Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-05-01
Communication.

platon of our condition, and an inquiry into the
causes of the policy pursued.
1t will be rccoccted by all who are conversant
with the political history Of the last twenty years,
chat while the whole North with scarce an ex-
ception, has been unyielding IN its demand for the
REIMBURSEMENT by Great Britain Of its prepos,erous
claim TO portion of the territory of the state Of
Maine, the south on the contrary, has always
manifested a disposition to AVOID a war at all
bazar1s-even though il should be necessary to
yield TO the nsolent demands Of England the whole
territory so uniustly claimetl-and thus, fer the
sake of an ignobe peace, sacrifice not only the
rights of Maine and Massachusetts, but what
should be far dcarer to every patriot heart, the
honor and independence the nation. This policy
of the South is now the policy of the Admnistra-
ton of course. say of course, for no man can
30 so infatuated as TO think that in the corrupt
and prohigale compact which now binds together
those ancient enemies Mr.. Van Buren, and Mr.
Calhoun, the latter would by any oversight have
omitted to pledge the former to policy 80 vitality
necessary to the existence Of the "pecuar nsiltu-
tons" Of the South. But without this assurance,
the policy is apparent in every act Of the Admins.
uation.
The Caroline is burn, on our own waters, aye!
almost touching Our own free soil, and onr own
citizens murdered by a band Of tory assassins; and
the ins,igalor Of the attack is knghted for his
bravery-and what do the meek Mr. Van Buren,
and his obedent minister at St. James do in the
premises? Why, after standing for eighteen
months, with their finger IN their mouths, Mr.
Stevenson has made demand OF redress from her
Britanc Majesty for the small mistake which some
of her "loya subjects" made al Sch!osser and has
been told by Lord Palmerston in a very "mi.d but
decided" manner, that is far from beng the III
tenion of her majesty or her underlinss 10 vouch-
safe any redress for the MERIroRlous ACT! And
vet only see how pacific is tue tone OF the admin
istraton in all its late declarations touching the
matter. What has been the course pursued on the
boundary question: Instead ola firm but civil re-
usa to recognize the slightest color Of right IN the
claim, which the case in fact has always demanded,
we have had from the ,laveholding interest repeated
propositions for "cony Tolaisc, compromise" d.
vision of the territory, aa4 finally, AS ONCE
AGREED TO BY GENIAL JACKSON IN
DER HAND AND SEAL, = FULL SuRiit.N-
DER OF THE WHOLE TRACT, which in plain
truth is as undoubtedly within our own boundaries
Us the state ofTennessee itself.
And now let us inquire for a moment what are
the motives Of the south for this sensitive aversion
to an English war? Has the boasied "chivalry"
-. l.l al 1,p,iu. 4
Or do the bloody codes of"honor' hold injuries to
nation less worthy ofredress than 10 an ndivid-
1al, Ii may be-but these are not the reasons.
The "peclliar institutions" ARE in danger, aye, fear
al danger from q war with Britain. British
,ayone,s in the hands of two millions of enraged
md inlriated slaves would make slavcholdng but
: poor speculation. British markets closed to
ouihern cotton, would make ongrowing full
bad, in point of profit. British supremacy once
established in Texas-and the saveocracy would
ose its darling hope Of seeing that repub-
&c annexed TO us, giving them dozen or twenty
votes in the lower House and four or six in the
Senate. British Colonial tyranny once expelled,
<as it surely would be) from the provinces north
ofus, and they annexed 10 the Union, the aiore-
said slaveocracy would find itself in forlorn and
hopeless minority, from which no after struggles
or circumstances could extrcate 1t. And then
would the Demon whose altar Is human bones
cemented with blood, and whose incense is the
groans OF the oppressed, in his agony, "ceasc to
rulc over the land" Then would southern bravado
resound no more in our Council Chambers, over
awing the timid and pusillanimous, and disgusting
the pious and the sensible. Then should we hear
much less of southern "chivalry" and "honor" par
excellence !" for Slavery once dead, its follies and
its crimes would die with --and our southern
brethren would settle down into something like
rational beings, content to take their Appropriate
place IN the world, and asking no more privileges
than other people. But in the meanwhile what
would be the effect of this British war upon the
north9 In the first place it would shut our ports
10 British manufactures, and leave the market
undispu,ed 10 the Northern Manufacturer in nil the
heavier fabrics. II would raise large army on
the Northern frontier TO eat up our surplus pro-
visions and wear out our clothes-furnshing be.
sides employment TO many of onr mechanics and
.rtizans, it would open to our northern seamen q
rich field of adventure and speculation in prva-
,eering among the boundless stores OF English
wealth upon the ocean, and would in short rein
vgorstc und restore TO the north that once boaseC
prosperity which it has been the chief aim OF The
south with ito Sub-Treasury and free trade 10 des
troy, and which 1t Is now eIuins TO behold rnde
a temporary but a gloomy eclipse These an