The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-03-07
.wANT OF PLUCK"


WANT OF PLUCK"
The Washington correspondent ofthe New
York Express says that bitter complaints are
made by the Free-soil outsiders there Of the
want of ..pluck" exhibited by the opponents
of the Nebraska bill in the Senate They aver
,h.t IL one Northern Senator had exhibited
the proper spirit, the bill could have been de.
fa.ted. Upon this, the correspondent of the
Express says:
Undoubtedly there has been moro oil the lamb than
OF the lion In the opposition OF senators seward,
Chase Wade and Sumner. But this Iamb.like de-
porfmeut has been 30 long marked characteristic
of the senators and Representatives OF the North
10 excite no surprise. 1t has long been preroga-
live of the South dictate and OF the North to obey
high spirited, intrepid and thoroughly fearless
man b seldom elected to Congress from the North
Such men are not generally popular among the de-
scenden:s OF the Paritans. and consequently tney
do not elect them to office. Tristan burgess and
VIM Duer were the last survivors in Congress OF
the old race OF undaunted men OF the North. OF
which Alexander Hamilton, Rufus Ming, Roger
Griswold and De Wit Clinton were iliustrious ex-
amples. Imagine for one moment Mr.. Ioomos or Mr..
Anybodyelse presumug TO address De WIN Clinton
In the manner and language he recently adopted to-
wards VIM. II. Seward. The idea to redicuious-
Gen. Washington himself would not have dared to
charge him with perjury. Yet Mr. Toombs hung
this charge in the teeth Of Governor Seward In the
open Senate and the latter made net the slightest
show OF resentment; and worse than all, after Mr..
Toombs had concluded. shook hands with him and
congratulated him on his speech!
Such pusillanilnity makes every Northern man,
who feels free ought to feel blush for the de-
graduation of his own section of the Union. But,
where 10 the remedyi Ay That's the question.
There can be no remedy but in a radical change by
temperament at the North. Northern men In Con-
f4ar mid fhnr
the peaceful burghers of London in the eleventh ceu
tury differed from the bold, feudal barons OF Nor
man blood who then lorded it with 90 high hand
over the realm OF England. Northern men speak
they speak as men having no authority. Southern
men speak very often without either TASTE learning
or ability, but at the same time with air and man
ner OF authority which carries and always will car.
~, weight with 1t. They are thoroughly in ear
nest and while they invariably over.awe the timid,
not unfrequently convince the more resolute OF
their opponents.
We differ from this correspondent in the
idea that Gen. Washington himself would
not have dared to charge VIM. H. Seward
with perjury. He could not but have thought
him perjurer, and if the occasion demanded
an expression of his opinion, he would have
been very apt to have said so.
But no indignity is thereby done to the
North or to the State which Mr.. Seward rep.
resents. 1t is the misfortune of New York
that he is her Senator. He is neither the ex.
ponent of her principles no. the representa-
tive of her character. Nor do we believe
that any disposition exists among Southern
representatives, as this correspondent seems
to think, to Overawe and intimidate the rep
resentatives of the North. With the fact
well known that these men have been edu-
Gated in society where public opinion is
irreconcilably opposed to the "code of hon
or, it would be the very essence of "pusil-
lanimity'' to address language to them which
would not be employed towards persons who
avowedly settle their wrongs by the wager
of battle" We think it will be found, that
Southern members, except in those cases
where resort to personalities is required,
either in selfdefence, or for the public good,
rarely employ discourteous language towards
their opponents. And it ought also to be re-
collected, that the South, in its controversies
with the North, is acting purely on the de-
fensive. and is constantly subjected to ag-
gressions and wrongs, which, if the North
were called upon to suffer, it would show as
little of lamb-like spirit as has ever been
displayed by the most pugnscious of South
ern representatives.
Such paragraphs as that we have quoted
from the Express, do great injustice, uninten-
tionally we are sure, to the representatives
and the people of both sections. If true,
both North and South would be race of
poltroons. the former kissing the hands that
smite it; the latter only daring to smite, be-
cause it knows it will not be resist ed.