New-York daily tribune., 1861-08-23


cardinal principal ii stOod in deadly antagonsm,
was haughty told, 10 tho very flush of its first
National triumph" Accept and pass the Crit
" tepden Compfomise-uDite in establishing
d" Slavery by law in all United States territory
" south Of 800 30-or the Union shall be dis
L" solved, and the country devastated by civil
" war" The Er.ning Journal counseled submis
sion to this demand-THE TRIBUNE advocated
resistance-and our conviction that this was right
stands unshaken by subsequent disasters.
The Chicago Platform has been dragged into
the discussion of this matter, as if we had in-
sisted on adherence to its letter at the cost of
civil war. But that is false representation.
Consistency is Of small account, save as an evil
dence of honesty. That the Chicago Platform
had said "We deny the authority of Congress,
" of territorial legislature, or OF any indTld-
"uals, to give legal existence to Slavery In any
TERRITORY Of the United States" was of mo-
ment in our eyes only because it asserted what
we believed and still hold to be- a vital truth
SO believing, how could we assent to the Crtten-
cen Compromise
The Journol seems to think its Compromise
counsels were defeated by the opposition OF IHE
TRIBUNE. The fact is quite otherwise. They
were defeated because they stood in pllpable and
deadly antsgonism to the principles, tile convic-
tons and tho impuses of the Republican party.
Had The Journal urged its readers to buy each
his half a-dozeD slaves and embark at once in
slave. breeding for the Cotton planters, 1t would
not have more signally shocked and grieyed nine
teDths of them.
But it is not true that we opposed all overtures
for Cancellation. We stood ready at oil times to
urge the coll of National Convention provided
the Saveholding interest was willing to unite IN
that call and peacefully abide the issue OF that Con-
vention az it could well afford TO do. We would
have heartily supported the Constitutional amend
ment " hch passed Congress last Winter (ProvidIng
that Congress should have no power, by Consttu-
tional amendment or otherwise, to abolish or inter-
fere with Slavery in any State or Siates) we
were ready to do any thing that In conscience We
could do to avert DsunOn aud Civil War. But the
Crittenden Compromise was the least that would
satisfy any considerable party or interest IN The
Slave States, and we could not swallow that. Nor
could one Republican in each hundred. And so We
are as we are.
The Journal commends its propositions OF COM
promise as venturing TO suggest the proprlely
Of eherishing Union sentiments IA Border States
OF course, this is Us its Editor believes. We
Justify his adherence to his convictions. But we
claim like respect for our convictions that his
suggestions " Of compromise were uDtimey and
fatal. They encouraged the South to plunge into
rebellion and treason, by difiusing the impression
that Northern resistance to Slavery Extension
was mere ofice-seekng pretense, and that, hay-
iDg clutched the "spols," We Republicans cared
not what became Of our principles. They had
served their end, and might now be turned out
10 grass. Thus tens Of thousands Of good Union
men in the Border States, supPosiDg the Repub-
llcans ouly needed little more bullying TO In
duce them to abandon their vital principle, were
impelled 10 make the Crittenden project their
ultimatum, publicly pedging themselves to rebel
if their demand were not conceded. And 30
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, were
lured into the black abyss Of Secession. In
their anxiety 10 frighten US into apOstacy from
Republicanism. they unnteutonaly committed
themselves to Disunion. Others may see differ.
emily; we must act according to the light youch-
safed us. And that shows us clearly that every
offer to bribe the disaiected into Loyalty by con.
cedDg what you cannot conscentiously grant
and they have 10 right 10 claim, ia plain direct
incltement TO rebellion.