The North And The South

The conquest of California by Commodoro Sloat, and that of New Mexico by Gen. Kka.r.nkt, willaddan immensa extent of territory- nbout 3dt),000,000 of square to iho already vast posscssions of ïhe Uniicd S;a!e3. Wa may nsaurne these premist"? es absolutely posilivc, for no one ocquainted whh the charac'.er of our pcople, witli tlieir newly acquired laaie for territorial nggrandizement, wi'.h the importance of theaa r acquisitions, comniercinlly and politic&Hy, and, with the itiert and inibecüe rule which Mexico haa hiiherto exerted over them, cao entertain, much doubt of the final dcniny oi ihose provine cea. Wo have aeized them with thestrong arm, in pursuance of the legitímate rights of belligerents, and no even t of future occurrence is likely 10 relax our grasp, or prevent their ultimatq iacorporation iow our confederacy of aovereignties, Regarding tho poasession of California and New Mexico a9 a " fixed fact," bcyond a perad - venture or a doubt, the queation nnturally ariaes as to the form under which theso territories will enter ihe Union. It ia an important one, for it iseectional in its nature, it hasolready atirrcd up agiiatioB, and promisea, at no rernote period, to become a fertile and4vexaiious 9ourco of tumult, discord and strife. Iby Heaven forfend that it may lead to nothing worse 1 In neiiher of vhesa countries does tho inatituuon of Slavery ut proaent exisl - for, by the constituiion of Mexico, involuntary tervitude is prohilited. Uut Santa Fe has always been cïaimed a8 an iniegral pari of Texas, and Texas id a slaveholding Staia. - Should, therefore, Santa Fe ba annexed to the Union, we cannot see how the North can objcot to the extensión ofslavery to a portion ot country, which will be incorporated into Texas, and constitute its Nonh-westorn boundary. But thia reasoning, however plausible, will not be apt to satisfy the non-slaveholdmg States, lor they aro actuated by othtr motivc9 than the simple tiis- like of alavery - they are averas lo, and jealoua of the growth and progrebs of the South, and view with jnundiced visiou every iuch of grouad added to our scil.Witli respect 10 California tha caso is comevhat diífeiunt. Il is not claimed as pari of ny St.iie, is destiuuo of shves now, and ie records of the lato eession abundantly proTO ïat if ever it beannexed to tho United States, ie oct w.U bc iranuneled with a perpetual abqition of slavery. It moy be, that when thesa uesiions arise, the South wil] bc contented to eceitö New Mexico as slaveholding territory, nd tolérate the admission of California without lavery, os on offset. What result may flovr rom thia contcst betwten the Nonh and Soutli - in whatevermanner a compromiso may ba efeetod. there oin bc no rational doubt that Uit trugglo will be fierce and thero is somo reasou or dreadmg the wreek of harmonios and peacoul councils, amiil the turmoil and viole;it auUj nism of seccional interesis. We have ihus far siid httle on tho subject, bur ve have been no natientive observers of ih liases of public feeling, developed in ihe ncnlaveholding Statea, especially in tho eatrem Northand West, by the discussion oithe probable increase of our territory, through cession or conquest. Politicinns, inoved by an unscrupuouatagerne8s for the fabrication of pany capital may seek on one sidc or the other to pervert every isolaied expression o[ opinión imo palpabla evidence that one of the two great partiea siand pledgcd to oppose tho extensión of slavery. - We, who carenothing for the exigencias of pary, and who beliove one just as honest and as patiotic 83 the other, have ssdulously noted the proress of op'nion, and we dt clare our solemn and incero conviciion that, ihroughout tlie nonlaveholding States, utierly independent of, and unassociated wiih politica! divisions, thero prevaÜ3 a deep-35ated and wii?e-sprcad opposiiion o the encroachment8 of slarery - an oppositioa he more formidable, that it does not essume tho aspect oí mere rampant and fanatic abolitionitm, but manifests itself in ihe ieiermination to respect ihe consiiiutiona! guáranteos of slavery, at he same time declarini; that it shall, hereafie% e restricted wiibin iis present geographical lirat9. and shall proceed no lurther. We say ihat he masses of boih parties exhibit this dispoaltion ïot ns politicans, though sometimea for politica! lilct - and that the most températe, the ablest nd most patriotic prints - neutral pipers withal do not hesitate to nvow these principies. If proof were desired of this state of fnct, we ould fill our columns with cilaiions. But it is only neecssary to refer the reader to the journals of Masaachuseiis and Pennsylvania, oí Obio, Indiana, and Illinois for evidences of the romnkable unanwuity that marks the public mind in hese quarters, upon this exciting topic. Tho procecdings during the late session of Congres, he hisiory of the proviso prohtbiting slavcry in California, concocted by ono ücmocrat, preemed by anoiher. supported indisciiminately by Whigs and Democrats of tho Nor tb. and West,and opposed, without distinction of party, bjr lie cntire South, is a pregnant iliirntion of the power of ibis qneslion n amiihilating poliiical sympathics, and submiuinj; ilicm (o the irrcíislile empire ol sectionul aiïïuiues. There is a well-lbunded onJ a justifiable anxiety in lbo Souih, toextend its instituiions pari nassu with the admission n:o the Union of nonilavehoIdiDg States. VVo claim equaliiy of sterngth and nfluence with tho North and West pquality of represeniation tri our nationul counei Is, as almost the sole remaining shelter from he preponderating influencc3 of tho latter. Tho Souih instinciively fcels ihflt her only ifety lies n the equilibrinm of pjwer. But for this the 'chement prejudices nuurshed ogiinst our Wonesiic institutions mi glit ono day overleap con- titutional barriers and tlio virultnt a.'snulis to vhicli wc ro d;nly c.xposeil, niiglu asautre a moro practical and directly injurious form. - Tlus sentiment of sclfprescrvatiou, was the leadng motive in uniting tho eniire South, irrespectve of poliiics.tipo;) the question ol the ar.ncxation of Texas. That question, it is true, was in part determined by Northern votes, but white in that quarter, the aiTibitioa of territorial acqjisiton, nnd strong sympathy for a republic settled by ofjshots front the pnrent s:em, in a great mcasur stiñed sectirnal intt-rcstf. in the South, the secret cor.sciousnes that by the aggregaiion of Texas the slaveholding Sta'.es would dtrive an accesions of strength, nnd be better fitted lo cope wiih 'he Norih, was a motive thntoer6hadowaJ all oihers. Henee, while Northwtrd ifce qut!on triumphed but partinlb , Souih ol Uo