The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-08-30
WILL THE UNION BE DISSOLVED,

Those who threaten, and those who believe,
that the dissolution of the Union viii necessa-
riy follow the election of President by the
Republican party, have certainly never at
tempted to analyze the subject, and therefore
could not give any rational account of the man
ner in which the important change contempla-
ted in our political system is to be effected.
They viii not pretend that a majority Of the
Southern people would madly rush out of the
Union at the simple announcement of the cleo
ton of Mr.. Seward or Mr.. Chase to the Presi-
dency. Those gentlemen are in every way
legally eligible to the highest Office in the gift
of the People, as some four or FIVE millions of
their countrymen are. They are native-born
citizens Of the United States, and have attained
to the age of thirty-Gve years, and these are
the only constitutional requisites. If in addi-
ton to these qualifications, one of these gen.
tlemen has the confidence of constitutional
majority of the People, majority of the elect
oral colleges-expressed in the legal and proper
way, there is no earthly reason why he should
not quietly step into office; and not even a Pro
Slavery casuist, unless he be of the Atchison
and Stringfelow school, can assign a reason
why the South should object to it. The Anti
Slavery President will therefore be quietly
clothed with all the power and patronage of the
Federal Government, with the entire acquies-
cence of the Southern States. He will in all
probability receive constitutional majority OF
fifty votes in the electoral colleges-that is to
say, the votes of all the free States, except
California. The Buffalo Express even sets
down California on the side Of Freedom, but
on no probable grounds, as we think. We have
much greater hopes of Delaware and indeed
we see no reason why that almost free State
should be dragooned into the support of the
Slavery Propagandists. The friends of Free
dom there have only to take manly ground at
once on the Republican Platform, discarding
Know Nothingsm, to insure victory. But this
by the way.
We proceed to show how free Government
in Washington will "work." The Government
will be installed on the 4th of March, 1857, at
the end of the short session of Congress.
There can consequently be no Congressional
"agtation," and no legislation, until the fol-
lowing December, or say January, 1858. Hence
the South will have nothing to complain OF, and
nothing to warrant or make secession desira-
ble The distribution of Executive patronage,
whether it be on proscriptive or tolerant prin-
ciples, will furnish no such justification, be-
cause prescription has for many years been the
policy of all Administrations and although it
has caused a great deal of heart-burning
among politicians, we have never heard it used
as an argument for disunion. So far from
this being source Of embarrassment, it will,
if judiciously used, be the talisman which will
charm away the evil spirit of discord from the
land
Look at it! Here is the District of Colum-
bia with at least fifteen hundred officials, whose
salaries will average one thousand dollars per
annum.
We put the question to Southern men, if
they can doubt the influence of fifteen hundred
officials, with million and half of dollars to
spend, upon a community like Washington
Then there are other millions to spend in the
public buildings, and in payment for various
jobs and contracts, which cannot fail to give
any Government influence, immense influence,
however disinterestedly the money is dsbursed.
Every mans common sense will teach him this,
and we spurn the imputation of demagoguism,
that we favor misuse Of the public funds for
corrupt purposes. But we repeat, that the dis
bursement of the money! million and hall
to fifteen hundred officials, and some two OF
| three millions more to contractors-cannot fai
| to have immense effect in favor of Freedom
| 1t must be recollected that men naturally love
| the right; and they never swerve from it, ex
! cept when some powerful appeal is made u
the sefshness Of the heart. How powerful
| must be the influence of patronage, then, wher
| it incites men to give utterance to the HOLES
| impulses of the heart, and at the same time
| frees them from the fears which now smothe
their sentiments! Nothing but despotic power
or the mercenary love of place and its emolu
ments, can make men the advocates of a sys
TEN so odious as Slavery; and when the DIES
potism is overthrow, the temptation removed
and inducements held out in the opposite diret
ton the rebound of the mind is as natural a
the spring of the bow.
/ We therefore hazard nothing in saying, tha
with a Republican President in Washington
: the people of the city and District, the maj
p ity of whom are even now unfriendly to 81;
very, will abolish it themselves, either with {
without the aid of Congress. If the gre
body of the people here, acting on the prime
pie of Squatter Sovereignty" demand ema
. cipation, of course the South will have no rig
. to object; and the Democratic Party, Nor
j, and South, will be bound to sustain them in
i, We shall then expect to see the Washingt
Union (should it survive the loss of Cover
9 ment patronage) become the clamorous a
vocate of giving to the people of the d
trict the right to abolish Slavery within
limits. We have no doubt that a Republic
Congress and President will accede to so r.
sonable demand, and that material ali
will be given, to carry out the wishes of
!. people. In other words, that the Federal CT
eminent will offer to pay for the slaves, if {
people wish to get rid of them.
IN We look for similar results in the Territori
I'd Though the patronage Of the Federal Cove
ia ment in the Territories bears no proportion
he that which it possesses here at the seat of G
bo eminent, it is still considerable in amount,
h. potential in its effects. When applied to o
ha rate on the side of the natural and higher
Of stincts of humanity, it cannot fail to turn
scale. Even Kansas notwithstanding the Il
No porary triumph of the slave interest, thror
* outside lawless influence, will thus be brou
- i Io..a.I L,roodo,,, NTH al,,,,nt