The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-12

all the compromises upon slavery since the or
ganization of the government are concentrated
in this Kansas question. Every intelligent reader
knows that but for the wise and conciliatory
policy upon this subject of slavery recommend
| ed by Dr. Franklin in the Convention which
framed our federal constitution, that Convention
was in danger of being abruptly broken up.
| 1t is well known that the issue of slavery
| threatened the destruction of the Union upon
the Missouri question. until the practical COM
promise was hit upon of admitting Missouri
and Maine, a slave State and free State to-
! gether. On the ether hand, the adjustment of
1850, with all its little compromises, amounted
| to nothing more than sectional armistice: and
| even as an armistice it met with formidable
and organized resistance in South Carolina
Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. With re-
gard to the Kansas Nebraska bill of 1854, it
was doubtless Presidential peace Offering to
the South from Mr.. Pierce and Mr.. Douglas; but
so far from operating as compromise in any
way, it has shivered to pieces all preceding
compromises upon slavery, both of party and
sectional character.
The first result from the Kansas-N Nebraska ex-
| pertinent was the destruction of the democratic
| party North its second result would have been
President elected by the Northern opposition
forces but for the Intervention of Willard Fill
more; the third result will be the disruption
| of the Southern democracy, or the most terrible
and the most mOmentous sectional agitation in
| the history Of the country. The question to
the South, as the slaveholding section, is
| the simple issue of life or death. If
Southern men unite, they may enforce
| the admission of Kansas as a slave State, and
thus maintain their prestige and their moral
weight as political balance of power, even
though, with the admission of Minnesota and
| Oregon, the substance be lost But if Southern
men are divided in Congress, their cause is
already lost, and their future destiny is that of
humble submission to the North, or the hazards
of open rebellion.
The decisive struggle cannot be much longer
evaded or delayed. Minnesota, with her State
organization perfected, and with her Senators
and representatives to Congress waiting impa-
tiently to be admitted, must be attended to-.
Oregon will be also on hand, perhaps with the
arrival of the next steamers mails from the
Pacific But Kansas is the overshadowing trou-
BILE; and we presume that all hands at Washing
ton, from the President down, are waiting the
| official returns of the late Kansas elections.
| The Lecompton constitution with slavery"
was ratified on the 21st of December by heavy
majority of the voters in that election; but the
free State party refused to participate in it, and
through the Territorial Legislature, another
election was ordered fer the 4th instant The
returns of that election will probably show
heavier vote against the Lecompton constitu-
ton than that which was cast for it on
the 2lst ultimo. In this event, the
Lecompton constitution will appear before
Congress, first, as having been ratified by the
people with the slavery clause and secondly, as
having been bodily rejected by the people,
slavery and everything else.
What the President may do in this emer-
gency we cannot undertake to say but as the
leading Presidential aspirants of his own party
in Congress appear to care very little what his
particular views may be upon any subject,
he would serve them right to lay all the facts
before them, and leave the whole responsibility
to them, where il Justly belongs. If he were to
do this. and express his readiness to acquiesce
in the decision of the peoples representatives in
Congress-whatever that decision may be-he
would leave all the little clques and factions to
free fight among themselves; for there could
be no complaint made of executive dictaton
from any quarter.
With the men of the South, however, there
can be no HiRching upon this issue, unless they
are prepared for an unconditional surrender to
the future tender mercies Of the North. This is
the last foothold and the last chance for that
balance Of power for which the South has
been doing battle for seventy years. The
Charleston Mercury assures us that Ala
bama, Georgia and Mississippi are prepared
| for disunion should Kansas be refused
admission as a slave State. South Carolina
of course Is ready. But what of the border
slave Ststesf What of virginia. She was not
ready in 1851, and according to the Tammany
Hall manifesto Of Gov. Wise she will not be
ready now. But whatever may be the calcula-
tons or the Presidential policy of Gov. Wise,
the policy. of the Cshgressmen Of the South Is to
unite upon this Kansas issue and stand their
ground. In union and concert of action they
will at least establish the sincerity Of all their
demands, threats and protestations In behalf of
slavery of the last forty years On the other
hand, by ingloriously backing down they will
prove to the world that all their past history
has been a history Of false pretences, and of
wind and gas, and fuss End fury, and nothing
more.
We may venture to say to Southern men that
there is no danger of a Northern disruption Of
the Union from the admission of Kansas a. q
slave State. The commercial North under
stands too well the financial value of the Union
to permit any Northern experiment of that
sort. The letter Of Gov. Wise indicates the