New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-23
A WORD TO SOUTHERN MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS.

ettCgnl of the SOUTHERN MtWVtA' va N"4oA 'S'i '
No tale into account their high and keen sense OF per
sopel loror. it seems difficult 20 imagine that they
sbouN not shrink with instructive horror from any pro-
posl come from what quarter it might, to rePudlae
r ancient and deliberate bargain the binding force
az which has been recognized aud acknowledged ten
Thousand times over and the entire consideration Tor
which has been already received and enjoyed Without
srpealnr TO southern honor or southern ehiyalry Il
W uld seem to require only very no1erae portion OF
that ordinary and every day quolity known among as
s,uulc citizens OF the North common honesty pre-
vent he better ofhe southern Members ofCODgreis
from ether themselves setting foot any such fraud
uleut scheme or from allowing anybody else to set 1t
on foot for them And yet strange as it may seem to
fLose who look only at the outside OF things, il is the
concurrent report OF all who familiar with the facts
that out of Texas hardly single southern Member Of
Congress Will bo found 90 vote against the repeal Of tie
Missouri Restriction. Remarkable phenomenon this!
Wonderful upauimity OF southern Members Of Con
gress never exhibited except upon questions involving
the interests of sayeholding and until quite recently,
cot seen even upon such questions
When cid it happen we should like TO ask that any
body proposed any injustice or supposed injustice to
tie South when did it happen that anybody proposed,
we do not say to violate but to evade the fdment 20
the utmost letter Of any bargain or supposed b'rgaa
with die South, especially if that bargain happened 70
be in favor of Slavery that plenty OF northern Mem
hers of Congress did not leap indignant FROM their
seats TO protect in the lOudest and most pathetic terms
against any such iniquy How many generous north
EN- men submitted in silence, though The blood OF
seoDy all the while oOzed drop by drop rom their para
lived tongues, TO the torture of the Fugitive Slave
Law resOlute all the while like the boy Of Sparta to
give no sign of what they suffered; all because they
believed tlat the Fugitive Slave Law was nothing
more than VIVA. the shareholders might right
fully demand under the compromises of tho
Constitution
And Low see what return we get co. all this. Not .
sreIe southern Member Of Congress except those
from Texas to vote against tie repeal of the Missouri
Compromise And mark the reason too which they
have the GOODNESS to offer for th repudiatng base
ness which even such a man Dir Benton has the
coolness TO offer il indeed there was not as we
pect lille ofiroRy in VIVA. be sid on ths subject
a reason adding insult to injury such a. might mutually
enough be expected from Mississippi ropudator, bus
couing IOm those who profess to hold to the doctrine
Of paying debts and fulfilling contracts quite unntel-
pille OF least 10 cursory Observers
We could not ourselves have moved in this matter,
cay tie southern Members Of Congress- we could not
in onor or Justice have proposed anything of the sort
but if the North Voluntarily Offers US the repeal Of the
Missouri Compromise it won't be expected that we
should refuse to take it. Perhaps not. But then We
can tell what can be expected and what will be aud IS
expected. Among us at the North, if man druokon
or dishonest servant coming at midnight offers to cell
in his masters name, to his nCxC-doOr neigh5or for
,ttle of whisky, set Of valuable silver spoons we do
expect in such cases that before completing tie pur
chase our noishLor viii take Little time and trouble
to ascertain if the person Offering the spoons has any
authority to sell them. To complete the bargain and
take tie spoons while the owner lay fast asleep in his
bed wholly unconscious OF what going on and with
cut any opportunity to know It, would be esteemed one
OF those csses in which the receiver is bad the
thef-nay, worse because if there were no receiver
there would be no thief
To vote for the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise
and to aid by his vote in carrying that repeal is what
no southern Member Of Congress ever can do wth
honor Tie very furthest that 10 could go with hoaor
would be TO abstain from voting at all Ii majority
of tie northern Members OF Congress could be found
base CROUCH TO vote for the repeal Of the Missouri
Compromise il might be said vi b some plausibty that
tie southern Members were under no obligation to
come to the aid of the minority. But for southern
Members TO assist by their votes in carrying the repeal
against tho majority of tie northern Members, would
he 10 take upon themselves the whole responsibility of
the act, since but for their cooperation the
would not have been carried
This surely is too plain TO be questioned by any rea-
solable nsn aud yet in the face Of all ths comes tae
iterated report from WasLington-Al the southern
Members al at least but two three couutelupon
as certain TO vote for ills repes Should such prove
to be the case. which we VIII never believe. to
some Of those Members from tue South who call them
selves Wligs til we see their nsmes recorded in the
fatal list of eas but should such prove TO be the
this unanimous rascality only be accounted Tor
having been produced by or the other, OF perhaps
by the joint operation OF tgo causes, neither al them
particularly creditable to the parties concerned.
Tie relation Of masters and slaves is such that as is
well enough understood no master feels himself under
any very strict obligation to keep promise made to
slave. In fact slavehOljng from beginning to end,
iss system of liquidation; aud no wgndeE that those
who begin with repudiatng the Declaration OF lnde.
pendenee and the Rights Of Man should but little
binding fore il their own word, no matter how sol
emily pledged and ratified BY no matter how many
acts of Congress Why should the white slaves OF the
North expect TO have faith kept with them any more
than with the black slaves ofthe South Whasbusiness
have We Of the North to complain that tie savhol e-s
fow the same rule in thcr couluc: toward Us which
We encourage them to follow AMI sustain them in f,
lowing toward their own labOTng population How ab-
surd in us after doing best help our southern
brethren 70 hSnsh from their hearts every suggestion
Of justice and honesty to ask Of them justice or hoa