Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-11-24
THE WAsHINGTOH UNION AND THE
sJUSTE MELIEU"-THE HARDs, THE
SOFTs, AND THE SLAVERY QUEs-
TION-NEw YORK AND KANSAS.

# SIT ASs AND IN SOES-
TION-NEW YORK I'M
The readers Of the Sentinel are well aware
Of the pains we have taken with the Union;
how we have rebuked it when it went astray,
commended it when it did well, and cautioned
it against its b~esetting sin.
The b~esetting sin, or, We should rather say,
weakness of the Union, is a too facile DISPOSE
ton, or want of steadfastness-a want of FAITH
as 1t oere in Democratic principles.
Losing sight Of the mightiness of truth, and of
the fact that it assuredly will prevail, the Union
ever and anon seems disposed to try temporary
expedients, as the Wings do, instead Of standing
uncompromisingly by Democratic principles.
Though bellicose in its tone, the Union is
easily alarmed, and is then disposed to "split
the difference with the adversaries of the
Constitution and the Democracy.
Did we not know the Union so well, we
would say it was "fshy" or unsound on more
than one of the prominent questions of the
day. We believe, however, the reason of the
Union is convinced. It's fault is, 1T WANTS
FAITH.
- ne CHtOU Is UNtr auAlOuS, LOO, IOT SuCCtSS
1t is so anxious for the success of the Federal
Executive, that it forgets occasionally the De-
mocratic doctrine that "the Federal Union was
brought into being by the ratification Of the
Constitution by sovereign, Independent, and
separate States. 1t loses sight of the rights
of the States in the interest it feels in the Fed
eral Executive. This centripetal p%roclivity it
is which accounts for the fact that the Union,
oftener than its friends would desire, is found
in close alliance with those who do not appre-
ciate the conservative anti-consolidating doc
trine Of State-rights, or, approaching, disregard
ii.
The absorbing interest felt by the Union in
the success Of the Federal Executive, together
with the anxiety naturally arising from a want
of faith, has led it so to act as doubtless with
out intending it) to sacrifice principle to expe.
diency.
This should never be. The mission Of the
Democracy is to maintain and advance its prin.
ciples, and to accomplish this it has long ago
announced that the success of men shall not
stand in the way Of the triumphant march OF
those principles.
When principle is sacrificed to expediency,
and success thereby gained, it is the defeat Of
principles and a victory of men.
A sound principle may have, for a particular
quarter, a rough edge. Now If that rough edge
be smootbed of for expediency's sake and sue.
cess follows, il is not the success Of the prin-
ciple, but the success OF the men who defaced
the principle. The defaccrs Of the principle
gain while the principle itself loses.
The vast number OF those halters between
opposing opinions, who style themselves, or
hope TO be STYLED by others, GOLDEN MEAN
xES-juste melieu men, are nothing else than
compromisers cfprineiph.
We caution the Union against the golden
mean, or jnste melieu. II is a very quagmire
TO engulf principle. The " juste mehelt' is thus
happily illustrated by Lafayette FIVE and six
are equal TO nine, says one five and six are
equal 10 eleven, says another-no, adds "jusfe
melieu," FIVE and six are equal to ten.
On The other hand, we recommend to the
Union TO give but little heed to the alarmist
CRY Of Southern eztreBuists, set afoot by 50 call.
ed conservatives, such as our respectable
contemporary the National LateHigenceT.
Southern principles are constitutional princi.
plies, and, If a principle be sound, he who
abides by it at all hazards, and to the last ez-
tremity is the best, safest, and most conserva-
tive man.
The National bteHigeneer we consider the
great exemplar, in this age and country, Of the
juste melieu. We doubt II II would like to ven.
ture on the expression, "Black is black" with.
ont the qualification, shut not rery black"
The Iateligencer considers Northern fanati,
cism the REFLEX Of Southern fanaticism; or, in
other words, that Northern extremists are de-
Tending themselves against the aggressions Of
Southern extremists. This, il may be. is the
way the hteligencer (which claims 10 be
aS0uthern in principle and feeling God save
the mark ! is splitting the difference between
its southern friends and northern strangers.
The Union should let no solicitude il NAV
feel, to secure the good opinion Of the LateHi.
oencer, warp its course for IL it ever gets the
lnteVigencer TO 90 so far as to say that "the
Union is a clever fellow" it will assuredIy be
with the qualification, shut not a Ucry clever
fellow" At the best this would be but faint
praise, and to praise family is but to damn,
10 damn GESrEELY, we admit, J,a pet to damn.
Though we have felt impelled, from a sense
of duty, as public journalists, to condemn from
time TO time the divergencies Of the Union from
the straight and narrow path which it becomes
good Democrats TO pursue, We have never
thought, except it may have been momentarily,