New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-23
me PRO.SlAvERY REBELLION.
FROM WASHINGTON.
WHAT WILL THE COMPROMISES hE-
W COMMEND

MnaucAO
= WASHINGTON, Feb. 81, 1861.
r ..,s.rsnbed YOU a few days ago, saying the
p..ce Convention had substantially agreed upon
s.s adoption Of the original Crittenden plan OF
,,.r,r;,tiDe the establishment of Slavery IN the
.,i.t,ug Territories south Of $50 so. Its men,
hsrs are attn talking upon the sublecs ana al
,ssts Of opinins are expressed as 70 "has
win be the upshot Of their dehberahons ous
"a. I entertain the opinion then expressed anu
believe that when the talk is ended, the action
vssll be- that which have Indicated.
As the time approaches for MT L'ncoin 8i,
rival. and for the termination OF the sessions Oh
M Compromisers' Convention and OF Congress- 'he
yphlic mind grows more and more ieVerish and
iooatient The whole question OF compromise 10
vno;dly hardening down into this, "Wili you
ss,.ent 10 the partition Of existing Territory and
sive to Slavery what hes south OF 360 ~ E
The argument in favor Of doing it, is taat it is
ealv a nominal extension, since Slavery cannot
sosrish any where within the Territory In ques-
500, and by cOnssnting 70 this arrangement you
arrest the Secession movement with the SIX
ssases already out and organized uader the Pro-
vi.;enal Government at Montgomery. If you DO
not do il, everything in the future Is uncertain
- full Of clouds and darkness and apparent
ruin.
Mr.. Lincoln viii ccsnr into this city to meet
Sso oue,tion in this FORM AID he will be beset 70
,;rA nv a pressure such as was never besOre
lreught 10 bear upon any mortal man III tbis
country. Will be yield to iti
assume that Mr.. Seward will advise him to
Do CO. Though the assumption that ne viii, Is
suiy n matter of inference on my part from his
hse public speeches, which are before tue world
and Of which everybody can judge who studies
thsir meaning, just rs well as l can But from
Ais point of view, zee no way OF has avoiding
Shis position, provided ana right In my eonJec-
trre that this mode Of settlement viii be recon-
xeDaed by the Peace Congress.
Whatever that thing is which is necessary to
srrest the Secession movement IN the Border
Slave States, that thing, understand, ia the
fbisg Mr.. Seward win deem it his duty TO DO.
Here I will say that / see in your columns
with infinite surprise that MIR. Weed denies hat
he has recommended or favOrs such settlement
m this. In any remarks / have made touching
the question heretofore; have proceeded upon
he supposition that this was his ground from
Ne start, openly and distinctly. HI it is other
wise, have been unwittingly led into an error
And the last thing would willingly do II such
q case, would be to impute to a man position
he did not occupy, or an opinion that he did not
sntertaia.
But I have no doubt now that he and every
sfAer gentleman who believes in compromising
On. difficulty at ali, are willing to do just that
thing which they believe is necessary 70 boid 'he
Border Slave States. This is the only iogical
result Of their position, and they must accept IL"
Thu, IL ia. az / have on . former occasion
srsued, that the question Of the policy of the
nsw Administration on this territorial question IL
stin unsettled And that Notwithstanding hr.
L;ncon's well understood opinions, aud honesty
al intention, and faithfulness Of purpose, it 10
poverthee,s impossible to predict, even at this
h.s hour what hne Of poicy on the territorial
question bis Administration viii adopt. He is in
a dilemma where NO man need envy him his
pszltion.
u may be doubted that the COmpronisers
Convention shan express the final terms and con-
Sssieps on which alone The Border Slave States
win remain; but the starting point OF my sugges-
tena is, that the public mind of Washington ia
Yap,dly hardening down to the conviction that the
yosiiicn that body shall finally occupy on the
territorial question is the one that all the Com
promiscrs must come To-; the one, indeed, that is
s.one capable of arrestiDg the growing RUPTURE
end establishing the foundation for an amicable
adjustment.
To be sure, 10 The debates of the Peace En-
Sssssdors, Mr.. Guthrie has talked about appeal
ing to the people in ease Of the rejection Of the
propositions referred to; but it is difficult to see
jsst.how this appeal is to be made, except on the
surposition that every State which has not yet
passed Secession ordinances viii continue to re.
Jhse 10 pass them, whether anything is done in
tAs way Of adjustment or not.
You viii readily perceive that the ground Of
my doubt as to the policy Of Mr.. Lincoln's Ad-
nmistratOn on this Territorial question rests
spon the fact of the indispositlon in fact the
slnsst total inability, Of men called suddenly 10
ne management of public affairs to face great
revolutionary movement with cOmposure, how
ever wisely and pbilosophcally they may have
kaked upon ii in advance, or from distance.
Men are generally % made up that they wall not
neet difficulties that can b. adjourned.
Il requires the very highest qualities as it re-
qzires the highest wisdom, TO resolve great pub
no doubts and troubles TO eliminate the real from
the fictitious in q struggle like the oDe now con-
yalsing this country, and to strike the path that
lsads TO success. And few men are endowed by
nature either with the necessary powers to do