The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-01-15
THE SECESSION MOVEMENT.

Iron the IOndol

Ihe Em&IlSn Press ON the American
Clisis.
from the london Post Dec oS.
The proverbia end OF the pitcher that goes too often
dissolution Of the American Unonthat mighty fedora.
ton which to have gone growing in strength and
power till its glory should shadow tho earth-has re-
CURED oftcner than the wewishers to that great
muny could desire More than already the dreful
danger has been STAYED of by compromises but conces
sons from the stronger the weaker for the sake Of
peace generally unjust in themselves, have their limits
For forty the struggle between the North and the
South has been raging, and from Psgah can the
promised land Of peace be seen. In 1920 there
equal number of slave and free States and struggle
ensued for majority in the senate the most important
element in the government Of the United States. The
territory Of Missouri claimed admittance into the
Union a State The Northerns held that each new
State should choose its institutions for itself. The
Sogtherns, on the contrary, we're resolutely deter
mined that either slavery should be established in the
candidate State or that new slave State should be al
ways admitted to the Union whenever il augmented
by free On the first point they failed, the
cond they seemed likely 10 succeed. A system of ad-
uniting states by pairs appeared likely to prevail for some
time, when the question Of the admission Of Missouri
brought the matter to different issue in this fashion.
The louisiana which Napoleon sold TO the Americans in
1903 for eighty million francs was great deal larger
than the American State which bears that name
Il had recently been eeded to him by SPAIN but even
defending the Mississippi from the English and consider
cd, Justly enough that i've millions Of money much
better thing than distant possession not very productive
and not very deensibie The southern portion OF this
territory subsequently became in 1872 the existing State
OF Louisiana. In 1919 another portion not contiguous
TO Louisiana, but farther north, and bordering the
Missouri as well rs the Mississippi applied TO be admitted
into the uuicn when duly peopled-that is, contain
ing forty thousand nhabitantsand this brought for
ward the question Of tho admission OF the state Of
Missouri. With II came some other questions too.
There Was nothing in the climate productions Of Mis-
to make any special resort negro labor necessa
ry Some cotton is, indeed grown in the southeastern
Counties but wheat and Indian corn the staples OF its
produces hemp, fax, oats and tobacco are also raised
The winters are so severe and long that for three
out OF five the Mississippi be crossed the ice at St.
Louis That great river is often frozen for two months
Altogether. climate
cal and rather unsuitable TO the African than favor
able. II was otherwise however, with the two other
candidate States. Arkansas portion Of the French
sion, lying between Missouri and louisiana and Florida,
for the purchase of which from Spain sum of two mil
lion dollars had been appropriated during Mr. Jenersons
Presidency; but the Spanish government not seem
ing inclined TO enter into that bargain. the country
came legitimatey, If there IS such thing, at
all events climatologically, within the thermal
lines which the other side OF the Atlantic supposed
to give man a lawful title in his fellow man, ard were
only waiting for the admission OF Missouri into the
Union TO claim their own, upon which occasion tho
Southern politicians determined that the whole
three shou, enter the Union States thereby
giving them majority OF six in the Senate. The poll
tcans of the North, on the other hand contcnded that
the constitution contained power to make conditions in
matters OF strictly republican principle with candidate
States and that strictly republican principle, hold ng
all men To be equal, required that the extension OF a
very TO now soil, or, indeed, Its admission into the
Union any conditions should be prohibited The crisis
was alarming, and i emb,crcd the latter day q the
surviving heroes OF the Revelation. IRON the battle
Of Bunkers hin to the treaty Of Paris" wrote
Jefferson to Adams tive never had ominous q
question; ! thank God l shall not live to witness
its issue" Even some months afterwards when
the compromise had for time set the question rest
he sti expressed his alarm. This momentous question:
like re-bel at night awakened aud filled me With ter
ror. considered II AZ once the kne OF the Union II
il hushcd. indeed for the moment But this is reprieve
only, not final sentence geographical line comciding
with marked principle moral or political conceiv
ed and held up 10 the angry passions Of will
be obitcfatcd, and every new irritation VIII make II
deeper Deeper AZ jefferson died in 1876 lac never
again Ina The pain Of seeing the Union endangered The
thinkers Of the day-Adams jay, story, Marshan-all
shared his apprehensons the only way out OF the din
Guilty seemed 10 be present yielding to the South on
condition that il should be for the last timc-this last
tmc, however, involving the admission Of Florida and
Arkansas into the Union slave States their climate and
productions ahordng colorado excuse for slavery, to
which Missouri could set up no pretcnce whatever and
hraly Mr.. Clay maLascd TO tide the emergency By
a compromise embodied in m enactment passed carly in
1890
This Is the celebrated Missouri compromise and thus
the rst pasn IN that great and growing body polite
allayed hut tho snake scoiohcd, Killed. The
prohibition Of slavery north Of certain line, known
Mason and DSons nc implied its establishment in
new states south q that ue and Arkansas ana Florida
were admitted FIRST as slave Territories and then slave
States, in 1896 and 1876 respectively For many years
the question sumbcrcd, but the Union destined to
undergo another rough shake before the disturbances
about the Nebraska bin in 1853 and the troubles about
Kansas oncc moro exhibited the skeleton IN the cup
board.
From the london News, pcc 271
n l. not surprising that Engli.hme are heard saying
that they hardly know what think believe about
and not only contradictory 10 the last
but mutiay irrcconclcabe. The truth Is the impress
sions 81 tho reporters change from hour hour and the
prospects of tho preservation o the Union and Of peace
bright and cioudcd half dozen times between
morning and night. II s so at Washington and the i'm
pre- ssons OF people nj Washington those which arc
with Of uncertainty from their
passage through New FORK or New England. II
slider TOR cement, shall how natural this H. AZ
Washington the calmcst hardly In possession OF
his proper Judgment because he s surrounded BY people
who agtated Nothing Ike this agitation has been
witnessed there before by any living There s only
body OF politicians Of the multitude assembled there
which shows cheerful seadincss amidst the nuctua-
tons OF and Of mons moods and that Is the
band OF republican members from the Northwest: and
these precisely the who do not write
letters from Washington, address themselves
20 in any way. What tho reporters see IL,
nrst ne observed of all osscrvers--thc Southern
members az Congress. Thus FAR, theee men 10
not clustered usual They very scnt-some say
sullen. This may betokcn determination, or may be
because tho event which they formerly hoped avert
b. buster Is irrcversibe. However this be-
and while IL IL known that they differ among themselves
almost much from their fellow Congressm from the
North and the West they agree in being gloomy silent
They spontaneously TO leave the Union repnb-
lean President elected and the oath IL grave
embarrassment now. The representatives from the
frontier slave States frantic for compromised They
90 about all day long agatng fer compromise, but
OF them has yet suggested any basis which the
publican party would listen 10 for moment The
bers OF the Western froc States keephe Eastern
trably steady but the long habit Of tmidy and
sion IL not 10 be overcome In day and the whole danger
the situation in fact les In the doubt about what
tain from the latter region may do in crisis Tho
whole aspect Of society In the federal capital Is
that OF alarm and IL ~ not ameliorated BIZ the
tokens of panic which visible In every street Slaves
sold Of fcr what they VII fetch, and other kinds
a