The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-05-23
VOL. w..

the supremacy Of the Slave Power, 1t could NOT
have manifested more vehement interest and
anxiety. Absolute fealty to the Slave Intere.,
has been the law Of its life; and its noble aim
has been 10 harmonic Democracy and Slaycrv
II IL has failed It is because its purposes bays
gone "beyond all mans endeavOrs" Still it can
say with Wolsey,
"Our endeayOrs
Have ever come too short Of desires
Yet filled with sbiltiesn
In consideration Of all this, we feel Constrained
to plead for them, as Cromwell plead for the
fallen minister
" Men so noble
However faulty yet should find respect
For what they have been 'Tis a cruelty
To load falling man,
But, in our sympathies with our neighbors wo
had almost forgotten the Address Of the Soutbs,,
Members of Congress, in behalf of the new n.
per. They recognise the important fact thai
Public OpiiOnn " is the force which has hasn
most potent against us in the war now going on
against the institution of negro slavery
A common origin, common language have
made the English literature ours to a great er.
tent, and the efforts of the British Goyernmon,
speak the English language, have not been vain
or fruitless On the contrary, they have been
deeply felt wherever the English language IA
spoken and the more efficient and dangerous
because yet, the Somh has taken no stems 10 No..
pear and plead at The bar Of the morId before which
she has been summoned, and by which she has
been tried already without hearing Secured
by constitutional guarantees, and independent Of
all the world, so far as its domestic institutions
,nl Tx L.
consciousness of right and independence, aud for
borne to plead at bar which she knew had no
jurisdiction over this particular subject. Ia his
ne hare been theoretically rish, Int practically NJ
hare made great mistake"
We understand, then, that the SHAREHOLDERS
have determined to change their position-that
they are about to appear and plead at the bar
of the world n-and, in vindication of their right
to hold man as property, and take the fruits of
| his labor without wages, that the new Southern
organ is to be established.
aft" say the signers to the address, AS we
firmly believe, Truth is with u.s. there is nothing
to discourage us in such an effort The eventual
strength of an opinion is to be measured not by
the number who may entertain it, but by the
| truth which sustains it. We believe-nay, we
know, that the Truth is with us, and therefore
we should not shrink from the contest
I TINS is manly, though somewhat over.cOnti-
d99t L ~as-s, gee. rqistPEe, Ip ,i;~asirar.Se,
keen inquiry could be baflled by naughty Re
| serve-that Law was a barrier against Moral
| Power-that Public Opinion could be silenced
| by Violence OF Opinion, it may be said, that
" its going forth is from the ends Of the heavens
and its circuit unto the ends of it; and there is
nothing hid from the heat thereof No Law can
| long maintain what Public Opinion steadily con.
| dennis But the Southern organ must do some
thing more than maintain "the equality, the lib.
erty, the existence of fourteen fifteen States of
the Confederacy y" the equality of their poiti-
| cal position in the Union"-the right of the
slavebolding States to be exempt from legislative
interference by Congress, or the free States with
| their domestic concerns. On these points it will
find no opponents. 1t must therefore address
itself to the task of indicating the system of
Slavery, on it's own merits, as an institution
founded in justice, harmonizing with the Decls-
ration of Independence and the principles of De-
mocracy with the code of Christianity and the
spirit of the age, promotive of the best interests
of those who exercise and those who endure the
prerogatives it confers; in word, eminently IA
vorable to the physical, intellectual and spiritual
development of mankind.
There is another reason why we hail the estab
| lishment of this Southern organ. AS the slave
| holders have had no special organ here, Except
the Union, which is SO deeply intent on taking
care of State afsirs) we have been obliged to
perform double duty, by publishing on both sides
Of the question. We may now expect to be re-
lieved in this respect or ut least, perhaps some
equitable arrangement may be made, advantage
Gus to both parties, for the exchange of matter
between the two organs of Slavery and Freedom
We hope Mr.. Butler and his associates will ac-
cept of our friendly courteses in the spirit in
which they are rendered. Hostility to their
project was to be expected from the old establish
ments here. Even towards us, philanthropic as
were our objects, and unlikely as it was that we
should interfere with their interests, they have
always given the cold shoulder What, then,
may our Southern friends expect, proposing an
enterprise which crosses their track
If we can be of any service to them in their
novel enterprise, we hope they will freely CON-
mand US.