The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-07-11


Instruments of5a lnomentous movement
moi for dividing tho Union some
thing more practicable, nore damnable
than that" Sc. SC.
Then, he saw danger, then, he saw
ground for alarm; then, he saw worse
than disunion itself in the pros.
pect Of the future. Now, tho samo
gentleman says, amidst all the superad,
ded dangers of thc present period, "I
have made no slavery speeches in Con
gress and do not mean to make them.
Property is timid: anu slavo property
above all. It is not right to disturb
tho quictude of the owner, to harass
him With groundlcss apprehcnsions. It
is u private wrong to disturb single
individual by making him believe, ur.
truly, that his property is insecure. It
becomes public evil to disturb a whole
community. It creates general un-
casiness, generates animosities, deran-
ges business, and often leads to hasty
and improvident legislation" How
charmingly philosophical He is afraid
of producing excitement by making sla-
very speeches in Congress-; then why,
does he undertake to deliver anti.slaye
ry speeches in the bosom of the slave
States of the South. IF this sort of
property bcso timid. then why go near
it to alarm! If ssit is public evil to
disturb whole community" then
how dare he to disturb the whole slave
holding community of tho South by
keeping up this fierce agitation in their
midst? Why disturb them still more
by presuming to hold out open cncour-
agemcnt to their enemies to prosecute
their dire schemes Of hostility against
them, in despite of the noble teachings
of a Cass, a Buchanan, Dallas. and a
Dickinson and others?
But ] assert that it is not true, in
point Of fact, that Mr.. Benton has not
''madc slavery speeches in Congress-"
In his better days, when the pro-slave.
ry side Of the question was the strong
sidc-whcn yet he had not forfeited
forever, the confidence and kindness of
the South, by his opposition to Texan
annexation-his heartless persecution
of several Of her favoritc sons-his op-
position to the Mexican treaty, by Which
California and New Mexico were both
acquircd-his aagitious protocol move.
,nent, notoriously set on foot for the
double purpose Of bringing about for.
feiturc of our valuable possessions on
tho Pacific, and disgracing the lamen.
tod, respected, almost idolizod Polk, by
an Experimentation, he did find il
convenient to pro-slaycry speeches
fierce, furious, and firc-brand pro-slave
ry speeches; Of which I will give you
here few charming extracts. I quote
still from the speech On Foote'S resolu.
tons. Here are the extracts:
"Sir, l regard with admiration, that
is to say with wonder, the sublime NOR.
ality Of those who cannot hear the ab
stract contemplation of slavery at dis
tance of FIVE hundred or thousand
miles off, (that is to say in California
and New Mexico.) It is entirely a.
bovc--that is to say, it affects a vast
. superiority oycr--the morality of the
primitive Christians, the apostles of
Christ, and Christ himself. Christ and
the apostles appeared in a province of
the Roman empire, when that empire
was called the Roman world, and that
world with slaves. Forty millions was
the estimated number, being onc-fourth
Of the whole population. single indiyi-
duass held twonty thousand slaves. A
freed mai., one who had been himself a
slave, died the posscssor of four thou
sand, such were thcirnumhcrs. =
Christ saw all this; the number of the
slaves; their haplcss condition; and
their White color, which was the samo
with his own; yet he said nothing against
slavery; he preached no doctrines which
iedto ins,rrrcction and massacre. =
lie preached no such doctrines, but
those Of q contrary tenor, which incul-
Gated the duty Of fidelity and obedience
on the part Of the master. His apos.
ties did the same, st. Paul sent back
runaway slave, Oncsmus, to his own
er,with q letter of apology and suppli-
cation. He was not the nan to harbor
aranaway, much less to entice him from
4 his Master; attd least of all, te excite an
1 ins1uFreotion. Slavery never
geassa :: sss1yWhere on principle Of re-.
saigion; the religion of all nations conse-
crates it. It's abolition cannot be en-.
forced among Christians on that ground,
without reproducing the founder of their
religion. Many who think themselves
Christians, are now engaged in preach
ing against slavery; but they had better
ascertain whether they have fulfilled