New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-16

the present moment It is too late to all.ee Nep,o
emancipation ss the real object of the war, or 10
claim the merit Of so lofty principle OF action. No
body could shut his eyes to the fact that this principle
was suppressed as long as It was thought DOsaibls
that the insurgent States could be brought back,
slaves aud all 20 the great American Union, and that
It's syowal wss reserved for a moment when IL vas
expected to subserye the operations Of the campaign.
Inc thoroggh-going Aboitiolists Of the North may
welcome the contamination, however and whenever
arriving and we in this country also might, no
uo9p' mold that it was never too late 10 begin.
anu night accept with little scruple any
oiisy lending to the extirpation Of this infamous
nls ssIu'on. That, in fact, will probably be the
at all. The Unionists will hold that while The
country ls convused, and the whole fabric of Cow
eminent dlsorganlzed, the opportunity might we'll
be taken to expe this noxious and ever tbeaienins
element from the neart Of the nation. They will
desire, at any rate, TO establish the doctrine OF Free
Soil aud to remove the blemish of Slavery from the
American Union, whatever form that Union NAV
take. The public too, in this country would rejoice
to see an end made OF saveholding, and 50 far the
North might gain. IL is impossible, however 70
blink the fact that the adoption Of this doctrine
would make any pacific agreement with the South
utterly impracdcable, would divide the great body
of Unionists among themselves, and might deplora-
bly, aggrayate, in all probability the horrors Of this
unfortunate war.
Even if we should assume-wheh would not Ia
correc-that the whole Of the Republican party de-
sired the abolition Of Slavery, that party would not
represent one half of the American people-perhaps
not much more than one half Of the people Of the
North. The Democratic party, which, If il had been
everywhere united could have carried even the Last
Presidential election against Mr.. Lincoln, is willing
aud anxious TO concede to the Slave States all the
guarantees they can demand for the security Of their
Institutions ON condition only OF their returning to
the body of the Union. Any policy, therefore, which
would extnguish this cl aIce Of reconciliation would
be viewed by this numerous and influential party
with unqualified hostility. and President Lincoln
would lind himself confronted in bis prosecution Of
the war by strong constitutional Opposition, so
that his enemies would be exaggerated and his own
supporters weakened at one and the same moment.
The South after the proclamation Of abolition, woud
fight with the erceness Of despair, and 1t 10 out TOO
probable that servie iDsurrection might be added TO
the calamities of the war. Who, indeed, could ex-
pect that the liberation of three millions Of slayess
problem on which all but fanatics have looked
with something like bewilderment-c0uld be solved
without terrible commissions in the heat Of interne-
cine conflict The adoption of 70 extreme resol1-
ton would indeed, give the North Q watchword uni
versaly Ineligible and it would induce very many
to bid them godspeed the enterprise on which they
are bound. Perhaps, indeed, il would have the
usual effect of all thorough going resolutions IN ln-
vigorating the policy Of the Government;
certainly split the North itself into two camps, il
would inspire the South with redoubled aDnno.ity,
and II would EXPOSE the slave population to conse-
quences which nobody can foretell. Notwlthstand-
ing these obvious considerations, we are far from
thinking that the ultimate adoption OF the doctrine In
impossible. II will, doubtless, be urged strongly,
and perhaps successfully, on the Government, II The
strife goes on; but although we ready with our
uncompronislng appreciation Of the principle itself,
we can hardly persuade ourselves that its sudden en-
in the midst of war would be likely 10
produce any such termination of the struggle as the
friends of humanity and progress universally deers'