The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-07-04

I
| charge Of lunacy.
The case Of Thomas Dunlap was further post
poned until Friday next.
The Hard Shell State Convention aud the
Nebraska Question.
| The hard shell INSTRUMENTATION wing Of
the New York democracy hold their State Con-
vention at Syracuse, on, the 18th inst, for the
nomination of their State office candidates for
the November election, and for the purpose Of
building q new party platform, adapted to
recent and prospective events, and the pro
| gressive spirit OF the age.
The first question which is suggested in re-
ference to this convention, is the issue of ad-
hesion to or remonstrance against the Ne
braska bill Will the convention endorse the
course Of Wheeler, Maurice, Peck, Peckham
and Oliver, or wnl they quietly ignore the
anti-Nebraska manifesto Of these gentlemen,
and rally to the support Of Messrs. Cutting and
Walsh in behalf of the bill? The hard shell
organ Of this city, and others Of the same fac
ton in the interior, demand declaration in
favor Of the doctrine of popular sovereignty
as they call it, which may or may not involve
an approval of the repeal Of the Missouri com
promise. They may hit, at Syracuse, upon
some such ingenious and equivocal dodge, as
that Of the late administration State Con-
vention of New Hampshire--a milkand-
water endorsement Of the abstract prin-
ciples, without touching the direct question.
But Of all things let the hards, on this sub
ject, avoid miik-and-water policy. Let them
meet the issue and take their position, without
lodging, upon the repeal of the Missouri COM
promise, and upon its merits as question of
expediency, c0nstitutionality and public jus
tice.
| The New Hampshire administration dodgers
have set the example, which has found an echo
in Tammsny Hall, and which will most pro-
baby be adopted at the Van Buren, Soft Shell
Convention at Syracuse in September next
the example of Sinking the main question IN
der the Aimsy mask Of an endorsement of a
constitutional abstraction. The real issue to be
met is the repeal Of the Missouri compromise
| The wings of New York, hards and softs, and
factonists of all kinds, have met this issue face
to face. They declare that the repeal of the
Missouri compromise is frand, an impious act
of injustice, an outrage upon freedom and the
free spirit of the North and that the sacred
compact Of 1920, thus violated by political
hucksters and Presidential traders in 1854
must be restored. What say the hard she'll
democracy to this? We demur to any lodging
like that of the New Hampshire or Tammany
| Hall democracy We have from the first de-
clared. as we now repeat, that in our Judgment
the Missouri compromise was an unconstitu-
tonal act, and that the act repeating it is con-
stitutiond and proper. We care nothing for
the objects of the administration and its small
beer politicians, in their advocacy Of the
| bill in Congress and their lodging out
Of Congress. Holding to the position that
| il supersedes al unconstitutional law, we ap-
prove, not only the doctrine of popular
sovereignty as the Pierce democracy of New
Hampshire and Tammany Hall do, but we 90
further, and, because it falls back upon the con-
| stituton, we approve the repeal Of the Missouri
compromise.
! The letter, which we publish this morning,
from Mr.. James I. Brady, to Hon. Rufus W.
Peckham, sustaining his opposition in Congress
on the Nebraska bill, takes totally different
view of the subject. Mr. Brady's grounds of
hostility to the bill are those of the FIVE dissent
ing New York hard shells, which are substan-
TALLY the views of the New York Tribune,
the Evening Post, and the albany .aias, ex-
cepiing their respective opinions Of the id
ministration. If Mr.. Brady's opinions shall
prevail at Syracuse, the hard shells will repu-
date the bill repeating the Missouri compro-
mise in the most emphatic terms of disgust and
indignation. To this end, his letter, we pre-.
sumo, has been written; and in this view, in
connection with the attitude assumed and
maintained upon the question by Messrs.
Maurice, Oliver, Peek, Peckham, and Wheeler,
in Congress, this letter of Mr.. Brady will COM
mend itself to the deliberate consideration of
the delegates to the forthcoming convention.
An impression prevails among the admins
traiion spolsmen that this hard she'll conven-
bill No such fear, however, should deter the
advocates Of broad constitutional principles
from the approval of the repeal of the Missouri
compromise In so many words the only way
in which the hards can plant themselves upon
higher ground than the administration spoils-
men Of Tammany Hall, or New Hampshire, l. 10
meet the repeal of the Missouri restriction
without finching aud without lodging. Rely
upon IL, string Of weak, wishy -washy plati-
tudes, meaning any thing or nothing, upon the
ashton Of the Van Buren, school, will b.
adopted by the Tammany Hall faction at their
convention in September. They will shirk the
iss,Ne as the administration has shirked it out.
eide II Washington. The policy, then, oi the