The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-11-24
THE CABINET ON THE HARPER'S
FERRY AFFAIR.

The Cabinet of Mr.. Buchanan, as might
have been expected, lends the weight Of its in.
fuence in behalf of the calumny upon the Re-.
publican party. They hoped to scare the PEG,
pie of New York into the support of the " De-
mocracy," but it was no go
Howell Cobb, the Secretary of the Treasurr
under date Of October 81, writes to commit.
tee of Tammany Hall patriots as follows:
81 will not stop to discuss the question how
far these political leaders, Senators. and Reura
sentatives, are identified directly with the re-
cent outbreak at Harper's Ferry. 1t is enough
| to know that the prominent actors in that
| bloody scene looked to them as their friends
and supporters. When money was wanted, the
appeal was made to these men to supply il
| When their plans were discussed, and complaints
of bad faith were to be made, it was poured
into the ears of Senators and Representative.
who would now shake off the association which
| by their teachings and doctrines they then en-
couraged. A generous charity may save the
leaders of the Black Republican party whose
names are implicated in this nefarious transac.
ton from the guilt of personal cooperation but
there cannot remain a shadow Of a doubt OF the
moral responsibility which attaches to the men
whose intiammatory appeals and trait0rOus
doctrines have maddened these murderous In
struments into their work of blood and trea
SON x K
with a Constitution honored, reverenced
and Obeyed, and Union resting for its solid
foundation upon the hearts and affections Of a
grateful and fraternal people, we have before
us the promise of brighter future than was
ever vouchsafed to any people Let Us not
however, deceive ourselves, by looking too con
IL - y. -
To realize it, we must arrest and roll back the
waves of sectional controversy which have
brought us to the verge Of dissolution and ruin.
This growing spirit of sectional hostility must
be rebuked. Abolitionism, whether it present
itself in the garb of religious bigotry or political
power, whether preached from the pulpit BY
Beecher and Phillips, or taught by Seward aud
Giddings, or sought to be carried out by the
bloody hands of Brown and Anderson-no mat
ter in what form, or by whom sustained-must
be strangled and crushed, if we are TO live to,
gether in peace and harmony as members Of
the same political brotherhood
The venerable Secretary of State, Gen. Cass,
is foggy as usual, but has a great horror Of
Witnessing the defeat Of the Democracy. lie
says, writing on the LIST from this city:
Firmly convinced as / am that the preserya-
ton of this Union depends upon the asceuden-
cy Of the Democratic party l look forward to
its united action as the sheet-anchOr of our
political safety. And the recent lamentable
occurrences at Harpers Ferry, to which you
refer in such Just terms of condemnation. teach
n most impressive lesson which should be writ
zen in living characters upon the history Of orr
country. The sanctity, not merely Of constitu
tonal rights, but of private life, has been III
Yaded. and violence and murder have been
carried into a peaceful community, and the
American people have learned with equal IN
dlgnaton aSd horror the deeds which marked
that bloody cay, and the motives avowed for
this disregard e the most sacred laws, both
human and diviIe. There is a spirit abroad
which threatens tie most disastrous couse-
quences to our country. Ii is time that every
true man were prepared to resist it, And if
resistance is not SPEEDY and effectual, this
glorious fabric -
But the reader knows the lest.
Secretary Thompson, Of the Interior Depart
ment, is fierce and fiery, as Mississppian
should be. He thinks it no decoration from
his dignity to apply a vulgar nickname to the
Republican party, or even to declare hat his
heart is in the keeping of the bruisers asd
shoulderhitters of Tammany Hall. He says
" My heart is with you, and most ardently do
| desire the success Of the Democratic ticket.
But, gentlemen, certain startling developments
of late date will give to the result of your APP
preaching elections peculiar significance.
large party exists i'm the Northern States-it IS
in the ascendant in your own State and is now
struggling to maintain its power-whose only
bond of union is hostility TO property held IN
the Southern States This property was held
in all the States except one, at the time OF the
adoption of the Federal Constitution. The
leading men of this party may succeed in clear
ing themselves from all direct connection with
the late abortive attempt to incite the slaves oil
Virginia to instruction, murder, and plumber
but still it is impossible to deny that this at
tempt is the legitimate, practical working out
of the doctrines and teachings of those who
speak for the Black Republican party. The
question which is now forced upon the people
of the North-which they cannot evade if they
would, and which it is the part of true manhood
to meet squarely and point blanks, does
there exist such conflict between the institu
tions of the North and the South, that longer
peaceable union is mpracticable-that, indeed
there can be no peace till the one or the other
shall go down? Will the majority of the IN
telligent and order-loving people of New York
affirm this opinion or principle? The people
of the South are and of right ought to be- IN,
terested spectators of this canvass {; they will
wait for your verdict and con it over when
heard, with the deepest solcitude. By the PEG
pie of the South / mean the white people
mean those who had the power to contract, and
did contract, with the white people OF the
North-who then, under similar circumstances,
alone had the power to ~contract-'to form
more perfect union, establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the general welfare, and secure
the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity.' The question of fidelity to this com
pact is now transferred to the people of the
North, and they must determine the question
for themselves, whether they wish and intend
to keep it in good faith and with hearty good