The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1862-06-30

The Conservative Reaetiea In the
West.
The Personal Liberty bill in Wisconsin has
been repealed. 1t was continuance by which
the authority Of . law Of Congress for the res
toration Of fugitive slaves was set at nought,
and the provision In the constitution of the
United States on which the law was founded
rendered null and void. 1t set up claim Of
"liberty, fraternity, equality" for negroes and
provided for IN organized resistance, under the
color Of State law, to the rights of white men
in sister States Bills Of this kind, which passed
in some ten or eleven Northern States, under the
agitation and mslign influence Of the radicals,
were attended with the worst consequences.
They produced heartburnings and bitterness in
the Southern States which prepared the way
for the designs Of the secessionists and Of which
they adroitly took advantage in order to fan
the flame of disunion Endled at the North by
abolition hands.
Tho repeal Of the Personal Liberty bill,
which had dragged down white men to the
level Of IN inferior race, il m omen Of good for
the Union. II il like the dove bearing back to
Noah's ark from the waste Of waters the olive
branch, in token that the food had subsidized and
that there was hope for man. The country has
been deluged for upwards of year with fra
ternal blood. The act Of Wisconsin il the
holding out Of the olive branch to the South,
and an invitation to lay down its arms and re-
turn to the protection afforded by the constitu-
ton, whose guarantees Wisconsin will hence
forward respect. Had the Southern States, in
stead of being guilty Of the suicidal folly of
resorting to arms for redress of past grievances,
and for security against future ills, trusted to
tho justice, patriotism and Union principles of
the men Of the North, the revolutionary abo-
litionists would have been long since crushed
by public opinion, and the South would have
been saved the devastation and horrors of
war. An appeal to the sword was just what
the radicals wanted. 1t was playing into their
hands and paralyzing the friends of Southern
rights. The people Of the South fell into the
trap laid for them by the fanatics and harpies
at the North, who fomented war for the double
purpose of plundering the nation and of carry
ing out visionary and utopian ideas Of negro
equality. The conservative portion of the
people could neither permit anarchy nor dis
union, and hence they identified themselves
with the war for the very purpose Of defeating
the Satanic purpose of the abolitionists, which
was to effect permanent separation between
North and South, or to degrade sovereign
States of the Union to the position of conquered
provinces, deprived Of local selfgovernment-
the vital principle of the American system for
two hundred and fifty years. Wisconsin has
nobly come forward to vindicate that principle
by undoing the evil work which she perpe-
trated in moment of misguided passion. 1t
is the beginning Of new era-the dawn Of a
conservative reaction setting in at the great
West, which was never fanatical at heart.
( The same returning sense of reason, the
same healthy spirit, has recently been devSlop-
ed in Illinois, and we have no doubt that it
will extend over the whole West, and that the
East, catching the happy contagion, will extin-
guish the last spark of the baleful fires of ia
naticism which have been lighted up among us
by political incendiaries. In Illinois . new
constitution has just been submitted to the
people. The majority of the convention which
framed it YVES democratic; but the radical re-
publicans, by misrepresentation, induced
the people to vote against it IS
whole. Some of its most important pro-
visions, however, were submitted and
voted upon separately, and triumphantly car.
ried, and now stand the fundamental law of
the State. Among these were two PROPOSE
tions One to prevent any more negroes
coming into the State, which was adopted by
two-thirds vote; the other, denying the right of
suffrage to the negroes already in the State and
prohibiting them from holding Office, which
was adopted by . vote of nine-tenths of the
people. These provisions were partially con-
tanned in the old constitution, but are now rem
dered more explicit and decisive.
This gives the death blow to negro worship
in Illinois; and we trust similar measures will
soon be adopted in Ohio thus routing the bigot
Wade and his fanatical followers horse, foot
and artillery. We hope this Union sentiment,
springing as it does directly from the pure
fountain of our laws and government-the con-
stitution of Me United States-will swell into q
deep and rapid stream, permeating Massachu-
setts and the whole of the New England States,
overthrowing Sumner and the other pro-
pagandists Of political 'false doctrine,
hcresy and schism," from which the pso-
pie ought not only to pray fervently to
be delivered, a. from a pestilence, but
ought to put their shoulders to the wheel
and render the conservative reaction gloriously
triumphant in every State which has departed
from the ancient landmarks, or even faltered
in its allegiance to the greatimperishable char
ter Of American rights aud liberties-thc bond
Of Union which can never know dissolution.
SHIPMENT OF Our GOLD CRoP.-The steamers
which left this port for Europe on Satur-
day took out with them the large sum Of
s2,949,00O in gold 1t might appear from this
fact that this country was being depleted Of