The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-01-26
MI. SEWARD ON COMPROMISE .


MI. SEWARD ON COMPROMISES.
The St. Joseph Gazette processes, JUS
now, to have great faith in Senator SEWARD
1t declares that some word from him would
"savo his country, and bring to our once
"happy Union peace and concord in thirty
"days." This may be true; but Mr.. SEW.
ARD does not think so, for he says in his
recent specch-and upon which the GaSeft
is commen ipg-that he thinks it would "bt
"wisc to discard two prevalent ideas OF
prejudices, namely: First, that the Union
sis to be sared by somebody in particular
"aud secondly, that it is ito be saved BY
some cunning and insincere compact o.
Specification"
Not only does the Gazette plainly declare
that it believes Mr.. SEWARD, by one word
could bring peace and concord to the Nator
in thirty days-but it still hopes, despite
the fact that that word still remains unspo'
Remand, " notwithstanding all the mazes
s'of metaphorical confusion, with which
"Mr. SEWARD has obscured his late speech
"* there yet turks purpose in bis
"mind to DO something worthy of patriotic
remembrance, for his country"
If the Gazette expects Mr.. SEWARD to
avert the impending danger to our National
Government, by word or act placing in
allegiance the principles on which the Re-
publican party conducted the late canvass
for chief magistrate to successful issue, we
fear it is laborlng under s'soft dcluslon.''
We know not, of course, Mr.. SEwARD's fu-
ture designs. But, what compromise can he
offer, that will be acceptable to the North
and the South, and which shall bring per-
manent peace and concord to the country,
based on his present convictions, as ex-
pressed in the following extract? 81 think
(snys Mr.. SEWARD, in his speech of the 18th
inst.) that there is prevailing conviction,
"that legislative compromises srhich sacri-
"fce honestly cherished principles, while
"they anticipate future exigencies, even if
" they do not assume extra constitutional
"powers, are less sure to aUer imminent
"evils than they are certain to produce
" ultimately even greater Dangers" At the
same time, he ays-"Repnblicanism is snb-
Sc ordinate to Union, as everything else is and
Sought to be. Republicanism, Democracy,
"every other political name and thing, all
care subordinate, and they ought to disap-
spear in the presence Of the great question
"of Union.
$50 far as am concerned, it shall be so.
"It should be 50, if the question were sure
to be tried, as it ought only to be deter
mined, by the peaceful ordeal Of the bal
slot. I.sha. be so all the more since there
lis on one side preparedness to refer to
"the aybitrament of civil war. l have such
" faith in this republican system of ours,
shat there is no political good which de-
" sire that am not content to seek through
"its peaceful forms of administration,
"without invoking revolutionary action.
d" II others shall invoke that form Of action
"to oppose and overthrow the Government,
"they shall not, so far as it depends on me,
shave that excuse--that obstinateiy left
"myself to be misunderstood. In such
cease can afford to meet prejudice with
Cancellation. exaction with concession
"whch surrenders no principle, and vio-
silence with the right hand of peacc.''
Senator SEWARD in the above extracts,
accepts and acknowledges the patent fact,
that any new measure of pacifcaton, or
compromise which ignores the settled and
coastitutionalIy expressed sentiment of the
people, and which disregards rights, viH be
Gtfucc, perhaps, but it cannot be perma-
ncns settlement. The history of the past
thirty years only shows that the effect of
patch work compromises is to leave the
country in worse condition than before the
experiment is ventured upon. If the Clay
and Clayton compromise of 1882 had been
let alone, and JACKSON at the head of then
united government, had been left to settle the
difficulties of that period, there would have
been no such condition of existing troubles
as exists now. But, when the threats of
treason is sure to bring concession as its
consequence, threats will be resorted to
whenever community chooses to imagine
itself agsrievea, or has private ambition
to fulfill. The whole course of our National
legislation has been to encourage bluster,
by yielding toit.
Let those, therefore, who stand high in
the confidence of the incoming admins
tration, not less than those who are now
entrusted with Federal authority, remember
that not only the present but the future
peace of the country is in their hands. The
people will yield any amount of Cancellation
merely, and will guaranty any amount of
actual rights to those who are entitled to
claim them. But any arrangement which
is not founded on justice, and which seeks
merely to avert present dangers by ignoring
the cause, will be only a temporary expedi-
ent, and will leave the real trouble to be
settled, in as aggravated form, perhaps, at a
future tine. Let US have this controversy
finally and dscsively settled nou, for it is
true, we believe, Ssvond the shadow of a
doubt, that call men o. all parties, and all
sections, desire to know oncs for all, what
are to De the permanent relations Of slarery
TO the Federal Gorsrnmeut.