The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-09-24
From the Springfield Republican, September - =
LET SECTIONAL AGITATION BE ALLAYED.

The President tells Prof. Slliman, in his SO.
help-me-God Kansas letter that it would be !,
work OF genuine philanthropy to assist him
(James Buchanan in allaying the existin .
sectional excitement on the subject Of SlaverS
which has been productive of much evil and n6
go0d.' Mr.. Buchanan makes several radical mis-
takes IN this matier-mistakes too often mada
by men who take the partisan press to be the
true exponent Of public sentiment A think kim
man, ard statesman above all. should be abl.
to go q little deeper. Taking Mr. Buchanan's
superficial view of the matter, we might sue
gest to him, if he were father, and could IN.
derstand the Illustration, that the parent who
gives turbulent and clamorous child every.
hing he asks, in order to preserve the peace OF
the family, does not act according to a YER,
WISE policy. The hammer and The looking
glass may satisfy the child for a while; but il
Is at least questionable whether it is best to
sacrifice the furniture in that way, and whether
he good temper of the child or the ultimate
peace and quietness of the household are Ekolv
70 be promoted by that mode of treatment. Mr.
buchanan, not being accustomed to fan;lv
government, might naturally fall into that mis-
take, II family should be suddenly extemno.
rized Tor him. de may honestly think that the
only way to promote the peace of the country
IL TO allow the noisy fre-eaters TO have tbei,
will with Kansas, to do the voting and law.ma.
king for It's people, imprison and hang it's set
tiers on trumped up charges of treason, burn
down its hotels and cabins, because the free
opinions of the occupants are considereS =
nuisance by some Judge Lecompte, and rob
the inhabitants generally by taxation without
representation. jeff. Davis and David r. Atch
lson and such like Democrats, can be quiet
ed for while, no doubt, by such concessions
that IS, TIL they want something else Of tbs
same sort.
But we will do Mr. Buchanan no Injustice
this is not the sectional agitation he is aimisa
at. 1t Is net the agitation against Freedom
that he asks Prof. Siliman and the clergymer
Of the North to aid him in allaying, but quit,
the reverse. The agitation got up by the FIRE
eaters for flibustering, and Slavery extension
and things of that sort, Mr.. Buchanan does no
object to. What he asks is, that when the fire
eaters make their attacks upon what have beer
heretofore considered the inherent rights O
American citizens, and rob, disfranchise o.
murder the freemen of the North in Kansas
the good people of the North should not ALLOW
themselves to be sectionally excited about il
but bear 1t all patiently on 'national' copsid
eraiions, and for the grand national object O
keeping the Democratic party in good condi
ton at the South.
Neither is it to be supposed that Mr.. Bucban
an has any reference TO the violation of N.
sacred Missouri compact, or any other act q
Pro-Slavery aggression by which the countr,
has been deeply agitated; nor the perver.ioi
of natural justice and the Constitution by tn,
Supreme Court, in depriving Northern men O
the rights Of Federal citizenship, and legalizins
chsttel Slavery in the entire national domain
nor to the present agitation at the South agains
the prohibition Of the slave trade. That agits
ton is presumed to be national, as it exists a
the only national end of the Union, and FOE
pre-emlnently national object If the PROPOSE
tion to legallzs the African slave trade-a trad
which the fathers declared piracy-should com