The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-10


reality Of secession He persists in proceeding The
assumption that the seven seeded cotton States en-
gagged in sort Of practical joke, and will In due time
que tly subside into obedience TO his authority.
The misfertune Is, then, that the President and his
definite deesOn daily rendering the vexed question
For their delay proceeds the that the so
cession movement deusion that will " its own cure;
whilst the standing threat Of coercion rrtant which
renders the likelihood Of reconciliation remote than
ever And al the time the South placing upfavor
RIecutive With What rsasonabenees could il do other
wiser II has been threatened and here Is language
which more than sustans the threats. has been held
up 10 ridcule and here an address from the highest
officer in the land, declaring that the Southern people
have just occasion Of complaint and that the
rectionary" therefore not entitled to consideration
Thus the gulf between the sections grows wider and
wider.
Nor the lincoln policy OF unlimited delay possible in
the crcu umstances The South Will not wait indefinitely
for precise understanding Of the relation which Is
hereafter 70 stand toward the United States It will
mot defer action until Mr. Chase shall have solved the
problem Of collecting revenue and Mr.. Cameron shall
have determined how to OCCUPY and possess the forts
disposed TO tarry patiently wht the battle the Force
bis being waged in extra session OF Congress- An
other question must be met preliminary yet decisive VIII
the at Washington recognise the government
ut Montgomery Will Mr. Lincoln administering the gov
ernment o Union which, he says does not acknowledge
the right Of secession receive the duly reprosen
tativcs Of seceded States2 In other words will Presi
dent Who arms that secession nsurrcction or revo
on
thing depends and il may come in Of three forms
Mr. Lincoln may courteousy decline TO hold comnunica-
he may seize them and hand them to Gen. Scott
hangman, to be disposed Of traitors or he may
his readiness, Individually to recognise the Con-
federate States neighbor and ally subject
approval Of Congress The last of these alternatives
the only compatible with the maintenance Of peace
or with the ultimate reconstruction Of the Union Either
Of others will be- effect. notification that the
Southern confederacy expect favor at the hands
Of the present administration
In a few days Mr.. Lincoln will be compelled to show
his hand The generalities Of the inauguration must
mako room for specific revelation OF the manner in
which be proposes to meet the great issue Of the day.
WASHINGTON, March 8, 1851.
The First Public Esenins Reception Of President Lincoln
the WhIe House, sith Account Of the Strange,
Suggestive and Osainous Spectacle dc.
The first evening cepon or levee Of the new family
Of the White House Came of this evening. Advertised
as limited 70 the two hours between eight and ten, it
continued nearly two hours longer was j1m 1t was
rush 1t was a cram, IL crush, it was an on,niuns
eaeum Of all sorts Of people, Fan "irrepressible
fictn sufocating pressure, an overwhelming mani.
fesation Of private interest and public curiosity in the
new dynasty, without precedent for comparison in
the history Of this government We do not refer to
mere numbers for frequent occasions this establish
ment, under General jackson, Van Buren,, "Od Tippe
canoe and Tyler, too," Polk Taylor, Pierce and "Old
Bnckn has been invaded daresay by large force
as this first public turnout in honor Of "Old
Abe" But this affair stards without precedent In its
predoninatng elements To an old campagner in Wash
ington Is Q thing under the sun-a strange inva-
sion terribly suggestive Of great revolution in poll
tics, parties principles and marking the beginning Of
new epoch regime, order Of things, of hopes
and fears and doubts and DANGERS and exutatons and
alrehensions involving the tremendous results of re-
union or disruption, peace In this gathering
see the official installation in the White House, and the
popular recognition of the national triumph Of the anti
slavery sentiment Of the North Look at It, So late
as the administration Of poor Pierce, certain William
r. Seward at the Presidents receptions walked about
among the visters here like man under
the ban Of public opinion, AMI tolerated
only because of his position Senator OF the United
States.s His partsans and admirers "few and ia
between and, always the subjects of reprobaton
st the subjects of pity from their melancholy isolation
Now what do we beholdY We see this and his out
awed caste of anti slavery agators in full occupation OF
his Hoere this city, this government and we know IL
Mr. scward here to night he would bo "tbe cyno
sure Of all eyes" We know this from the throng Of
worshppers around President and the members
of his Cabinet We that the fountains of power and
spos have passed into hands, and that this fearfu
anti slavery agitation of forty has, step by STEP
advanced into the occupation Of the cade! Of pot
cal institutions.
What means this overwhelming multitude
this tremendous OF humanity press
ing in and blocking up every accessible
foot space within this late roomy not to say gloomy
establishment The night is coil, the windows up
on every sde there fires create this oppressive
heat and yet while feeble aintipg from the
sufocating crowd and while strong men are perspring
at every pore as they had Just been splitting rails upon
mace Of the house in fun blast What senseees folly is
this which brings all these silly people here, packiog
themselves together like herrngs BARREL and
ing atmosphere with but rife oxygen than the
black hole Of Calcutta? Curiosity largely does this work.
The ladies' are dying TO see how Mrs Lincoln ls the
seekers nlls the place OF "Od Buck;n how
Madame ID dressed, how che looks, how she
will do; what ladies' assisting In the honors OF the
OCCASION how they are dressed and how they win do
Then there are many persons who come 10 pay their
spec TO the new household as good citizens or a. dut
full officials obedient servants OF the government
The dipomstc corps the Cabinet members Of Congress-
officers Of the Army and Navy (though we don't see
General Scott among them) and clerks OF the several
partments among this general class. But there
third class which overwhems all the rest and bears down
all resistance and carries everything before IT, This s
the advanced column Of the grand army OF Office seekers
The supporters Of Old Abe and human freedom who
here sufficiently strong 10 absorb fifth OF all
this is the republican Office seekers ieyee-ther,
carnival and their jubilee. They TO pay their
spects Old Abe that he may know them when they
call again. for every Of them has his 10 grind,
and aMahomet Is his prophet"
Here find, too, TINT republican members OF Congress
no longer at discount, but that each commands
premium ranging from one 10 Eve hundred per cent
above par. Preston King power in the State Charles
Sumner Fessenden, Hale, Wilson and Wade, Of the Se-
nate advanced each from the tail TO the head of i'm
por,an Senate committee have become the thing
Cabinet Minister'S while John Shrman, Chairman on
Ways and Means Of the House, stands before these ad
mlriDg Wide Awskes q vertable Lord Pamerston
Among these strange faces bo detected something Of
AL the sms and kinks and crotche:s Of Northern
formers, sprtualism, free speech, free SOIL free men
free love- FREQ farms free rents free Offices free negroes
women's rights, bran bread and patent medicines
The intellectual calpre Of this Office seeking crowd,
hoste bisoted party would say Is above the
average Of the village postmaster Indeed "a apparent
that the rural districts largely in the ascendant here,
and tba, Tor every post oco In the Northwest erc
ono, two, or half dozen or candidates in this
happy family around us.
But here we are in the presence. After hours
crushing and pushing and sufoca.ion 10 this energetic
,b, fe and strong from the body Of the people, we
are rewarded with propulsive movement IN tho rear,
which nearly precpitates whole party OF hye into
Abrahams bosom. Our ladies' blush with shame and In.
denaton but promptly recovering their self possession,
they introduced TO Old Abe who shakes their hards
CORDIALLY, smiles sraciously addresses them famarly,
and pass on TO Mrs Lincoln, who the centre