Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-05-15

rus, cruel oppression and bloody prescription
become the order of the day, until the people
weary of their suferings seek protection from
| them all under Caesar, preferring the "dead
level of an Oriental despotism," to the une
quail exactions and diversified tyranny of this
many-headed monster Now, in this country
| the temptation and facilities for the formation
of such party, are SO great as to make It's ap.
pearance thing TO be feared and guarded
against. The fund which constitutes the OBJ.
ject of plumber is already great and daily
| growing to be enormous. Forty or fifty mil
! hons Of annual expenditure, soon to be in
creased, probably, as our country grows and
enlarges, to sixty or seventy millions, constitutes
fund which holds out great temptation to
those who may be disposed to struggle for 1t as
prize money. The facilities, too, for forming
such party, are by no means srall. 1t may
be combination of two particular interests,
1 to live upon exactions from third. Such
was believed, by some, to be the effect OF the
! old American system, which unitedthe manu-
featuring and internal improvement interests
against the agricultural. Or the combination
may consist OF two sections against third. Ii
the taxes are raised and expended unequally,
the majority, who control the government, may
be interested in swelling the public resources,
whose burden falls on part and whose bene-
fits are mainly appropriated to themselves.
Last and worst, the day may arrive when a
mere combination of office-holders, by means
of their numbers and superior organization,
may be strong enough to administer the gov
erment for their own particular benefit. Any,
or all of.these events, which are possible,
would destroy our popular institutions. What
has been our protection against this danger
heretofore2 1t has consisted in the publicity
of political proceedings. Parties were forced
to divide upon principles principles which
looked, or proiessed to look, to the good OF the
whole, and not of the part. Political issues
were thus forced to be broadly taken, and ar
gued upon general and generous views. The
one or the other party was wrong, of course;
but still the country could not be much injured
| by either; because, if the good of the whole
was really the object of pursuit, their measures,
when adopted by the government, would be
abandonded, if proved TO be injurious. The
people, too, are thus saved far it is possible
/ TO save them, from the selfish combinations of
which have been speaking. So long as po-
ltical action is public, they observe the fact if
men of opposite political opinion are suddenly
| found voting together and suspechng selfish
views, by sort ofinstinct of self preservation,
they are sure to strike at the combination.
But, destroy all this, convert the public meet
poses, and what is to save US from the domina-
tion of such party as that which have been
describing? There is the strongest temptation
for such action, and you remove the most effi-
cient restraint. The " fear Of He'll" says the
poet,
g Is the hangman's whip,
To hold the wretch in order.p
The same conservative influence is exercised
| by the fear of the retributiye justice admins
tered by public opinion. Within the secret
concave of this association, there can be no
such fear to restrain. The action of an indivi
dual and the very fact of his membership are
concealed. Individually, he is responsible to
the world for nothing. Before the public, there
is no such thing as individual responsibility, or
opinion, within the whole hosts of the Order.
All must obey the edict, all must vindicate the
opinion, when once it is determined upon.
Here the disappointed ofice.seeker may hide
his bushes under the shades of secrecy and of
| night, as he drives the perfect bargain, by
which his principles are to be bartered away for
renewed hopes OF the prize, which be failed to
seize before. Here, too, combinations for the
most selfish and dangerous purposes may be
formed, without the fear of punishment or de-
lection. IL they do not exist now, will any man
say that they may not be soon expected, with
such temptations and facilities for their torma-
ton? Permit me, fellow citizens to expose
the dangers of such an association, by an Illus
tration, which | think ought TO strike every one.
We have seen that the action of the last Con-
gress upon the Nebraska bill, severed the Wing
party North and South. For the repeal of the
Missouri restriction, not one vote was given by
Northern Wing. The Southern Wings, very
properly, refused to act as party with such
confederates. If there are men amongst them,
or elsewhere in the South, who prefer Office to
the peace and safety OF their States, and who,
feeling that the anti-slavery sentiment is pre-
dominant in the free States, which constitute
the majority in the government would be will
ing to unite with them in order to secure their
own personal interests, still, they would not
dare to seek such an alliance, whilst political
action is open and public.
Such man would be afraid to do so, he
would fear the public opinion of the South, the
censures Of nearly all, Whig and Democrat,
and the scorn Of his fellow citizens, who would
regard him as renegade and traitor. But
adopt this contrivance of a secret political as
sociation, and how easy may it be for such per-
sons TO effect their purposes. The union may
be formed, and yet none can know 1t, except
those who are bound TO vindicate it. If this
association fails in its objects, the world is none
the worse for it; if it succeeds, they win the
golden prizes of Office and power, for which
they are willing to risk much more perhaps
than they have put in peril. Then, upon this
dangerous question of slavery, the South would
lose one of its great defenses, and lose the
power to enforce the united action Of her sons.
What, after all, has been our chief security in
the fierce agitation of this question? Has it
not been in the timely warning which was
given us, by the publicity Of political proceed
ings7 If dangerous anti-slavery agitation,
sprang up at the North, 1t was open and public.
The conservative press of the country took the
matter il hand, aud an opportunity was given
for exchanging sentiment between the different
sections; and the consequences of such mea-
sures could be pointed out, and thus, even in
the most excited state of the public mind,
an opportunity afforded for the sober second
thought of the people to come to the rescue.
But now, large masses may be secretly com
mitted to the most dangerous opinions, and
the men may be selected to carry them out,
without time for previous warning, or expostu-
laton, so that opposing sections may be sud