From Washington.
[special Correspondence of the Dispatch.] Washington, Dec. 19, 1860.
A prominent Republican, as honest as any of his party can be, said yesterday to a member from Virginia: "If you of the South listen to any compromises now, you will repent it. I tell you frankly, we look upon this matter as a game of skill, and we intend to cheat you if we can. You think the Union meetings in Boston indicate a change of sentiment.
Why, any capitalist, whose business is suffering, can get up such a meeting in a day. Public opinion which has been deepening and widening every hour for the last thirty or forty years against slavery in any form cannot be changed.
There is no hope of it. We, who know the fate of compromisers, every one of whom has gone down overwhelmed with obloquy, dare not give any substantial compromise.
The form may be there, but the soul will be wanting."
That this is the game which the Republicans are playing at this moment in the Crisis Committee, is proved beyond the shadow of a doubt by the following extract from Webb's paper.
Speaking of the efforts now being made to amend the Constitution, by the Southern men in Congress, Webb says: ‘
"Well, let them try it. It will consume time; and in time and delay there is safety. We will go in for the attempt to change the Constitution; that is, we will assent to the attempt being made, giving notice in advance that we shall do all in our power to prevent its success.
And we shall not quarrel with any Republican in Congress who may feel disposed to try the experiment, if he will only give notice of his intention manfully to oppose its being sanctioned by the people.
They thoroughly understand the subject, and we have no fears in regard to their verdict."
My bounden duty is to place these facts before the citizens of Virginia.
Let them draw their own conclusions. ’
Hale's speech, yesterday, commanded little attention.
The buffoon of the Senate, his utterances lose all their point in consequence of that fact.
He is playing for the Presidency, when the pure abolitionists have superceded the mild abolitionism of Lincoln.
Wade's threat to colonize Mexico and Central America with free negroes, shows what we of the South have to expect if we yield to the Republicans.
The Republicans are in high glee to-day.
They say a compromise is certain.
And how will it be passed?
Mark well.
All the Southern members of the Crisis Committee, with a few Northern men, will vote for the compromise, the Republicans not voting, or voting against it. It was with some such expectation that Pennington constituted the committee so that the mildest and most yielding Southern men should be opposed to a majority consisting of decided Northern men. Thus the South, in its desire to pacificate, will be made to out its own throat.
Mr. Crittenden's plan for restoring the Missouri Compromise, meets with little favor.
The old gentleman is sincere; but, like all other men of his age, he is not up to the wants of the time.
Present exigencies demand young, brave, honest men, who are not cumbered with the ideas of a past era.
It seems that Lincoln has made advances, indirectly, to Mr. Ro. E. Scott, with the view of securing him as a member of his Cabinet.
He will not serve in any Cabinet.
So I hear.
Mr. Marks, a member of the Louisiana Legislature, arrived last night with the vote of his State.
He says that when the Commissioner from Mississippi came before the Legislature, he was received with great honor by both houses, and told that Louisiana, acting in her sovereign capacity, would leave the Union of her own free will at the time she thought fit, and that then she would be most happy to confer with her sister, Mississippi. Mr. M. asserts that the people of Louisiana are ahead even of South Carolina in their determination to leave the Union. Zed.
