The Presidency And Slavery: Mr. Clay Cannot Be Abandoned

v e aie ftot of ihnsc who believe it irsasoil per seto the Whig party tt) prcfcr or opposo tl. o lx ¦n.ination of any individual to any statihn We regard no mari as inore or less a Wljigou account of bis individual prefereíices. Bul in regard to Jie Whig candidate for the no.vt Presidrncy there seems to exist so vcry general and hèarty a concurrenco in thechoice and support of Mr. Clny by the Whigs that it does scfin to ns at once id.'eand unwise in afiy VVliig to speak uf any other man. Of all the i mrnnlfl througbojit tlie Union which cali ïln msilvcs Wninr, or pcnnit themselvcs to be 90 callecï, we bfllcvc ftill nioely nine in a hundrcd nre advocates of Mr Clay. Does any man doubt that these speak penerally the local èeittimen'a of the Wbigsi Then of all the Cunvenlious or pul. lic Meetings of Whigs h"M v.rliin a ytir past,- -we mean all tbat hare been ca led without reference to individua! clíi mis to expresa the Whig prcferencë, or wliich, heing c:illed forotlier purpose?, have incidentally cxpressed that preference - wliat one has hs'pcd the name of any other thnn Mr. Cloy? Con. lian don by death and Mr. Webster by yoluntaiy position being out of the question, what hopo can there be of conrntruting the Whig strengthj Cnlling out the Whig enthusiasm, on any other than Mr Clavl These queslions, this article, whicb would otherwjso ectr. euperfluoue, have been prompteq by two or three letters rcccntly received Iroin Massachbsete, sustaining demJnstrationq reeen tly yjade in a single jou mal ofthia City. Tiio-o import that Mr. Clay must be abandoned because of the hearing of the slavcry qüestio.n - lljoV eucJi is the deep seated nnd exteuding hostility to Sluvery in the Freo Staies tlint several of tliem, which would votó for John M'Lean or some other unexceptionablo citizen from a Freo State, would by tho obstinate refusul of perhaps a tenth part of Uuir othcrwisfl Wrliig voters to support a flave!io!er, be snftercd to go against us, and thiis give the elcction to Calhouh er Van Bu- ici). Let us v.cigh tiiis suggcsüon. Ar.d first, as the nbandonment of Mr. Clay' is demanded as a stroke of party policy, vo iuuA consider whether" the matter has or has not two sidi 3 Would nit bis deserlion tend to transfonn our National into a Scctional party? Would it not at once divest us of any sympaihy or support from the Sluveholding States? Could the Southern Whigs support our alternativo candidate v.itjj anv self respect 1 Could we decently ask ihem to do it? In the color which certa in vital questions of National Policy liave been made to wear, in the invetérate and local prejudices which they have been f'orced to encounter,' they find discouragement and obstacle enougb. Yet they persevere arI dontly and gonerously, becaufe they realize tlie best good of the country is intolved in the triumpli efWhio principies in the dminist: tion nnd Policy of the Governnirnt. They ga% a noble vote lo Con. Uarrison; they are preparing, úi spite of nli superficial Eeemings, to to pive an equaliy ardent and eiliciënt support to Mr. Clay. They have palpably beconie far more National nnd lefs Sectional than formerlv. uirhin tiie last thrce yeárs. But if tho Vhigs of thenorth recede as they ad vanee ('we become SeCZional as they betome Na- tional - above al!, if we cstnblish a test which virlually exeludes their eminent and favnrite SlacoEman from all hope or chance o( reachingf tl;e highest station in tho gift of the American IVoi'lr - tío we not virtuplly and vclunturüy rihivur the bond of our unión and cost them off1 forever? For, let r.one absurdly say that wn p'irsue si.ch a course for this lime on7y, and .vil; if.etward return lo onc inore generous '.Víxí doy thc fatal precedent will plead,1 TliecrÍ8Í8 will alwnys ce imminent,'the rePtfll ofn jujndiog slruirgle for the Presidcnry dnubtftil; and 1 Í10 diílicuhy fearfully augmentcd by (he timidity which yields to it As a measureof simple party policy, and looking nt it in the light of .policy alone, it wonlil be better for the Whig party even to lose the next Prcsideníial TBIection with the man of thcir dioico thnn to win it by a concesión ko penlous, so fatnl. Bnl the quesSion raised by theeflbrt against Mr. Clny bus piofounder bearings thau even this. It involves the moral integrity of the Péople - their dtscriminalion herween the urn. por ure nnd the abuse of a power - the fidclity öfthe Nforth lo the spirit and eeeeneo of the comí act from which sprung the Fnderal Constitution. All must reulise that the Southern Statop, in conceding to the Northern the power to choose a President for the whole Union did not concede a power lo prescribe nnd ostncise their oivn citizeus simph' on account of the dornest'C iiiPtilutions wliich they neither etipulated or pretended to abandon If the idea had boen bronched ín the Federal Convention of 'a? ifaaf tlie Free States could orce an Abolition of Slavery Ly rigidly, syf-'ernaticcJly excluding Slavcholders froin all the places of honor or trust under the rew government, would r.ot Urn In rn have ben soun!ed- tho iIk 1101 til profuso of gnnranties ngainstsuch an abuse of' nccorded power, nnd the South rigorous in ejracting ihenil What fair mind cer under.stood th'ai the power to act upon lbo institution of SÏaVory lor its overthrow ivas iven by tbat secti-jn of the Conetitütion fnables an Electoial Bfaiority (which the FreeStates stendüy and decidedly constitutc) to clioose n President of the United Stares? Let no or.e p-ervtert our position. We do not tav tiiat the citizensol' the Freo States imve rtow no mean?, no power, vio right to i act ad voel y upon Slavcry! Tliey havemeans and powera which Pxisted anlocpdently to Iliat litution, and were not uöected by it.- Tiio liglit to speek and w rite and labor, os men. ngainst any mond wrong is anterior (i)irht wc not say superior?) to all Governmct. Biit tlie francliisee gtovmg out of ihe Pederal Constilution, deriving tlicir very exi&tence ftotn ilint iiittniment, l)ave 110 rigntful existence Loyond the objects for wliich thcy wee i:is'.iuite(! - they camiot bo used to eiTtt.t BÓtne purpose wholly asido frnni n ml adverse tu (!ic inlenlinu and purpo.e of Üieir creatocn wilhout a brciicl) ofmorai honosty - :i fl-igrant violiiüon of good fnith. Wc con rscuaè the ilmroiigli göing Aboli ioni.st, who declaring i the Constitiition an niffsiit ons compact, refusea to ifölo iiiiiic-r or exfifCiac any fratichiBC uniler il : bui lic who uua Ihc power graiiicd by ihc