New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-01-30
SECESSION MUST CURE ITsgLP,

There is great hurry'rs 10 an1 tro Of Cd sen
tlemen, who used to De in public lie twenty or
thirty years ago, bent upon Tho I'd n.nl't ring Of
some nosirum, or the application ri, so.nc plast,-,
TO preserve the Federal In "a. Thee v'ncra'.e
old gentlemen think that Tie men 10" rP'D the
stage know nothing Of affair, and ffe D" bore
fit TO be intrusted with their guidance tasn \
bull is fitted TO keep a chna-shop.
For forty years, at certain intervals, tn slave
holders have threatened to break up this Gofcrn-
mcnt. Whenever they have done il, there has
ALWAYS been found plenty Of Northern mcn 70
PROSTATE themselves in the dust before these pO
litica iconocasts, and beg them 10 desist. They
have offered corn and oil, aud the humIatons
and incense Of cOntrite spirit, and, promising
obedience and submission in the future, have al.
ways contriyed to turn away the wrath OF The
dcstroyers. The Shareholders have forborne to
ruin the Union as many os six times in Difference
to these repeated surrenders.
Now we are iu the midst Of another disuni)n
storm, worse than any which has ever preceded
il. The same class Of men who have quailed 10
often before are now rushing from their obscurity,
and begging the men of tho present time to do
what they used TO do. "NothiDg like submission
they cry. "Thcse terrible dsunionists must b.
placated. We never could save the Union ex.
cept by letting them have their own way. lor
" can never do it. Give in, give in, and do II
quick, or you viii be forever too late. They
are going, these terrible disunionists are going,
"t they are going oing-gone +"
The old gentlemen are weak-minded, and quite
too fast. There is no hurry. Not the least.
This time, events are shaping themselves. If we
had lad different Administration, it would
have been otherwise. But such was not our des-
tiny. The country has been either cursed or
blessed with Dir. Buchanan-it is not yet certain
which. The world generally supposes it owes
everything to men. This is an error. 1t often
happens that ideas and circumstances arc IN.
preme. Our Government has generally run along
under the force of ideas. In fact If it had been
unable to do 50, if the machine had been so con-
structed as to 20 alone, it would have stopped
long ago. Its managers have too often been
mere hindrances TO its working apparatus. Pierce
disloc,ted several Of it, wheels. Buchanan has
done even worse. lie has peryersely thwarted
the natural action Of the Government by holding
back it's subordinates from the discharge Of their
functions. He would not let Gen. Scott garrison
tho national forts when danger menaced them.
He has stopped of or reproyed other officers be-
cause they tried to discharge q plain duty. If
the Government had had no head for the last six
months, il would at this moment be better of
than it is.
We want nothing now but to have the machine
let alone. We want it to be allowed to work
ust in the manner that its wise founders mc-nt
it should work in just such emergencies as this.
Neither bungling engineers, nor elderly persons
{ responsibility who were formerly passengers
On the train, can be Of the least possibc service
n running round with their spectacles on their
noses and oil-pot in their hands to see what they
an do. Mr. Buchanan as Chief Engineer, has
stopped the train. IIe has been kicked and
cuifed by the rebels, who have threatened that
they would tear up the rails if he did not stop it.
He has been punched and besought exclaimed at
and begged, to let it go on again. Sometimes he
does, and sometimes he doesn't And this is just