Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-06-16

lsembIe together, to pass resolutions and
adopt addresses, not only to encourage
1.-The slaves to leave their masters, butto
i cut their throats before they do sol
II insist that, if the citizens ofihe non
lslaveholding Statescan avail themselves Of
the article of the Constitution which pro-
lhibits the restriction Of speech or the press
Ito publish any thing injurious to The rights
of the slaveholding States, they can 60 to
1 the extreme that ] have mentioned, and
effect any thing further which writing or
Ispeakinp could efTec.. But, felIow-citi-
zens, these are not the principles ofthe
Constitution. Such construction would
defeat one Of the great objects of its for
nation, which was, that of. securing the
peace and harmony of the States which
were parties to It. The liberty of speech
and Of the press was given as the most
effectual means 10 preserve TO each and
every citizen their own rights, asd to the
States the rights which appertained to
them at the time of their adoption. 1t
could never have been expected that it
would be used by the citizens of one por.
ton of the States for the purpose of depri-
wing those of another portion of the rights
which they had reserved at the adoption
of the Constitution, and in the exercise Of
which none but themselves have any con.
Germ or interest. If slavery is an evil, the
: evil is with them. If there is guilt in it,
g the guilt is theirs, not ours, since neither
! the States where il does not exist, nor the
Government Of the United States, can,
without usurpation of power, and the vio-
lation of solemn compact, do any thing
to remove it without the consent of those
who are Immediately. interested. Butthey
viii neither ask for aid, nor,consent to be
aided. whilst the illegal, prosecuting and
, dangerous movements Of which COM
: plain are in progress the interest of all
: concerned requires that these Should be
e stopped Immediately. This can only be
. done by the force of public opinion, and
] that cannot too soon be brought into oper-
: alton. Every movement which is made
? by the abolitionists in the non -slaVeholding
> States is viewed by our Southern brethren
as an attack upon their rights, and which,
: if persisted In, must in the end eradicate
4 those feelings of attachment and affection,
between the citizens of all the States,
r which were produced by a community OF
: interests and dangers in the war of the
Revolution, which was the foundation oil
: our happy Union, and by a continuance
of which il can alone be preserved. The
+ opinion which have now given, / have
omitted no opportunity for the last two
: years TO lay before the People of my own
4 State. have taken the libertyto express
: them here, knowing that even if they
e should unfortunately not accord with
y yours, they would be kindly received"
We entreat all Southern men to mark the
. language Of Gen Harrison and Mr. Van Bu-
81 rem when speaking on the subject of slavery
s and abolition. The old Farmer of North Bend
b speaks like a Uhole-hedrted SouthroR. He
it cannot, nor does he seek to, repress his feel.
q mgs. He denies, at once, the constitutional
a right of Northern meeting even so much as
to discuss the subject-denounces the efforts
LOT the abolltienIsts as s'wEAK, INJUDICIoUs
3 PREsUMPTUoUs and UNcoNsTITUTIoNAL''-
3 calls their movements s'ILLEGAL, PROSECUTING
l. and DANGEROUS and points to MADISON
| MACON and CRAWFORD as the true expounders
i. of the political and moral rights of man. Con
i, trastthe F'thoughts that breathe and the words
y that burn" of General Harrison with the cold
. calculating, wary language of Mr.. Van Buren,
Is on the same subject, and you have clue to
2 the characters of each, as men and politicians
h II Southern man cannot perceive and feel the
]. difference, deeply must his heart be corroded
). with the rust OF party prejudice.
But 1t appears that neither Gen. Harrison's
- support of the South on the Missouri question:
y nor his unmeasured denHnciations of abolition
5! ism IN his Cheviot and Vincennes speeches
D. neither his acts nor his professions salts
nj fy the sef-styled JeferSonian Democrats
"a They still affect to regarl as objectionable po-
q litical SINS his wish, that the day might arrive
:, when the sun would cease to shine on North
American slave, and his proposition to devote
i the surplus revenue to the colonization and
g emancipation of the slaves-proyided then
N owners would agree to the measure. Now
Is what VIII our candid and honest Van Buren,
i friends say, when they are informed that this
10 very measure originated with Mr. Jefferson
e himself, as we will prove by his own letters
IN Vol. IAsof his Correspondence, page 3SS
$ will be found a letter from Mr.. Jefferson tc
JARED SPARKS, dated Monticello, Feb. a, 1924
n from which we make the following
II EXTRACTS:
el "In the disposition of these unfortunate PEG.
} ple 1.-THE slaves there are two rational objects
Is s'to be kept in view. l. The establishment OF
: "a Colony on the coast OF Africa, which NAV
4 aintroduce among the aborigines the arts OF
: "civilized life, and the blessings of civilization
: "and science. BY doing this, we may make
q ITO them some retrbution for the long course
/ ''of injuries we have been committing on THEN
l. population. =
Il 1.-The second object" says Mr.. Jefferson
). 'sand the most interesting to us, as coming
! "home to our physical and moral characters
: "to our happiness and safety, is to provide an
= = "asVum to whichwe can, by degrees, send til.
Q t'schoe Of thai population from among as, anC
L establish them under our protection, as a Sc.
a "pGrdte, free and Independent people, IN some
n country and climate friendly to human life ana
!. shappiness." -
: "There is way," he continues, al think. in
switch it can be done; that's by emancpatino
'the after-born, leaving them, on due coinpen.
is "satlon, with their mothers, until their services
at "are worth their maintenance, and then putting
IS ''them to industrious occupations, until a pro
id eper age for deportation.
at "And from what fund are these expenses te
" abe furnished? Why not from that Of The
!. GLANDS which have been ceded bv the VERY
) Estates now needing this relief? And cedee
= 'son no considerations for the most part. bui
Z, ssthat of the general good of the whole. These
10 'eesslons already constitute one-fpurth of fix
rs ESTATES of the Unien- It NAV be said thal
G. s.these lands have been sold: are now fht
I'd property of the citizens composino rbos,
TIC Are@ u Al