New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-05

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capable Of spreading ruin and desH W ele'er
chose to tread. Fear cries. "SkulE Aha piue
"tdm and fee, Oh Truth Honor, Justicet coh
sistency; for Secession, terrible Secession. ap'
"proaches Fall on your knees, propitiate anu
"Pray, abdicate and succumb, oil ye political
" combinations called Parties, for Secession ter
riblO Secession, with his lordly strides and his
"maled hand threatens TO overwhelm and de-
" stroy us alm Let us look al the monster thus
suddenly held up to us by the startled vision and
bursting e, eballs Of q eckly apprehension, aud
try to measure its true proportions.
Slavebold ng States are departing from the
American Union. number have gore. More
are going. Let us assume that all Of them, south
of tie Potomac aud cast of the Mississippi River,
viii 20 out and form an independent confedcracy.
We suppose nobody is able to doubt that the
power row known as the United States of Amer.
lea is able to enforce some Of its ideas, at least
! as to the proper boundaries of tho rev coDied-
| eracy. And We suppose it will not be questioned
that if this power insists upon great natural from
| tiers, like the Potomac, tho Ohio, and the Mis-
sissippi, il will find means to make its deter
minaliou respected But we need not stand even
upon this presumption. Let ne admit that the
United States Will be very liberal aud forboariog
toward the new organization, in the matter OF
boundaries, aud in every other way. We viii
start upon almost any kind of n suPpOsiticn, for
arguments cake, to show what Secession is, and
what it promises.
In the first place the ecccdEg States 90 ont
of tho old Union on the idea Of tho right TO Sc
cede. This right they claim, one aud all,
denying that there is any authority to prevent Sc
csssion anywhere. OF course this, then, is the
baeis of the new Slaveboldiug Conlederacy. by
its terms wc zee chat it will be nothing but u
voluntary league Of States, from which any MEM
Der nay withdraw at eny moment. ii comes into
being VIGOROUSLY on this ground. Ii may be dis
intcgrased at the pleasure Of any one Of its mem-
bers. 1t VIII thus DO no nation at al, but mere
partnership, q voluntary association Of petty
States. What sort Of beginning would such a
confedcracy make in its new career What
kind Of credit would it have among capital
lists What sort Of status would il enjoy
among nations! 1t would have no national
credit, aud il would have no national character
Imagino il to have got over the preliminary
difficulties Of organization, and come TO mutual
agreement, which of itsef ia o severe strain
upon tho fancy, and suppose it TO be fairly
started in the race Of nations. What then II
is new Government based upon, and started
for, the institution cf African Slavery. II is
poIt on Of the old body Of the American nation
broken away for the purpose Of maintaining,
spreading, and perPetuStng this institution,
which it conco:yes 10 be imPerilcd by remain !
ing longer in the American Union. What would /
be it, capacity Of carrying out It's dcsignsl /
By the natural expansion Of ts population, tie !
free Republic OF the North would begin 20 trench .
at once upon IFS boundaries on tho north, and /
on the west Being no longer protected by |
common Union, Slavery would recedo from the /
frontiers for safety aud accumulate upon tho /
center. Slavery does not naturally spread, nor
lap over upon free communities surrounding il. !
On the contrary Free Labor presscs upon Slavery /,
wherever the line divides them from Ouc another.
This has been our experience within the Union. /
The same law will be far more efficient and
complete in its operation after the lIcc aud
Slave States shall have been severed.
But how about the new Coniederacy GpryadiDg |
Slavery into foreign countr.esi We suppoie We
may safely assume .hat We should have both the /
power and the inc!iuation 10 protect our orH IN.
inhabited territories. But Mexico low long,
would il be- before the Free United States would |
have a treaty with hexico, guaranteeing protection
and freedom 20 her frontier territory Ne might,
perhapa, become Purchasers of contiguous poT.
tons. But either way, Mexican interests aud
Tree.State interests would naturally .ud u lie
cessity combine TO presorTo Mexican territory
from frcobOotiug Slavery.
What Of Cubal The commercial connections
Of CUBA ard it's strategic position belong and
refer wholly and exclusively 70 ou- maritime in
tercsts aud population. The Independence Of
Cuba, either as a seltgOyerncd or a colonial
community, would DO at once h.Ia!y established
and guaranteed by England, Isanc0, Spain, and
the United States. In respect 20 other West
India Ialand5 aud Central America, Great Brit.
ain, France and the United States would b
alike Interested in protecting .hom from the raJ-
ages Of Slavery spreading Gll5aateEs. Separation
OF The Free and Slave States would DO the s,g.
nal for an instantaneous determination Of she
Great Powers which we ho7e named 10 pretent
the further spread of Slavery on this c)Htuent.
The new Confederacy wOgd DO utterly pOwCgless
to resist that purpose for al instant. IL could not
raise a man nor fire gun in that behalf, from
sheer imbecility. And thus the hour that sees
the commencement Of She career Of the new
Slayeho.diDg COnfederacy viii register tho be.
ginning Of lie decline For when Slavery ceases
I'm eyp4nd on this continent ( begins % die