New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-12-19
TuH DOWNWARD ROAD.

TIKI DOWNWARD ROAD.
tn, 1Hanu alias was established as the State
Orpsn Of the more Radical wing Of the New
York Democracy-the school of Col. Young ana
Silas Wright Of Abijah Mann and John Tracy,
of Preston King and Michael Hoffman, OF the
Floyds and Martin Grover. 1t was, of course,
among the original and ardent champions OF the
Wihnot Proviso and of every form OF Slavery
Restriction Thus it fought the fight OF As for
Van Buren, and Adams, Dix and Gates; and
when at length the Democracy united under the
lead of Seymour and Pierce The Alias was like
wise united with its old antagonist The Argus,
under stipulations that the name of the former
should take precedence in the new conjoint title
and that the editor of The Ahas should remain
chief editor of the composite journal. IL was
clearly understood by the Radicals that the new
orqan was 70 saver far more of The atlas than
of The Argus.
But in all compromises between principle on one
| hand and on interest on the other the principle
necessarily goes to the wall. For compromises,
while congenial to interests, are fatal to princi-
pies.
From The day of the "iusion" Of the two journals
aforesaid their editor has strigen to forget that
| he was ever leading and thorough Free-Soier,
or has betrayed it only by the rancor and venom
of his assaults on all who still stand BY the flag
| he has deserted, proving the truth of the adage
| that "One renegade is worse than ten Turks"
| Mingling with political strife personal maignity
| hitherto unknown TO the contests of our State,
| he has boarded his gall as though he could not
| afford to bestow it on any but faithful uphold
| er of his own discarded Buffalo Platform.
At Charleston and at Baltimore, he stood by
Senator Douglas, and in the canvass that followed
| he made the personal creed of that Senator the
| ground of his appeals to his former cOmpatrots
| to abandon their Free-Soil principles and oppose
| the election of Lincoln. Non-nteryention by
| Congress with Slavery in States or Territories
| Nom Interference by any one with the People of
| the Territories, leaving them perfectly free to
| accept and establish or reject and prohibit the
peculiar institution" as to them shall seem
| qood-such was the burden of The .1HoS through
| out the struggle of 1860 and such the grounds
on which it urged the Radical Democrats Of
| 1913 to prefer Douglas and johnson to Lincoln
| and Hamin.
IIerkmcr and ST. Lawrence, Onondaga and
! Jefferson, heard but did not heed. They real.
| lied at once that this doctrine was an old
| acquaintance in new CAUSE.-THE veritable Cass
doctrine which they had rejected in AZ, though
urged upon them with all the power and plausibEty
| of Chancellor WalwOrth and Judge Bronson, Gov.
Seymour and Counselor Brady. They saw that,
under all its plausibty, its tendency aud effect
would be TO involve them in a guilty completely
with that system of conquering and annexng
| the provinces Of neighboriDg nations and con-
verting them into slave-marts and plantations
which has already furnished the American char
acter in the eyes of all ChristendOm and is
to-day one main obstacle to the progress of
liberal institutions in the Old World. So they
turned deaf ear TO the voice of the charmer,
and gave the State TO Lincoln by nearly Fifty
Thousand majority.
The AAos has just brought forth new band.
age for the gaping wounds of the Union: here is
the gist OF il:
1.-THE Congress may establish governments fo the Territories
of the United States and any Territory having population
equal to the constituency OF member Of Congress hsy
ing adopted 10y the citizens the United State resi-
dent therein Constitution Republican in FORM admit
ted by the Congress into M Union Sate and the
C0Dges' he people Of Territory turing me territorial
condition. sho By legislation o'heTrse oanHl 90 apay
rights o. property recognized BY e acs any Of me St.cs"
That is to say: Any stakeholder may take
slaves into any Territory, and there hold those
slaves so long us it remains a Territory; and
neither Congress, nor the People of the Territory,
shall be at liberty to do anything else in the
premises than to protect him in the enjoyment of
his slave property" and compel il to obey him
in all things! lie may invoke the laws of Sam
"cf he Hdtss"-not merely Of that whence he
came. but of any other that may be more favor
able 10 his ends. We do not see how it would
be possible to administer even semblancc of
justice under such code. Better say at once
that the master may do what h. viii with his
slaye-that there should be no law for either but
the will of the former-than to establish a rule
80 uncertain and undisco,ernblc.
II will be seen that The idas pitches Doug.
lOssm overheard as coolly as it did JelIersonism.
There is no more aflectaton of reserve or COM
Proraise-nc preen-e of deferring to the will of
the People-one Shareholder may override and
defy ten thousand Free Sellers aud plant Slavery
among them despite their declared but impotent