Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-01-02
10 the Editors Of the EnQu,rer.

| The subject is now occupying ialSe sfdCc ia
public opinion, and likely, suppose, SOD 10 &C,
cupy The attention Of Congress, ! ihinH ma! all
the light and sound reasoning thai can ae Drought
10 bear uson the subiect shCdd now De laid be-
fore the nation al large; and. as religious papers
do mol find admission, generally, mo legislative
halls, have though perhaps II m'@hi meet
more ready access to them through he columns
OF The Enquirer; an, peradvenuTe some south
! ern Whir papcr might not be TOO lar lost 10 inc
welfare OF hi. country 10 corYll, and :eleby some
OF The all-wise and all.patriolic Wings might be
induced 10 read and posder upon The course 'hey
are pursuing
Presbyerians are great lovers OF civil as well
as religious liberty, and no country AN ever be
long enslaved where there is good aimlxuFe o.
thai denomination among them. There are
MANY pluners, Hoges, Andersons an! Priors
among us, all good and true men, OF he old Re
publican samp-ready at all times - shoulder
the muske or WELD the pen or tongue, when
ever freedoms bugle sounds.
Respectfully and truly, JouTs,
THE PRoviSOES AND THE UNION.
| Messrs Editors Will you permit subscri.
Der. who has Tor many years been constant
reader Of your instructive paper, 10 present to
| your other readers few thoughts upon SUD
iect which deeply concerns the welfare Il our
country. If these thoughts shall prove TO be Of
| no value, it will not be because he has not en-
joyed ample facilities for forming well
grounded and impartial opinion on the great
question which is at issue between the whole
South on the one hand, and portion OF the North
on the other. The question, it may be remarked,
| when reduced 10 Tie point, which is in reality
the chief subject of contest, is not whether sla
very be an evil, nor even whether any mea-
sures ought to be taken for its removal; but II
is how far the North can properly interfere in
The matter. The attention Of the writer has
been much turned 10 this subject ever sitce the
] commencement of the abolition excitement IN
I, 1892 He is a native of New England, de-
scendanl of some Of the first settlers u tnat
country, and is bound 10 it by many Of the
strongest lies. II was his place of residence for
more than quarter Of century before nc had
ever set foot on the South side OF Mason and
Dixon's line. Hc received his primary cole
giate and Theological education At New Eng
land institutions, and was licensed 10 preach
the Gospel by New England ecclesiastical
body, and resided in New England several
years after the last named event. While there
he received abolition doses ad nauSs9m was
much in the company OF the ultra anti slavery
men, heard their public lectures and their Prl-
| yate conversation, saw their movements, and
read their books and their periodicals The
subjec. OF slavery, and Of the duty Of the North
in relation 10 it, being thus forced upon his at
tention, he examined by all the light which he
could derive from Scripture, from reason and
| from well authenticated facts. The result was
the formation Of an opinion, which residence
Of more than ten years in Virginia has served
only 10 confirm, and 10 render moro clear and de
! finite. This residence has been for about hall
| Of the time in the midst Of tho 'l""-@ 49,. -
| pulation of Eastern Virginia. He is now set
tied as pastor in Western Virginia, in coun-
ty which contains only about one hundred
slaves above the age Of sixteen year.; and
large portion, perhaps majority, Of the po-
pulation Of which county is more anll-slayery
Than considerable class Of the Northern peo-
pie.
The excitement now existing on The subject
of the slavery provisoes threatening as II docs
10 produce that disaster which must prove the
"direfu spring of woes unnumbered"-mus' be
regarded with anxiety by every patriot, and
still more by every christian. We may be per-
mitted to hope, indeed, that the danger IS mol
now very imminent. We con6de much in the
good sense and feeling Of the great body OF our
fellow. citizens, both of the North and Of the
South. We confidc still more in the guardian
care of Divine Protector. We cannot believe
that the God of our fathers, who has in SO
many signal instances shown his kind regard
| for our nation; who has caused our ship safely
to weather so many lowering tempests viii al
last suffer it to split in sunder on this rock oil
abolition. But we should avoid, as far as pos
sible, every thing which even remotely endan'
gers so valuable an object as the integrity oil
the Union. The North ought not, therefore. to
urge the adoption of the Wilmot Proviso, unless
the most cogent reasons exist for doug So
| Can reasons be adduced, then, which are oil
sufficient weight 10 justify the North IL urging
the measure al the risk Of dismemberins the ma
ton.
l.. Is it probable that slavery would DC very
greatly extended in our country if The Wllmol
Proyiso should not be adopted So lar from
this. It is even doubtful whether its permanent
limits would BE- extended at all. If the ques.
ton should be left open by Congress, 1t might
be decided by the judicial department OF the
Government that slavery could not be admitted
into the new territories But even il II shou
not be barred out in this manner, It IS mol pro-
bable that it would gain such fooihoid as 10
be established by the Constitution OF any state
which shall BIO hereafter formed out OIL any
one of those territories. This assertion may
be sustained by substantial reasons. The me-
territories, as far as we have knowledge OF
them, are not by nature adapted TO slavery
The prevalence of slavery in any country de-
pends more upon the nature of the country than
upon legal enactments. The country most Ia
vorable 10 il IS that which produces some great
staple such as cotton, sugar, rice or tooa co.
noxt TO this a grain growing country; and the
one least favorable is grazing country. An
example OF the first Of these is found IN East
ern Virginia; Of the second, in The Valley oil
| virginia. in which arc situated Winchester
Stanton and Lexington; of the v III, " rho
| mountainous region Wes.: oil 'e 'a'oJ. M
State laws, OF course, operate alike IN al ,nesc
sections; but in Eastern Virginia the slaves out
number the white population; IN the valley the
former are TO the latter about os one 10 SIX;
while in the mountainous region they are scarce
" as one to twenty, and In some parts less IMAM
one to one hundred Now the new territories
appear TO be chiefly adapted to grazing, and
consequently can never contain large slave
1 nopulation, The inhabitants of such territories,
If left to themselves would very probably pro-
bipit slavery BY their territorial laws But
even if they should be prevented from doing
this BY Congress adopting the Southern Provi.
CO. the slavery interest would still be SO small.
that when the territories should become States,
slavery would be prohibited by their constitu.
lions. We may more confidently anticipate
spch AZ event from the consideration tina; large
portion of the settlers are from the North. 1t
was remarked recently BY Southern editor
that the Northern people, BY their superior en-
terprse and activity, will take possession OF
The new territories and make them free States.
In such movement large part Of III, South
ern settlers would heartily cooperate J uadi'-
tw6ed by foreign interference. verify believe
that a majority of the people OF Virginia
would have no great objection 10 such mea-
sure as he Wilmot Proviso, ic.rs i not fo' fhs
efe,t ,ohieh has been produced by INC .>0TM IN
.9bol;tionists. As il is the emigration from
Western Virginia is chiefly directed to free
States and for the very reason that they ars free
States The state of opinion at the South On
the subject Of slavery, is very much misaPpre
hended at the North. The fanatical movements
Of the last few years have not only greatly IT,
creased the number and the determination OF