Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1861-01-15
THE LATEST OPINION ON THE POLITICAL
CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES.


The last accounts from the United Statos place
the position Of things in q much more serious
light than before We believe we should be
correct in saying that, rs GLASS; American
4iate men, seine openly and the rest secretly,
nrr opposed to the dissolution Of the Union 1t
is I'M institution the advantages Of which would
be cstimaied exActly in proportion to the know
ledge of the critic statesman must see in |
Them the solution Of innumerable difficulties, the
strength, the ornament, and the safety Of his
country. We're the matter, then, lett TO the |
opinion Of the statesmen Of America, there
| would be no reason to doubt of the result. Bat,
unhappily, il has passed out of the control OF
statesmen, and the question Of union or disnnion
ia managed by vulgar demagogues nnd furious
bar-roum politicians. In England statesman
must follow public opinion but in America pub
lie opinion comes FROM lower class, aota more
speedily aud decidedly, and is less patient be-
cause less accustomed to opposition, than in
England In the South the object Of those who
are really in favor OF the Union, though they cam
not venture 10 say SO, has been TO interpose
delay Tor holding general Convention OF the
, slave States but this well-meant overture has
been set aside by the violence of an excited null
\ titude, and the attempt to give an opportunity
for the voice of reason to be heard has heen
r frustrated. Failing this, the more moderate
5 members from the Southern States hive been
ii driven to shew their desire for delay little more
IS openly. by urging that, at amy rate, there is no
h advantage in meeting evils half way, and that
4, auy movement against the integrity of the Union
h had better be deferred till the accession OF MIR.
to Lincoln to power on the 4h of March next. But
. to this il is answered-not, we must admit with
Y out considerable force, from the point Of view oil
IT those who use the argument-that, if a disrup-
y ton is to take place it had better happen while
" n President favorable to the South is in Office
is, than when the reins of power have passed into
d. the hands of man whose election is the very
,i cause, at least the pretext, of disruption
Armed with this argument, the fiery spirits OF th
rs, South are driving matters On with headlonl
re-, speed, No time is given for reflection or calcu
10 laton, and the object is to commit some at lens
ow Of the Southern States to immediate action be
III fore the excitement aud irritation generated b
rw the recent election have had time to cool. II
the belief of the authors of this reckless polio
eu that if they can succeed in irretrieVaby CON
lat hitting one or two States, the cooler and NOR
iai reasonable States will have no choice but 10 70
ir low in their wake. The South is, at the preser
ory moment not match for the North, and still lei
e, will it he so if It's numbers be reduced by an
'sis amount of detection. 1t is thus that sing
ofy State may possess the power which we often 81
H. vested in n small knot Of persons in our oN
usw party divisious-the power of deciding the 1881
70 which both sides are committed, South Car
MON lima and Georgia, tor instance, can by their
pN dependent action propose to the other Soulhe
hlch States the dilemma-we must not say OF RENAL
ing in the Union, for from the monent that s
bs,' cession has been effected and recognized 4
,rre present uuon is not so much diminished as d
ease solved, hut--of choosing between two cOntec
and racies, the one n which they may play eadi
lAld purt and which possesses similar institutions
now themselves, the other in which they will be q
=. tainly in a minority, aud compelled to surrent
all those points that are in dispute between
Ia a.NaalN Jim arfh