Washington sentinel., 1854-03-29
AGITATION.

Our experience of public affairs is not very
tentive to passing events with the hope of
gathering useful information. In the mean
time one idea has impressed itselfvery potently
on our mind, even if our enemies should say
that that idea had singular fortune.
What we refer to is this: When men under
take to foretell, they Immediately bestir them
selves to vindicate their prophesy. This dis
position prevails in private life; and none but
blind men can fail to perceive il, plain as the
MONDAY sun, in public life and amongst pub
lie men,. In both cases prophesy is regarded
as personal committal, which demands every
wish if not every effort to vindicate itself. We
one had foretold that the priest of his parish
would die and that he preferred that death
should overtake his priest rather than his pro-
phesy should turn out to be false.
This trait Of human nature has never been
so strikingly and forcbly illustrated to us as it
has been recently by the enemies Of the Ne.
braska bill. In the beginning they avered
that the proposition to repeal the Missouri coni-
promise, in accordance with the principles Of
the compromise of 1850, would excite agitation
and renew the feeling of sectional hostility.
That was the first, leading, and most promi
nent objection of the decent and respectable
opponents of the bill-of the men and of the
presses which gave force and consideration to
the opposition. Now we find that these very
men are straining every nerve to create and
arouse the agitation they pretended to foresee.
With armed hands they are seeking the life of
the priest whose death they had foretold.
Is such course manly? Is it patriotic?
Is it honest9 Men may differ in opinion, but
for ourselves we say that one answer only can
be given to these questions. No man Of ordi.
nary intelligence, who reads the public jour
nails, can have failed to perceive that agitation
has received its chief encouragement, and all
as espectaJility, from the very sources which
at first opposed the Nebraska bill because they
deprecated the agitation it would produce.
BY their insane course they have encouraged
the Milwaukee rioters TO emulate the Syracuse
outrage; by their insane course they have
urged weak men to violate the Constitution
and violate the law.
Ifthese smoothed-tongued praters for peace
and quiet had really been in earnest, they
would not have pursued line of policy which
was calculated to interrupt the peace and dis
turb the quiet of the country. On the con-
trary, they would have labored to disappoint
their own fo;ebodings they would have la
bored to preserve that peace and maintain that
quiet which they pretended to regard SO highly,
by rebuking and resisting instead of fomenting
the passions and furthering the views of fac
iious agitators.
1t is an old maxim that all is fair in war.
Some men think that all is fair in politics. But
We hold a contrary opinion. Whilst We pretend
to no knowledge of military matters, we do pre-
tend to some knowledge of political affairs, and
Of the rules which should regulate public con-
duct. Our pretensions may be ill,fonnded, but
we hold that morality, that justice and right,
oil demand that every one give his whole
strength to sustain a rightful law, TO carry
through proper enactment and to break down
unreasonable and impure opposition. 10 tol.
crate vice is to sanction it; but it is far worse
when federation leads to completely.