The Washington union., 1858-02-24
.AN APPEAL TO REASON BY THE NEW YORK
COURIER AND ENQUIRER.

IAN APPEAL TO REASON" BY THE NEW YORK
COURIER AND ENQUIRER.
1t is our habit to notice all extraordinary phenom-
ena, and hence embrace this early occasion to refer
to that most recent and inexpGcable effort of the
Courier and Enquirer-''An Appeal to Reason
The public will be struck with affair so novel,
but the Courier is echncait is only can appeal to
reason" and not reasonable appeal to the good
of the country. Is the Courier national jour
nal devoted to the Union of the States and to the
harmony of all its political interests, 1t is satisfied
that the South is aggressive; that preconcerted
and elaborately sustained effort is being made by the
slave States to subsidize the North and to bring it
to a recognition Of the institutions of the South Ii
is true the former has nearly double the population
Of tho latter, commands nearly all the avenues of
emigration from abroad, has large majority in
both branches of the national legislature, is the man
ufactrrer and capitalist of the whole country, fur
nishes nearly all its ships and seamcn, performs
nearly all its commercial business with foreign States
for which it is well paid. 1t is also true that the
great system of railroads which is spread over the
Union like net drawing us into common interests
and sympathies, and unfolding to all common
destiny, is SO constructed as to concentrate in the
great commercial capitals of the North nearly the
entire inland commerce of the nation. But what
does this signify to such humanarans and political
philosophers as control the columns of the New
York Courier and Enquirer? What if the North
is so fortunate to command, or be able to
command the political and commercial destnies
of the Union: should that interfere with the po
litical charatans who are fishing in the muddy
pool Of sectional strife for the pearls of power
and it's commissioner What if the North has
double the population of the South is that any guar
antee that the lesser part will not become the greater
the weaker the stronger? 1t is true such papers as
the Courier and Enquirer, whose claims to imbecility
are defeated by superior title to wickedncss and
folly have told again and again that all that is
progressive vital and permanent in industry all that
is moral and religious in society, and all that is wise
and conservative in government, originate in the
North. A blight and paralysis rest upon the slave
States and yet all this formidable array of power,
numbers wealth. industry, enterprise morals, and
ligion are about to be subdued by system whose
energies are in paralysis and whose labor is guar
antee of poverty and weakness
peal the Courier and Enquirer, to know if the
ducors of that journal do not feel that there is not
particle of foundation the least Justification for its
efforts to trick the two sections Of the Union into an
tagonism (?
Our ideas Of The offices and practical uses of the
American Union may not suit extreme men of any
party. Experience has, however, sufficiently de-
of o,,r ,,ol;t;cs
to be found in the recognition ofnorhcrn and south
ern aspects This error is radical and fundamental
it is the that gnaws at the roots Of the system
and whose effects arc witnessed in impaired circu-
lation decayed fruits, and premature DEATH We
have belief whatever in the existence of any real
ground for contention and strife between the north
crn and southern members Of our family Union
There are many men in the country who treat the
constitution species Of tllabe land whercon may
be planted every conceivable article Of vegetation
a kind of neutral ground devoted to experiments
instead Of the specific and defined for which it
was created 1t is easy to that such heresies
cannot fail to poison the very fountains of the pub
lie Judgment, and, if persisted in, lead to the
certain destruction of all our great interests
and to the overthrow of the constitution. All
history teaches us that those who entertain the
loosest notions of the obligations of political
covenants are strongest in their reliance upon
their poicer to maintain the existing order of
things. Hence we infer that the truest friends of
our constitution are those who are most sensitive
not only about the strict enforcement of every duty
enjoined by the covenants of union, but are the
most Jealous in efforts to aay sectional excitements
and every other possible causes of cstrangement be-
tween the parties to the federal compact
1t is question quite worthy of the study of the
political philosopher, whether the sentiment of
brotherhood is not more vital element of union
than the words Of the bond. IT. by the opinions Of
the American people, it should be decided that the
love of the constitution is the seal of its covenants
we submit that the which is pursued by such
oarnals as the Courier and Enquirer can be justi-
fled only upon the principle that the overthrow of
the government is demanded by sentiment of 10y
atty to d section
THE TRUE RULE.
s. d. Houston, esq, of Manhattan Kansas one
of the leading freeSate men there thus writes in
letter tn the Kansas Herald untler date of J,nu,ry