THE UNITED STATES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 656, 19 February 1859, Page 3

THE UNITED STATES.

(From the 'Times.')

The great item of news is .that Mr. Buchanan is again a candidate for the presidency... So we are told; and it is certainly taken for granted at public meetings, and by men who address their constituents. Mr. Buchanan was probably sincere when tie assured' the world in 1856, that he should retire at the end of the 4 years' term. He is old: he had gained the object of his life's labours when lie entered the White House, and there seemed to be no reason why he should undertake double toil in-his years, merely to enjoy a longer continuance of honours already.acquired. But his reign has not been what he expected arid intended. He might, and he might not, bo sincere in- holding out the promise of political peace within the union; but lie undoubtedly expected to have annexed. Cuba' before the four years were over, a.n4 to have, obtained the command, If not the property, of the^Central American territory with its 'great !trari>vt rbtite. He expected :arao7!a£ tie fevywed, attiis entrance on office; *o solve tft'e Wntrovefsy aboftt the'grourid-law; and coustituitbnal pWn'cipla Qt ihis,country in Regard to slave msfcitutionsiianclliespolcq^na acted atjthe tjme as if

he really supposedithat the Dred Scott decision would settle the businem. As tilings have turned out, otherwise, he may easily persuade himself that the security of the .Union requires his continuance in office, as a compromise, or as an expedient ready provided, till mean's • are4aken to prevent the north and south tearing their compact to pieces. If, then, Mr. Buchanan really is a candidate, the conditions of his reign- are these. '. :- : '...,-. The honourable senator who ha 3 laid open the administration policy declares that in what lie says he knows lie has'Mr. Buchanan'sconcurrehce,—that he is " sustaining, the. well settled views of the President." Thejpresident desires the prosperity of Southern institutions, but is apt to be, embarrassed by influence from ; tJie North; the President,was in perfect agreement with Walker about .Nicaragua, and will be so again; but lie just now'all wrong,' in consequence of remonstrance's against a filibustering policy; but the advantage of having two outlying states, like Nicaragua and Cuba, to back up^ slavery is so manifest that, in Senator Brown's opinion, international treaties, and European protection of Central 'America will no more deprive the United States of the benefit than" similar interference on behalf of the ClVoctaws and Chicks>saws, and their territories. These states once obtained, " Potosi, Tarhanlipas, arid one or two other Mexican states,'.' will become,jess valuable, to other Powers, and will be more easily obtained. The object is, on, the one hand, to extendihe area of slavery directly, and on the other, to .give such,a decided prepdnderonce to thiV ( pro-slavery 'policy as to permeate the whole republic with it,rand settle'th'e question for ever. At present, the re-opening of the African slave trade must be .deferred, and aHmentibn of it "discouraged, becausej the traffic couldnot now be re? established except upon 'the Yfuiris.,ofthe! Union. The,right process *tfii) be to acquire more territory 'first 5 then to' mak'c more slave $ta.tes,>hd thus'ob■taia the command of the 'Senate;' this would hfe followed' by tli£ extension' of a thoroughly; pro- slavery policy an^'law-r oveftfte. Whole, 'country; and then, when that was done, the African slave : trade might -.again become a national institution. ."•'Whether we ' obtain 'the territory' while the Union lasts, Ido riot know. I fear we cannot. "But I'wbuld^makeW honest effort;' arid if we' failed, I would go out of thb Union, and. try - there. I,speak plainly,'* Airid the Seriatpr'proceeds to lay down as a reasqn.for dissolyihg the ] Union, the refusal' to 'acquire territory for tliepurpWse'bf .establishirig slavery in it.' This may suffice,'though it is riot' the':wh6ie "programme. , Now, it: must be retriembered that the possession of slaves is, in that: country, the possession of. votes to the amount of three-fifths of the wages so held. It is the; slave constituency tlmtis wantedby the South, ,even more than the land, V and the human chattels. on, it. This is the point on which '■ the other parties—especially the Republican party—are:, warning ; the northern cii izens. It •is .enough -to ask itheni; what is to become of their country ; if, through apathy or disgust, hundreds of iliousands of real citizens stay away-From the polls, thus»permitting ttie election.of men under whom, three -fifths: of the slaves wilt, count as voters in the slave-nqldi,ng interest. '.'. ThY danger" speaks ifor itself;''"/ ''■„.' ■"; S*''.'I..';'. '■': /".•"■.","■;;.. ■ ''■.'.■:

; TVhat, .then, are the principles and forms of the antagonism?' . .. . y , < :. '■... .'.'"... . Next ,to the President, we.hear most of Mr. Douglas as, a candidate. , For the. moment we can-' not attend to the man or Ms relations with, the President, or liis transactions with the democratic party. The point whicluJQncerns the world generally,^ as the Union hangs upqnat, is his doctrine of popular sovereignty, in conjunction with the proslavery legislation factually? achieved. Till recently, .it:was;held that.- slavery had no normal and legal existence in the territories which were to become states; whereas, the Dred : Scott decision declared that slavery had a normal and legal existence in the territories,,unless it was excluded ;by legislation. Under this very settlement of the matter,.as it assumes to be, Mr. Douglas and his supporters preach popular sovereignty j^tliat'is,'that the question of slave or frse labour shall be left'to the.people of the territories- whereas" the, Supreme. Court has deprived tliem]of thS power of any,such, choice, till the territory .beoomesastate: andthe training of a territory determines the character o£-the'state, as the: education of childhood does that of the man. There is little to choose, indeed, between Mr. Buchanah and Mr. Douglas; for, if Mr! Buchanan's policy be the more openly aggressive, Mr. Douglas is, on the other hand, the greater favourite with the South a.candidate, if not as a ruler.- The South expects .the free ; states ; to- throw out Mr. Buchanan, but believes ;that;,Mr. Douglas has a good'chance, through the vastness.of the ; Democratic party. The administration seem to be of jthe same opinion, by ,the virulence- of their hostility ;tp ; Douglas. The great object is now.to oust hiniifrom. the Senate; as this would ; in all probability-spoil his larger game; and Mr. Buchanan;is, working.hardat'iti : , .

1 -TVliat is-doingjn .-opposition to all this, by the Republican;:party,; and .the rAmerican party, : and jgqod citizens generally?;, Their newspapers point to Kansas as saved, and stimulate faith; and energy :in" the party which: has/ as-they say, saved the , North-west. iThe American party cries out against the admission of ,vile> Cubanßomish,*voting,, as well as sham slave votes. -.Candidates, Republican, and Free-soil, are named and followedjand ;the : venerable Gerrit Smith and the able Abolitionist Seward, arti much discussed, and in vited, ; and pbserved., But these, and:several more of differing.views, do not appear to have the slightest'ctiance of success. Tiraa will, show whether any : effectual,agreement win bearrived at. TJnis far, the Bepublicans ; are supposed to be sure of success;to the, last hour, ; in virtue of their higher aim and principle; : wherqasthe Democratic.candidates always,carry, the day, in virtue of their better; organization, and more steady .purpose* The world would take for granted; that itiwould turn out so now but for two or three considerations. The idea and.the; name of Disunion have" become very common since-the. last election! ,Tlie North has nearly ceased to shiver and shudder at; it,, while still disposed,to,put down the sjave-trade and on that, condition to preserve the Union.; and the Southern States find it dangerous now to talk so much of secession, lest they should be taken at their word. or compelled to remain. on Northern terms. Again, the frontier States are ; indisposed to bo floated by the North as Slave-states, and held at arms-length by the South as suspicious, and fit only to be made a police of for Southern security; and Virginia leads the way in proposals to join the North, in case of a split. The free men of colour, we see, are holding conventions, te obtain an agreement about voting for State-governors, as a means of influencing-the great Federal elections. Remonstrance and appeal are freely used, in newspapers and elsewhere, to rouse the Northern, citizens from the discouragement of apathy which gives the Southern policy a most needless and vexatious advantage. Some months hence, we shall see the results of these'movements. . t And strong will be our interest, and that ot all Europe, in contemplating the issue. Will the great Republic remain entire, or fall asunder? It it remains entire, will it he by the loss of its liberties ot speech, and labour, and political action? If.so, will it be a military despotism or a chance-medley of adventurers thnt it will "be governed by? If it splits what is to become of the feeble and arrogant, bouth? What will the European Powers have to do about their alliances with the Republic—about their colonies in the Western hemisphere?—about their intercourse in the Pacific?—about the slave-trade ?-- about the Transit route? lie would be a bold man who would prophecy about the state of things two or four years hence; when the election is now, and «vhen it shows its fruits j but the one point on which all manner of people seem to bo agreed is, that the next Presidential election will determine, as the last introduced, the crisis which will affect all the politics of .the civilised world.