New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-04-19

tho slaveholdpR supremacy. a a q / EIN l
aIh>Nf THE AroIoeIsF or A sLAvEHoLDSR Ell ~
The conscauncea Of the election OF Mr. Polk were very
serious Not only was the stato Of Texas inirodneeo'
but war with DIoxico followed. and muon larger
QUESTION Of territory Of the peace than nau ooou us
inaily contemplated. Tho engineer had Deoh "os'
with his own peard" Tho success o. the war au Who
urTy brought into notice the military IoaueIS Mn9
most contributed 10 1t. The election OF iSs h,n
another P.sSss1s for ,S The pSmSs 81
in acSt mat an between civilian and soidrf both
Of them OF marked character snn o. Ss
Tayior lad very distinguished himself by bis Mex
pnortunity of enLstiugl him inAits ranks All the old
statesmen were set aside. to press MN INTO the arena
The Denocrats, as they had done with Harrison:
But uninciig for the harmony Of the %oyemcnt, It
slaves in one of the richest cotton producing States
The notion OF setting up sueh person as candidate
numbers the party seemed at first blush too prepos
ferrous to be NC Gr Iomea Hst y ma
of Advocating the Inconsistency wi frankly confess
t was one sm0S S %sy o. S das X
detion apparent in this proceeding We had reuctanty
be but When pS this that WS
called TO give even tacit rathcston of the series
Mexican war, and still more, to elevate to the
highest post or the country as reward for htI
services, a slayebolder hayingH every possible
planned, IL proved heavier load than nj could bear
The consequence was very considerable secession
the party aud an effort to bring before the public
dependent nomination. This carried out in what
has since been remembered as the Buffalo Conven-
ton. simultaneously with this movement, similar one
had been made by the Democratic party section OF
with the nomination Lewis Cass, ultimately consented
to make part Of the same Assembly Toe emu was me
nomination of Mr. Van Buren,, and deolaratOn Tor the
first time, of system OF policy distney FOUNDED upon
INC true issues aGtati9g the eonny pT II ~ os
certain that IN the conflicts OF politics the persons VINO
Iry the hardest TO press straightforward To their object
not unfrcquenty fud themselves landed at the end Of
tue opposite ROAD.
HIS FIRST APrEARAScB IN NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
The effect Of the nomination Of Mr. Van Buren, was to
make u.s. his opponents contribute TO the triumph of
Gen Taylor more decslvely than II we had voted for
him directly This it was that proved the wisdom Of
Mr. Seward in holding back from our action Yet with
the success of Gen. Taylor, the position in which Mr.
seward found himself seems TO me, even now TO have
canvass allowed himself 10 be freely used as instr
tempted secede. In order 10 retain them he had 10
hold fast TO his ground and even To give assurance
Of his confidence that IL would be ultimately sustained
In case of victory have lately read Win care such
reports Of his speeches during tlat canvass as cOuu
fluid and from that perusa am constrained to admit
that much as doubted his good faith aG tue time can
not perceive any failure in consistency or IA commit
follow, adverse to the expectations he held
G 9T In ,uu Snsr It aTSrsbv II no Gould or to
dsavow it II At should prove TO b. adverse L. was an
es SEN T,icr Was made PRESIDENT and simu-
taneOusy Mr. Seward for the first time transferred
from the field of State to that of national AFFAIRS He
came into the senate OF the United states leave
n Tor twelve years He came under circumstances OF
trillng embarrassInent Tue new President the
time utterly unknown 10 the public men, and especially
to him. He had been elected by party still greatly
come up Tor decision. The chance of the prepoGder
ance OF policy favorable 10 freedom by no means
hattering. An inexperienced President is ODhged 10
consume of his early days In office In correcting
the mistakes he commits before he gets 10 an under
standing with his advisers L am very sure that Mr..
seward felt for time quite uncertain what The issue
would be- Everything depended upon the natural powers
OF ten. Taylor 10 distinguish the true from the false
path Happily for Dir. seward, he determined " DO
tract of territory had been acquired by the Tar
spacious than mad been contemplated by the org
majors OF the policy and now tie question came up
whether all of excess be dedicated to the
Of freemen or OF masters and servants as Texas had
been In other words, should Slavery DC tolerated ana
extended indefinitely Early measures had been taken
pave the way for by abrOgatng such portions OF the
But the President determined 20 give countenauce to
policy, and MI Seward was lett at liberty TO como
forward at once an independents champion of freedom
- lHIs BOLD OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY COMPROMISE
1t was critical moment in the great struggle out of
which the Government was TO issue either as oil
garchy controlling all things in the interest OF class Of
masters OF slaves, else in fuller development In bar
ony with the declared objects Of It's first construction
A remarkable number OF men OF superior abilities had
been collected in the Senate just at this moment all or
whom had growa gray under the existing organization
Mr. Calhoun and MIR. Clay, though widely differing
Sher f9gs hue al se eOn se
his mind tOIneet IL fully IN the face All manifested
mise, synonymous with practical concession |
to the slavehOldng preteDsions. The Immediate |
question was upon the admission OF the newly |
acquired Territory Of California into the Union |
free State. The advocates OF Slavery insisted upon
svsen in other respects as consideration proper TO be
granted for acquescence In other words 1t
first lime Mr. Seward came forth the great national
10 try his strength against his formidable compe
itors Three successive speechcs-One the 18th OF
March, next the "a OF july and the last ON the
lltn of september Of the year ls5o-dspayed IN the
cearest light his whole policy this vital subject At
the very outset he declared himself opposed ~ com
promise in any and all the forms in which 1t had been
proposed and he followed up the words with close ar
guient against each OF those FORMS He then went ON
boldly 10 grapple with the often repeated threats
In manner rarely heard before In that hall Casting
of the shaekes Of party discipline he used these mem
CRADLE wOrds Here then, Is the point OF my separd
ton from both Of these parties. feel assured that
slavery must give way ana VIII VIA give Wg 10 1G 1
OF humanity that emancipation Is lneVtaDIe ana
whether shall be peaceful violent depends upon the
question whether IL be fastened or hndered; that all
which fOrtfy Slavery or extend II tend To the
cOnsummation OF violence all that eheck Jus extension
its strength tend 70 its peaceful eXtrpatOn
peaceful means 10 secure even that end and
or wall forogo" Prophetic words indeed, which
would have been well had they been properly needed
at the time by besotted who. years later.
rushed upon their own ruin.
TIR DECLARATION OF TuE "mGHEB LAW
It was this speech also that he enunciaed the doc
true Of higher law Than the Constitution, which
rise TO an infinite OF outcry from very
respectable class OF people, who shocked at the
license thought to be implied BY such an appeal But
truth Is more obvious than this that all
poycue aud legislation closely restrict
ed within "a Limitation beyond which they cannot pass
without being stripped of their force. This limit may
be purely material. It may be moral, but In either
case ts power SIMILAR n not the IL Il familiar
Story which is told in tho books OI Caute, The great
Dlnsh cOIqiicroT OF Britain, that once when his |
courtiers we're yIeine will each other inaghfymg
their sense OF his OmnipOtence, be simply !
ordered his chair 20 be approached TO The al |
XdpciBc tide OF the ocean, and loudly or
Gercd the waves TO retire. Ihe iattcTers under
stood the hint. ana we're abasbed by TINS whitening
illustration O the higher law In the declaration Of !
cub.