Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-03-14
SPECTATOR.
Me-. Mo0Ee's Address.

~ He UoteTS % Me Congressional Dis
fTict composed Of the counties of Au-
gusfa. Rock6ridge, Aleghany, Bot
teioart, Rounoke. Mont gomery and
| Floyd.
Having been honored by Capt. Craig
with copy OF his address to the citizens
OF this District, in which he says a
great deal on The subject of Abolition
and not having heretofore said any
thing 10 you on that subject, deem il
proper briefly to assign my reasons for
not having done SO. They were. first.
that i did not suppose there was, or
could be, any diversity of opinion a.
1nongst you as 10 the conduct oflhe Nor
thern und Western AboIitionisls; and
secondly, that consider any discussion
among US on that SUBJECT, at this time,
as much more calculated TO do harm
than good ,andtherefore highly improper.
entirely concur in the opinion ex-
pressed by Capt. Craig, that "Emanci.
patton is work which exclusively be-
longs to those communities in which sla-
very exists" No man is more disposed
to repel any attempt by citizens of other
states, 10 interfere with our domestic
Institutions. than myself. utterly de-
ny The right OF Congress to abolish sla-
very. or to regulate, or prohibit, the
slave trade. among the several States
deny TO Congress tbs right to abolish
slavery iii the District Of Columbia.
his, it continues 10 exist in the States
OF Maryland and Virginia and hold,
that The passage Of any law to abolish
slavery IN the States, or in the District
OF Columbia, must have the immediate
and inevitable effect of dissolving the
Union. With the expression of these
Opinions. which hold iu common with
the Whole wing party, and would fain
hope, the whole white population of
virginia. l should have been content
to dismiss the subject, had not Capt.
Craig. with the pslpabIe design of ex
citing your prejudices, thrown some i'm
putations upon the political party to
which belong, wholly unwarrantable.
as conceive, by facts. His having
done SO however, imposes upon me the
necessity of repelling these inputations,
and hope he will excuse me, if in do
ing SO. shall take leave to "carrv the
| war into Africa"
"A few years ago (says Capt. Craig in
his address) when the fanatics of the
North commenced their crusade against
the South, with view to the overthrow
ct our peculiar domestic institutions, the
hope was INDUCED by many of us, that
the dlstempered fumes of enthusiasm
and bigotry in which the undertaking
was engendsred, would, before this
time, have been d;ssipa.ed by the sober
sunshine of reason" At what precise
period these hopes were entertained by
Capt. Craig, he has failed TO inform us.
And l hope he will excuse me Tor in
! curing, most respectfully, whether il
was about the time when he so eloquent
Ivy declared on the floor Of Congress,
That the evil Slavery is of such APP
Pallibs magnitude, that we can scarcely
summon up moral courage enough to
look it in the face" And asked, "why,
hit be intended that any thing shall ev
er be done toward lesseDing or eradica-
ting the mischief, should there be any
delay" And when after abiding to tbs
abundant and overlooking resources OF
the General Government, he declared
that TO be "the accepted time for begin.
nlug the great work Of abolition. -
When he declared public sentiment is
on the onward march to meet and con
,,Quer this wosst OF national curses"-
And when, in speaking Of the relative
rights OF the slaves and of their owners,
he boldly said "the rights OF persons are
superior to the right, of property"
The speech from which these extracts
are taken was delivered in the House O!
! Representatives on the 3lst OF January
1882, and called forth frcm Mr.. John Y
Mason, an expression of profound re.
greet, az the course his colleague, Mr..
Craig, had determined TO pursue: and
on account Of the assertion by MIR.
Craig, "of principle, which not only de-
mics to the Federal Government juris-
dic'ion over this purely domestic subject
Slavery but arrogo,es TO il an authority
paramount TO the right of private prop.
city, right which lies at the fonnda
lion Of our social relations and political
institutions" See Register ofDebates
10 Congress vol 18th, part 2nd, page 1914
5 and 6.
Capt. Craig complains Of the Adolf.
tiopis's that the Constitution is 10 i'm
pedimeDt in their way" And again
he asks you whether you twill rally un-
der the banner of those who, whdtere,
may be their motires, mark these words
are fIghting TO preserve the constitutional
compact" &c. or will you join The
standard of those who seek, through {
breach 10 this Federal bulwark, to die
tate the forms Of our domestic institu>
L lions ~ 4 = & Ii l.