Democratic party So
called Should the Nebraska bill pass, there will be
at least this comfort about tit will strip the wolves
of their sleeps clothing ard will portray in letters so
big that those who run MAJ read the true character of