The New York herald., 1861-12-28


Senator Halo ON the Maso.-A. udeh Ansirt
Senator Hale has his suspicious nat there u
screw loose in the State Department, ma tnas
President Lincoln and his Cabinet are not 70
be trusted with the settlement Of this Mason
Slidell affair. On Thursday last, upon resos
luton calling for the official correspondence
on the subject, our New Hampshire abolition
radical ventilated his peculiar ideas upon ma
tional honor.
He had been informed through the public
press that the Cabinet had under consi-
deraton "a proposition fraught with more evil
to the country than anything that had yet mark
cd Its history, and that was the surrender Of
Mason and Slidell to Great Britain. By doing
this we would yield all that we had gained in
the war Of the Revolution, and would be humi-
lated to second rate Power" War, he con.
tended, would be infinitely preferable to such
surrender; and then he proceeded to show that
in addition to this formidable Southern rebellion
we are abundantly able to cope with Great
Britain, and should "thank God that We are the
instruments in His hands to work out His own
cause"
To this flaming little harsngue' for war, Il
ID somewhat remarkable that Senator Sum-
ner was the man who stepped forward and
quietly rebuked the hot haste of his abolition
associate. Mr.. Sumner, however, from bis po-
sition on the Senate Committee of Foreign Rela-
tions, spoke as man having some authority.
He admonished the warlike gentleman from
New Hampshire that he was little too fast
that 1t was not known that England had made
the arrogant demand alluded to-that it was
possible the administration had been consider
ing the alternative of arbitration and that while
the matter was in safe hands we might also an
ticipate an amicable adjustment
But why this implacable war spirit Of Sena-
tor HaleG It is difficult to explain, ex-
cept upon the abolition war programme
Of emancipation or separation'-a programme
which makes "the integrity Of the Union"
secondary question, and the abolition Of
slavery the primary and paramount object OF
this war. In this view Mr. Hale may have
drawn these conclusions from war with Eng
land at this crisis, to wit:--that it will either
compel our government to declare crusade
against slavery, and to arm the slaves of the
South against their rebel masters, or, finally,
after an exhausting struggle, compel US of tho
loyal States to recognise separate nationality
for our revolted States, and that in either case
there would soon be an end of the Southern
institution Of slavery. This theory, too, ID
plausible; for war with England now might
very, to say nothing Of the other alternative and
we know that our radical abolition faction are
moving heaven and earth to divert the govern
ment from it's war for the Union to a war for
the extirpation Of slavery.
1t is very clear, then, under this view Of tho
subject, that Mr.. Senator Hale as defender
of the national honor, is not to be relied upon;
for he belongs to that radical abolition school
which would abolish the Union itself in order to
abolish slavery. Senator Sumner, on the other
hand though extremely radical in his anti
slavery notions, is more intimately identified in
his official relations with the Cabinet on this
subject than Hale, and is bound by these rela-
tions to respect the confidence and the respon-
sibilities Of his position. For once, therefore, we
the right side of the question.
REBEL VIEWS or THE MAsoN-SLIDElL AFFAIR
England touching the Mason-Slidell affair." the
organs of the rebel government at Richmond
were thrown into ecstacies of rejoicing. They
were ubilant-they elapped their hands, and
shouted that the day of their deliverance was
at hand--that England was coming to the res
cue-that the Lincoln government had gone
too far to recede-that there was no alterna-
tive left it but to fight England, and that,
consequently, her powerful fleets would soon
reopen the ports of the South, take off the'r
cotton, bring in all the supplies SO much needed
by the Confederate armies, and recognise and
maintain the independence Of the Confederate
States" This jubilee, however, was Of very
short duration. The rebel organs at Richmond
are now playing tune as doleful as the Dead
March in "Saul." They have discovered that the
Lincoln government will submit to be SO de-
graded by England" in order to accomplish
:. the Internal purpose" of crushing out the
independence of the South. In word, the
rebels are already beginning to despair of their
chances of success through an invitation from
our government to England to come to their
assistance. We have only to say that we have
no idea that "Honest Abe Lincoln" will be
guilty of the folly of allowing even pretext to
England for this sort of Intervention. Peace
with England for the present, and three months.
If not so soon as month hence, she will be
convinced that the Southern confederacy of
JEFF. Davis and his fellow conspirators is .
myth, q delusion, and snare.
INFORMATION STILL WANTED.-We are still
very much in want of information about the
nine ignorant individuals who distinguished :
themselves by signing set Of resolutions
about the HERALD, on board the steamer City Of
Washington, on the 10th inst. The names OF
these nine men are
John H. Tobitt, c. Y. Swan, NJ D.,
Thcs. II. Van Tassel W. II. Walmsey,
B. B. Daily, G. w. Pitcher.
Rcrth JO Ohn Town