The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-12-10

to make the Southern States still more uncom-
Portable within the Union than they could by
any possibility be without it. The moderate
section Of the republican party has declared
over and over again that its intention is to
draw Gordon Of free States around the slave
States, and so gradually crush out the institu-
ton; that they will reorganize the Supreme
Court SO that the bred Scott decision may be
reversed and the Fugitive Slave act declared
unconstitutional; and that slavery in any Of
the Territories is to be prohibited now and for
ever. The radical republicans, Of the Sumner
and Fred. Douglass hue, are in favor of the i'm
mediate and unconditional abolition of slave
ry. The Chicago platform, upon which Mr..
Linct In, according to the manifesto of the cleo
tors Of this State, stands, was manufactured to
suit both sections Of the party, and may be
construed so as to meet the views of Garrison
or of Thurlow Weed. What the country has a
right to know in the present crisis is, whether
Mr.. Lincoln considers himself bound to respect
the will Of the vast majority who voted against
the doctrines promulgated at Chicago or
whether he intends to follow the examples of
some of his predecessors. and belittle his office
BY making himself spoon to ladle out pap to
the hungry minority
Mr.. Lincoln takes Office under peculiar.cir-
cumstances. In the free States his majorites
amount altogether to quarter of million in
three million votes; in the Union altogether
he is in a popular minority of million votes.
And it is safe to predict that if the election
could be held over again he would be in a
large minority of tho Electoral College,
and Of the popular vote of the North.
He has been constitutionally elected, and will
be legally President Of the United States. But
morally he has no power whatsoever, because
the seat of power is in the people, and the peo-
pie have declared by majority vote that
no confidence is to be placed in the party
which i, to control the executive branch of the
government. The republican leaders to-day
are distrusted by their own adhcrents, and cor
daily detested by a very large majority of the
people, North and South. At least two mil
lions Of Northern voters sympathze with the
South, and take strong ground against Seward,
Sumner 4 Co. This number will be increased
as the industrial interests Of the free States fall
one by one before the intense monetary pres
sure which bias only just begun to be felt.
Under these very singular circumstances,
Mr.. Lincoln, a constitutional governor, who
has yet to receive the consent of the governed,
takes Office. Few men in the worlds annals
have had so fine an opportunity to make
historical reputation, either for good or evil II
the new President recognizes the fact that he
is not bound by the Chicago platform-the
people having repudiated tiff he boldly
throws off all the shacklcs of party, and de-
clares himself opposed to the principles OF
Seward, Sumner, Helper, Greeley & Co.-if
he keeps aloof from their counsels and repu-
dates their prctensions-in fact, if he
comes out now and tells the people that
he will govern the country according to the
views of the majority, and not to serve the pur-
poses of the minority, all may yet be well. On
the other hand, should Mr.. Lincoln walk blind
ly on in the Seward track, turning deaf ear
to the complaints Of the South and the warning
voice Of the conservative North, his name will
most positively go down to postcrity as the in
strument of the most ignorant and infamous
mischefmakers that any civilized country has
ever been cursed with.
The President elect should reflect that the
present moment is not time for procrasti-
nation. With every succeeding day the scces-
sion movement gains strength, and the panic in
the North increases in exact proportion to the
intensity Of the disturbances in the South Mr.
Lincoln must remember that now is the accept
ed time. and if he intends to do anything he
must move at once. We do not say in so many
words that a reputation of the Chicago
platform by Mr.. Lincoln would act as a pana-
cea for the evils which now aflict the State.
but il would give the conservative masses fresh
strength, and inspire the patriotic men Of all
sections with bright hopes for the future. Mr..
Lincoln must throw his pledges to the wind,
let his party go to perdition in its own way,
and devote himself to The service Of the whole
1t is Mr.. Lincoln's bounden duty to
come out now and declare his views. The
speeches Of his adhcrents, men Of the Trumbull
school, are like the whietling Of the wind,
which no man hecds. The people demand an
exposition Of the programme of the new ad-
ministration from the fountain head.