New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-01
abstractns to Us their descendents and yet, at

abstractis 10 Us their descendents and yet even at
this moment are they displaying themselves as sort
Of distractions 70 which the cOure OF empires must
bend and through the force of which the great aud
powerful United States is already partially disrupted
WHY and how have seven States been led to take
mon Themselves the forms of separate Confederacy
while prominent political partissns of yet other States
have stood threatening still further secession' For
what if not for this purpose, that the dominion OF
Slavery may be extended the Territories and that
the chattel" Of Slave law may nationally supplant the
person" Of our Constitution South Carolina, and
the other Cotton States, by the language Of their do
ings shout out this one deliberate determination; Even
as we now by laws holland treat slaveson the
same tenure, as to personal rights, with our cattle;
even as we now under authority Of local law, do sep
arate families or herds ndiferently; do deal with
mothers and fathers like kline, and with their chill
dren like our calves; claim, as right pur-
chased By our blood and treasure 10 hold and hGdt te
sane classes in the Territories, and phererer the M
tiOndl lor is supreme"
Does any one imagine that the enormity Of such
purpose cannot but have an influence TO deter and
paralyze the actors in IL Quite tae reverse let him
rest assured Even in Northern presses and politicians
the act finds ready coadjutors. From his lofty seat
President Buchanan issues his official Message-at
once declaring the fact that in the States where Slavery
prevails an insurrectionary condition is manifest and
recommending change IN the Constitution that must
carry the came terrific social condition into the Terri
,ories. See also, how the approved and veteran
politicians both Of Slave States and of Free bendeyery
energy to the same dreadful purpose-proud to accept
from their contemporaries the need of patriotic zeal and
wisdom.
But nevertheless II is yet to appear in history, that
the body polite which makes distractions OF moral
forces endesvorng to sail against the winds and eur
rents of destiny. The moral grsvitations tend TO their
eenters, yet more surely than the natural. Public
measures for atrocious purposes lead down to abysses
Of unfathemable calamity. To define the time, the
modes and the extent Of that calamity, is neither ne
cessary, allowable nor possible. But it is safe pre-
dcton that those States of our day, Whose purpose IN
all their violence ar Secession, has been TO brutaze
humanity will deeply their coming history with
such sefinicted retrbuons rs shall stand the exem-
plars and mementoes 10 all men Of the supremacy OF
moral truths. Whether by precptatng on themselves
war or by drying up production, or by ashing the en-
shaved classes into the employment Of the re-stick or
by rousng into combined action the passions of the
muitudes Of ignorant and poor Whites the catastrophe
itself s az certain the obvious operation Of that
disregarded spsck which has already set off seven
States from this Union.
II were relief to this dark picture if We could p-
pose that the laws of outraged morality would limit
their retrbutive infections the domestic and social
interests Of offending States, simply as bodies polite
But we men of the North az well of the South, who
do assist 10 chatteLe the ConsttutOnwe WHO talk OF
Southern nght,'-so the phrase goes-as if men
could by blood and treasure acquire right to make
mere hinRs out Of those whom the Constitution now
denominates persoRs-we TO whom it lie nothing in
comparison with Union" that millions may by our
action lose their inherent ordinary human ghts-what
to be our own condition when the day Of extreme
Necessity comes What species Of abstraction is it
that will fasten upon the very being of US that now
stand with statesmen and representatives, who cooly
concoct constitutional articles for the anguish Of unborn
generations never dreaming Of anguish to Themselves,
nor surmsng, in the remoest degree, that they are
piably rushing upon the sharp points Of moral retrhu-
ton III. z.