The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-08-20
From the New York Evening Post
THE COMBINATION AGAINST GOVERNOR
WALKER.

How far the impossibility of foreseeing and
ascertaining precisely the time of ones death
is an advantage, or the reverse, has been a SUBJ
Ject OF frequent controversy among morasts !;
but the favorite conclusion is, we believe, that
Providence has kept US from the date of the
most certain of all future events for benefcent
purposes.
The principal ground upon which this view
Is sustained, is, that it preserves mans free
agency to the latest moment of his life: for till
then, he has just about as strong expectations
of living for an indefinite period of time as he
ever had, and retains, therefore, to the last, the
freedom of his will.
We have been led into this train of medta-
ton In our search for clue to the effect which
Senator Toombs's speech in Georgia, the other
day, is likely to have upon the future deport-
ment of Governor Walker.
Toombs, enacting the part of an avenging
Nemesis, rather than of benignant Providence,
fixes the period within which Walkers official
existence is to terminate at a day quite close at
hand, and he makes the communication in such
a way as to leave the Governor but little room
to hope for an extension"
He thought" says the report, which we
quoted at length on Thursday, "that if Walker
came up to be ratified, he would then be de-
prived of the power of effectual opposition y
that is to say, if the Governor did not resign,
or, in other words, take his own life, politically
speaking, the Senate would take it for him as
soon as his nomination came before them.
which, of course, would be Immediately after
the assembling of Congress.
Senator Toombs would not be likely to an.
nounce such purpose, bad he not ascertained
that there was strength enough, with the aid
OF the Opposition, TO execute it. His speech,
too, appearing simultaneously with Senator
Mason's letter, which revealed similar pur
pose on his part, and the incessent cannona
ding Of the Charleston Mercury, hetrays con.
cert of action among the nulli6erA which must
result in the rejection of Walker, if he allows
his name to come before the Senate, unless he
Is able and willing to do something to regain
the confidence of the alienated fire-eaters
In view of these facts, and the certainty that
his official days are numbered in case he ad-
heres to the course he marked out for himself
it becomes an interesting subject of speculation
to divine, if possible, the effect of such reve-
lation upon the mind and conduct of the Gov
ernor OF Kansas. Will he repent, or make friends
OF the Msmmon of unrighteousness2 Will the
intelligence destroy or modify his freedom of
will, and, If so, how? These are all questions
upon which it has occurred to US the expert.
ence OF sane man, who knew precisely the
day and hour when he would be required to
shake off his mortal coil, might throw consid-
cradle light. In the absence of any such illus.
tration, we must confne ourselves to study of
the tangled web of probabilities.
1t is too late, wo fancy, for the Governor to
recover the confidence of the fre.eaters. He
could never say or do anything which would
make the men who have maligned him 80 Bit
terly, take him again to their arms for it is not
fh0 ,ofr nF E.
does another person. The alternatives left him,
then, are to resign, or to do something which
will reconcile the Republican Senators to his
support. With their aid, he could undoubtedly
be confirmed; and without it, he as undoubt.
eddy cannot be- If he resigns in the face Of
the threats of the Georgia and Virginia Sena-
tors, it will be regarded as a cowardly deser.
ton OF duty, and injure him in public estima-
ton great deal more than a rejection by the
Senate. If he is rejected, on the other hand,
he will be left, as things at present stand with
out any party to rally to his support and avenge
him, for, by his Ephraimitish policy, he has
alienated his old friends, without conciliating
any new ones. IF he goes ont of office, there
fore, as things now stand, he goes out politi-
cally bankrupt-he Will have made failure,
and can show no assets. He must therefore
either make terms with the Free State party,
and secure the cooperation of their friends in
the Senate, or abandon the pleasant dream
which allured him to Kansas. Which will he
do?
We hope, at all events that if the Governor
finds he cannot attain the personal ends at
which he aimed, he will not forget that there is
historical position worth striking for, and yet
| within his reach. That will be worth more to
his children than to have sprung from the loins
of such President as be would make.