New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-17

RfFan play hlLl 70 tisL ie1l II iVs
peaIi.g the Missouri Ce-s.c--ise.
Get thee glass eyes" is what the mad King Learez
claims in the play
= 'o-' tsss s,-s' eyes
10 see ths Liz tlsu iost a07-
which very piece OF advice Mr. Douglas seems to have
had in lis mind while getting up Lis speech in defense
of Lis bin pretending to see in the COnprOnise OF
1850 the whole th.og already done to lis had. This
is very easy trick for scur7y politicians but whether
Mr.. Douglas, or even Mr Pierce with al the force OF
Federal patronage 70 back lin, vii be able TO pa,
cas ewes ito tie heads of all the honest voters OF the
North. is not altogether SO certain.
The LAYING aside all pretsnse5 even Of decent h.
rocrisy-tLe stripping oil King Lear Of tie last sem
b!ances and outward Happings Of royalty-was dan
cerous experiment. Il drove the old man mad, 20 be
sure: but II frst opened bis eyes and made him fully
understand as well the true character OF those whose
houied batteries had seluced him 10 bis ruin,
&c Of those kents aLl Coydllias whose honest:
truth aid simple frmness had 80 unfortunately
FOX himself lost them Lis confidence And this latter
result-that, We mean, Of opening tie eyes Of the
North-win lie likely to follow, we think, with orr
modern Conerils and Rsgans The North, we are To-
clned to believe, will be apt now ct last to open its
eyes to complete understanding OF their character
The oyertrustirg or over careless North has been
quite too free handed generous in its concessions
as well to its own politicians to tie South But TO
make generous careless concessions is thing
to lie c Gated deluled put to sleep in the OF
Delilah. and then bound and robbed, quite another
We sIal be entirely mistaken if oil this does not
drive tie North into pitch of excitement far more
formidable to the persons and to the institutions which
viii become tie objects Of it, than any madness Ike
flat Of King LeaTs, because it viii be the energy
Of strong uan reused, lot the wild vehemelce OF
dotard.
There is ore thing about this matter 10 which, as
appreheud, the politicians Washington and else
where, whether scuryy or otherwise have not given
sufficient attention. II seems to be quite common
opinion among them, not Oly that Douglass Nebraska
bin, or Kansas and Nebraska bill or by Whatever
other title or titles tha, changeatle Proteus is naly
to he known nay not only be passed but safely passed.
ana that once passed tie North, after little grum
bling, will modify aud at las. even cheerfllly ac
quiesce Everybody who went for or submitted to
tie Compromise of 1850 is counted upon sure, in
the end however they may cry out against it just
now, at least to submit to this move OF Pierce
and Douglas But this calculation wholly overlOOks
the great, the total difference of circumstances
in respect to these two matters. We will grant for
the sake of the argumentthough the point as to sew
eral Of the parties concerned might admit OF great
deal of dscussioDtut for the sake OF the argument
we will grant that the motives Of the individual pOlti-
clans BY whom the Compromise Of 1880 was gOtup aud
carried through better than those OF Messrs
Douglas and Piercotha' Is to say purely and trans
parently selfish But then, that Compromise would
not have been carried through without the consent
ard support OF a majority Of the northern voters.
| And what was it that induced that majority TO give
their consent and support Was it because they
thought the terms Of the Compromise fair and just
Was il because they had fallen in love with Slavery,
and were anxious 70 turn slsyecatchcrs The success
of the funies of the slave power in enforcing tae
Fugitive Slave law does not look much Ike that Olt
of Pennsylgauia or even Pennsylvania included, how
many slaves have been recovered under it, and at
what cost to the public and the claimants Was it
because the people of the North like those OF Virginia.
were al cccseeker aud expected to be paid for their
hcquiescence by some good place with higher price
still for their open advocacy Everybody knows that
the support obtained at tie North for the Compromise
measures and especially the most unexpected and as
tcnshing support given 20 the Fugitive Slave Law,
body of sincere religious, conscientious men, whose
good faith cannot be called in question-everybOdy
knows that this unexpected and astounding support
was solely given because those who gave it sincerely
believed as they were tod-rst, that the provisions
Of the Constitution required them to give IT, aud sec
ondly that % refuse it would endanger the Union.
PeTlaps they were mistaken in both these PARTICULARS.
We thought so then we said SO then and we think aud
saw the some thing now But there great mass
ofintellgent and conscientious men who saw the mat
ter in different light and who acted accordingly; and
il was their support alone which made those measures
20 down as they did Wanting that support they would
not have passed without raising an instantaneous pO-
! litical wbirwind.
Have Messrs Douglas snd Pierce any righttO expect
for their new scheme OF total concession the support
Of these men Even Mr. Douglass glass eyes per-
hsps cracked if not indeed little shiyered, by the
vigorous blows dealt by bis opponents IN the Senate,
have Lot thus far been able at least to knowledge
to discover in the Constitution any special and positive
Injunction to pass this bill and if the Union lately
saved is again so speedily in danger pray tell who
the authors of that danger are if not Ir Douglas Ar.
Pierce and their fellow plotters against the public
peace and the rights Of the North The rights Of the
North-no that is term Of description quite too mar
row-we ought TO say tie rights OF mankind-the
/ rights Of the world-the rights and the hopes Of 30
many thousand longing hearts in Europe which look to
our unoccuped western territories for comfortable
/ homesteGds in 8 free land-territores which these
patry plotters for the sake of some little vain person
al advantage to themselves are seeking to convert into
prison-house for slaves an range tor shareholders
Il L. -ol