The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-09-22
Old whig Talk.

With great force and justice, the New
York Courier and Enquirer urges that the
concurrence, which has been generally ex-
pressed by the newspapers and political
conventions of the South, in the usurpations
of the Missourians, has greatly diminished
the hope once entertained by many National
men, that common ground would yet be
found on which the whole difficulty could be
adjusted. The Courier adds:
1t raised at once the new issue, Shall the
spurious Kansas legislature be recognized as
legal body 2 This question must inevi- |
tably come before Congress at the earliest
period of the next session, and, there is
every reason to fear, will put that body in
frame of mind in the highest degree unfa-
vorable to the dispassiOnate discussion which
the subject, in its other aspects and connec
tions, demands. The next Congress, at its
first session, which commences in little more
than three months, unquestionably has it in
it's power to do a great deal toward avefting
the evils of a sectional canvass for the next
Presidency. The restoration of the Compro-
mise would surely have that effect. We
have urged the necessity of this from the
outset, but we have learned too much from
past experience to be very confident that the
justice and expediency of this step will be
recognized and acted upon. 1t will, how
ever, be grievous mistake to calculate upon
the National sentiment of the North as a
safeguard against the sectional contest that
will otherwise follow. Southern Senators
cannot too distinctly understand this. 1t
has become the conviction of a great portion
of the original supporters of the Compromise
Of 1850, that the South has contracted
restless and innovating spirit, and that the
interests of the Union require that that
spirit should be faithfully dealth with, and,
when put into action, should be firmly re-
sisted. They believe that they see DISPOSE
ton at the South as well as the North, to re-
cede from the moderate and conciliatory
treatment of slavery observed by our faith
ers, and to widen the difference between the
two sections Of the country and they are
of opinion that it is as injurious to side with
the ultra-tendencies of the one, as with those
of the other. Pro-slayery legislation at the
Federal capital is as obnoxious to them as
abolition legislation; and if the South insists
upon giving the Federal sanction to things
as they now are in Kansas, they must pre-
pare themselves for sectional contest at the
Presidential election a year hence, which
avery true friend of the country must, with
all his soul, Ceprecate. Tt is not within the
range of possibility for those known as the
National men of the North to avert it. All
that they could do would be either to fold
their arms in inaction, or else to enlist for
a single right principle with men whose as
sociations they would otherwise utterly re-
pudiate. What the result of such a section
al contest would be, we know not. 1t would
depend greatly upon the personal character
and political connections of the candidate
selected by what is now known as the Re-
publican party. One thing is certain that
no avowed supporter of the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise can receive the vote of
single Northern State. If the party call
ing itself Republican do not select rrioder-
ate and reliable man as their nominee. ano-
Their anti-Nebraska candidate will surely be
brought into the field, and in all probability,
will receive the votes of a sufficient number
of Northern States to throw the election
into the House of Representatives. The
fierceness of the struggle that would ensue
there, as it is now constituted, would exceed
anything of the kind yet known to the his
tory Of the country and the finally success
full candidate would not carry with him to
the Presidential chair anything like the
moral weight he would have, if directly
elected by the people, and will be proper
tionably less able to cope with the exigencies
of the times We hope that the position Of
the National men of the North, and the
whole subject, in all it's bearings, will be
calmly considered by Southern Senators, and
that they will return TO Washington pre-
pared to adopt wiser policy than marked
their course last session.