New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-14
A BASIS OF UNION.

A large number Of respectable politicians at the
South sincerely desire that the subject Of Slavery
should be wholly withdrawn from national politics,
aud placed entirely under the control Of the States
where it exists. The difficulty of disposing of this
vexed question in the Territories is, according to
their own admission, the chief obstacle to the re-.
alizaton of their wishes. These gentle men are
the advocates Of union of the entire Opposition,
North and South, "on . conservative basis in
the coming Presidential contest The most
reasonable of them propose to get rid Of the
Slavery question by letting it entirely alone. This,
if it were not utter impossibility, would, on a
superficial view, seem to have some fair features
abouti But press almost any one OF these moderate
Southern statesmen to precise definition Of what
he means by letting Slavery alone in the Territories,
and you will find that he is-we will not say inten-
tonally-for yielding nearly every point which the
extremists demand.
The latest specimen Of this laundering in the
wrong directon-tO give it no harsher name-which
We have seep, is in recent letter Of William c.
Smedes, esq, to the Opposition Jubilee, held at
Memphis, TO rejoice over the AntiDsmocratic
victory in Tennessee, and published with
commentator in The National Inieliigesctr.
Mr. Smedes declares that the great difficulty,
the great sore that eats like ucerin the public
"mnd, grows out of the existence of Slavery"
Doubtless it is long step in the right direction
when Southern politicians will admit that the great
sore upon the body polite of the nation is Slavery.
This then, is the evil to be removed. And what is
the remedy for this ulcer which Mr. Smedes pro.
poses, and The Intellgeneer eulogizes as candid,
wise, and patriotic, and "suIe to commend itself
"to the approval Of conservative citizens in all
"parts of the Unionl" at u.s. he says and
a. it appears to me to be the only remedy, to with
"draw this exciting subject wholly from the arena
"of nationsl politics, aud by constrained action
"force il into its legitimate sphere under the con-
"trol and jurisdiction of the States where it
"exists"
MIR Smedes lives IN Mississippi Near him, in
the same state, dwell Mr. Jefferson Davis and Mr..
Albert G.. Brown. No doubt he has heard of these
gentlemen When he gets their consent to with
draw this exciting subject from the national arena,
he will ha made two conversions that will give
erea. force to his persuasive appess to those
Northern fanatics and demasogues who would
"rule or ruin this great nation"
Mr.. Smedes does not dodge the Territorial diff
Guilty. He takes its measure in this wise
"But another point and the only other about which
there could any difficulty arise, would be the one nov
csusng the fercest conflict in the ranks Of the Democ
racy, what should be the condition Of the Terr
torres during their puplsge as to the Institution OF
Slavery Shall the theory Of Sqlatter Sovereignty
prevail, or shall the demands Of the Southern poll
tcians for the Intervention Of Congress to project
Slavery in the Territories be allowed Or Is there
some ria MEDIA which shall also prove q ria fu.a.
There must be some compromise here"
Ard what, think you, is this middle ground Of
compromise, which Mr.. Smsdss proposes aud
which The nttligeneer is sure must commend itself
to the approval Of conservative citizens in all parts
of the Union' Here it is:
"What suggest, tha. the friends Of the Union, of
harmony, of the Government, shall resolve on this
yexed question is tha. in al Territorial scts il shall be
hereafter inserted that Do laws shall be passed by the
Legislatures of the Territories prohibiting interfering
with the existence of Slavery in them"
And this is proposed M basis Of compromise
on which moderate men of the North and South
can meet Why. it is worse than the doctrines
Douglas is throwing in the teeth Of the Charleston
Convention. Mr.. Smedes would have Congress