The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-12-26

England SOciety, on saturday evening last, was
| emirently characteristic, both of the plastic
mind Of the individual who gave it utterance
and of the complicated phase Of politics into
which the country has recently entered. The
decision OF no Del hic oracle could have been
looked for with more interest than were the
first words which might fall from the lips of
Mr. Seward subsequently to the election Of Mr..
Lincoln to the chief Magistracy of the republic.
Hitherto he has held bis peace; but. in an ella
borate and carefully prepared speech, he has
at last promulgated his views to the country,
at the recent Forefather celebration at the As
| tor House The substance OF his declarations,
through the medium of the descendants of the
Pilgrim Fathers, is satisfactory to many conser-
vatiye republicans; and though the pith Of his
policy is yelled in q certain amount of mysti-
csm, it is plainly discoverable to the careful
reader, and contains several germs of good
| The elaborate appeals of the Albany Evening
| Journal, edited by Thuriow Weed, in favor of
| sacrifices to preserve the integrity of the 4
confederation, have rendered it especially inte-
resting and important to know whether the
views therein expressed, and which have
already divided the republican party in twain,
are sustained by Mr.. Seward, his fdus Achates
in the United States Senate. Perhaps no ques-
ton has been of late propounded with more
anxiety than whether Mr. Seward would sustain
his concliatory course or not, and endeavor
to repair the evils for which no one is
more responsible than himself, and which
his past teachings have brought upon
- ho hac
it amounts. in substance, to q partial en-
dorsement of the suggestions of Thurlow
Weed Mr.. Seward is, firstly, utterly opposed
to all measures of coercion. He says, "let
South Carolina let Alabama, let Louisiana, let
any one State, go out" His only remedy for
| the preservation of the greatness of the Union
is time, and the consolatory reflection that
Canada and the Mexican States will rush in
to I'LL the vacuum With regard to his own
action and the action of his party, he simply
declares that he will favor no compromise
(which New York. Pennsylvania and New
England cannot stand upon.'
Upon what compromise will New York, Penn
sylvania and New England stand. What con-
cessions will they grant, What will the majority
in these different States consent to, in order to
preserve the integrity of the Union and save
it from the disintegration and, possibly, from
the civil war with which it is menaced. What
ever they will do Mr.. Seward proclaims his
willingness to abide by. This is great modf-
cation of the position he held when he made his
famous speech at Rochester, inlS5S for there
is not man north Of the Potomac unbiased,
and who has carefully analysed the feelings
and sentiments of the New England and
Central States since the recent Presidential
election, who is not convinced that three in
New England and four in the Central States
out of every five voters are conservative in
sentiment, and prepared TO accept the amend
ments to the constitution recently presented at
Washington by Senator Crittenden, of Ken
lucky. The revulsion in public sentiment in
New England within the past six weeks makes
it manifest that the people of the extremist
multiplying, Personal Liberty bill States are
wavcring and becoming ready to sacrifice their
| peculiar views on the slavery question to con-
| stitutional right, the just complaints of the
South and the exigencies Of the present emer-
gcncy.
Under such circumstances there il no states
man Of the day, aside from Mr.. Lincoln and his
administration, who can accomplish more for
the national veal than Mr. William II. Seward,
If he will sincerely repent of his past course.
As one of the Committee of Thirteen, he can
in moment neutralize and re.rograde the per-
nicious action which has been taken by the
republicans of that committee, and restore its
counsels to a patriotic and national basis. II
the sentiments contained in his speech are to be
relied on, he may be expected to enter at once
into negotiations with Senators Davis, Toombs
and Hunter, and the product Of their united
minds will be q scheme of Cancellation
which shall pour oil upon the troubled waters
and allay the excitement which prevails
| throughout the length and breadth Of the re-
public. 1t Is more than likely that Mr.. Seward
has already concoctcd some measure of paci-
fcation which will readily be accepted by his
P0outhcrn brethren. He says that the difficulty
ought to be "settled in sixty days. He Is
fertile in resources, incxhaustible in ingenuity
| full of talent, and he will doubtless present .
plan to his colleagues which may accomplish
the desired result. There Is no point, more
over, which he more strenuously advocates
than amendments of the constitution. This Ii
a gigantic step in advance Of the fanaticism Of
the weaker members Of the republican party.
1t il basis upon which all law abiding
and Union loving citizens of the land will be
united and can securely stand. We look for
ward, therefore, with anxious expectation to the
course which may be pursued by the ''irrc-
pressible conflict orator Of this State, and
will endeavor to believe that, through his
means. light may shine out Of the darkness by
which we are now surrounded.
If Mr.. Seward will carry out consistent
ly at Washington the conciliatory princi-
pies initiated in his speech at the Astor
House on Saturday evening, and an enlarged