New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-23

cautious, conservative man, had ever STOOD
publicly opposed to Slavery Extension.
He had, in 1854, united in dissolving the
Wing party and forming on its ruins the Re-
publican, expressly on this issue. He had, Ill
1855, canvassed Illinois as a candidate for L.
S. Senator against Douglas, on this and no
other. Mr.. Hamlin, our Vice-President elect,
had, in 1856, publicly renowned the Demo
cratic and Joined the Republican party, on the
very same platform. And our National Con-
yention of 1860, held at Chicago, had, before
nominating any ticket, unanimously and en-
phatically adopted platform, whereof the
most important and thoroughly considered
plank was this;
Resolred. That the normal condition of all tho terri
tory Of the United states is that Of Freedoms tfa
our Republican fathers, when they Lad aDolsI'I 4
slavery IN all our National territory, ordalned 'hht
no person should be deprived OF life, hhert! OF
pyoDeitv without due process of law 1t becomes our
du,y by legislation whenever such legislation Is hcccs-
sarv 10 mairlain this provision OF the C0nstl u'oh
ogains oil attempts to violate III and we deny the au
fhoity Of Congress. of Territorial Legislature OF Oh
ANY individuals 10 give legal existence 10 oh'ci! d"
any Territory OF tie United states.
And, now that we had triumpbed on this ear
dinal principle, Mr. Thurlow Weed, prolessed
Republican, swelled by his voice the vehement
yociferous demand Of all the Fusonists OF the
North and the Conservatives" Of the South,
that we should belle our professions, bctray our
vital principle, by conscnting to and cooperating
in the extension OF Slavery.
Faithless and shamelulas such betrayal would
have been. there was great danger that it would
prevail. Business stood still. Industry was par
alvzed The Free States, suddenly confronted
by the CORY specter of Civil War, recolIed
and shuddcrcd. Every one intent on money
making. especially Il bound by ties Of business
or interest to the South, olamored for settle
ment on some-on any terms. Had popular
vote then been taken on the Crtiendcn Com
promise so called, have 10 doubt that it would
have prevailed, through the abstcniion OF hund-
reds of thousands who lad voted for Lincoln.
For more than forty years, We had seen the
North driven from pillar to post by threats OF
Dsunion. Whenever she proposed to act On
her moral convictions adversely to the inces ant
exactons of Slavery, She was told, Back ont
or The South will scccde =" | had all my life
been listening. at intervals, to these threats,
and was thoroughly sick Of them. They all
assumed that the Union was taror conferred on
the North Jg the South IA favor which
we were to rcciprocate by saying ana
doing whatever the Slave Power should
NJ any time see fit TO require OF Us. Successive
lcyactions on one side, concessions on the other,
had established quite general impression that
the Union was o one-sdcd affair, to be counter
balanced by Northern submission on collateral
loucstons TO Southern dictation-that we Of the
North owed our prosperity to the patronage Of
the South, and should be willing to sec
through our bcucfactors spcctaclcs whenever
our own pccuniary interests did not forbid
For my own part, had had something toe
much Of this" had always lived by my own
labor, never by Southern Partially. believed
the Union quite as beneficial, quite as necessary
to the South as to the North. | wanted No
boom acros, the Mississippi at the mouth OF Tho
Ohio; but. If New-Orlcans should insist
on having one there, ! believed New-lorb
Icould stand it. ! did not seek the
lbriurinc down OF the Canada Inc Go
far a. slavery was conccrned) TO the P0to'
mae. the Ohio, the Missouri; but, if the Slave
Power chose 10 have it there would she'd no
lake Of blood to push it back to the great Lakes
and the S. Lawrence. And 80, in preference
to the pcrfdy and aba emcnt demanded by the
Democrats, and urged by Mr.. Weed, proposed
that he Sopih sloaId be inrii,d 10 make her or"
dctjrotc. unbiased, peaceful choice uicther to re-
main in or 60 ont Of tie Union.
There may be those who believe that the
great Mississippi Valley can be permanently di
yided: / DO not. There are probably those
who believe that the South, fairly canyassed,
and relieved from the irritating threat of Northern
coercion, would ihaye voted to dissolve the
Union / do not l firmly believe that, il
.he North had been great enough, wise
enough, to say to the South, just after Mr.. Lin
coins election: "You must decide this ques-
ton for yourselves. We Will not buy you, non
bribc You, nor hire you, whether with money OF
with sclyilitv, TO stay with Us; we deny the
pref ended constitutional legal right of Scces-
sion; but We affirm The right of Revolution
the right Of each people to be governed as they
see fl. Choose, then, once and forever,
whether TO remain with us or leave US, and a.
YOU choose it shall be- we should have in.
sura tie defeat and downfall OF the conspira.
tors for Disunion. We certainly beat them as
ii was in the aggregate popular vote ofthe Slave