The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-04
The Four,h or rebru.ry.


of February will be day az memorable to
the country az the 4th of July. On this day
the six revolted States meet, by their dele
gates, at Montgomery, Ala, for the purpose OF
forming Southern confederacy, which will
| declare its independence of the late United
States, as the Congress of the thirteen colonies
declared their independence of Great Britain,
ut Philadelphia, on the 4th of July, 1776
Had the day been fixed one month later, thir
teen States, If not fifteen, would have as
sembled in revolutionary conclsvc A nu-
cleus federal government being formed i'm
mediately by the six seeding States under
the present constitution, and all the
Southern States being we'll satisfied with that
great charter Of human freedom, each other
State, as 1t secedes during the present month,
can join without delay, while the Congress will,
meantime, be consolidating the Southern
Union, organizing its diplomacy and making
preparations for defence against invasion.
Ii is well known that large majority
Of the Texas delegates, now in Conven
l"ticn. are in favor of secession; 80 that we may
at any moment hear of that State becoming
| again "lOne star" and the next moment
being numbered the seventh in the Southern
constellation. Thus the entire belt of cotton
States, from the southern boundary of North
Carolina TO Mexico, will have been severed
| from what remains of the Union, and be con-
| federated for veal or wo before the expiration
of the present week.
| But is this ALI By no means. The indica-
| tons are that as South Carolina led off in the
cotton States SO will Virginia show the way
| out Of the Union to the border slave States
| Her election for Convention to decide upon
the question of secession takes place this day,
and, according to the latest intelligence from
| he Old Dominion, the secessiOnists are
confident of carrying the State, and the
| friends Of the Union despair short time
| since this was not the case. Had the election
| been held MONTH or perhaps even fortnight
| ago, the Union party would have triumphed.
| But the strengthening of Fortress Monroe, the
concentration of troops at Washington, tho in
| decent haste betrayed at the North in Offering
the militia to coerce the Southern States, under
the guise of executing the revenue laws, pro-
tecting the federal property and preserving the
Union, and at the same time the logged refusal
of the leaders Of the republican party, In and
| out OF Congress, to offer any concessions, or
! adopt the moderate compromises proposed by
mediators, while most Of them denounce the
whole people Of six States rs traitors and re-
bells, and threaten to subdue them by bayOnets
and cannon balls-these things have wrought
revolution in conservative Virginia, and any
conciliatory measures that may be adopted by
the border State compromise convention will be
100 late to have any influence upon the action
Of her State ConveDtion for if tho secession
party are in majority they will declare her out
Of the Onion, no matter what the compromises
| may do And if Virginia, whose Convention
| meets on the 18th, goes out, it is safe to pre-
dict that the other border States will be
| sure to follow. Indeed that was their
firm resolve from the beginning, if ample qua
rantees should not be given for their protection
in the Union before the Inauguration of Mr..
Lincoln. That nothing effectual will be done
in the way Of compromise before that time
there is too much reason to fear.
Every Southern State save three-namely,
Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware taken
action in calling q conventions; and it needs no
ghost TO tell that Kentucky and Maryland will
unite their fortunes with Virginia. Cassius NJ
Clay admits that Kentucky will go out unless
speedy concessions are made AS for Delaware
il is of small consequence what she does in this
revolution. Missouri will meet in Convention on
the 2Sth. Tennessee will meet on the 25th, if
the people should 80 decide on the 9th instant
This State, once the most conservative, Is now
ripe for revolution. The Legislature of Arkan
sas has also left il to the people to decide by a
vote on the 18th whether there will be Con-
vention, and if they should decide in the AFR
native IL will be held on the 4th of March,
There can be little doubt what Arkansas will
do. The Legislature has appropriated $780,
900 to arm the State. In North Carolina Con-
vention is to be held on the 18th Of March, If
the people should agree to II by their vote on
the 18th Of this month. That State will follow
Virginia and Tennessee. In Virginia, Tennes
| see Arkansas, Missouri and North Carolina the
| action Of their respective Conventions is to be
submitted to a vote Of the people
| What is the prospect that the Compromise
| Convention, which meets at Washington
to-day, will or can do anything to arrest
the progress Of tho revolution? Three
| Western States Michigan, Iowa and Min
nesota--and the leading New England
State, Massachusetts,, will not be represented.
| This circumstance alone would render any
plan that may be adopted unsatisfactory to the
South; but If the Convention should agree
upon good measures, they will be voted down
or laid on the shelf by the present infatuated
Congress. The Compromise Conference, there
fore, cannot do anything to save the Union
that is among the things that were. They can
do nothing TO reconstruct It; for that, too, il
beyond their control. 1t will probably break
up in confusion and disorder, and that will be
tho end Of the affair.
| The I'm ne ndlng Com nlct In Europe-prus-