The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-22

J serves our liberties. Ahu, sir, our political ad-
versaries know this, and they are attempting to
lure us into submission to their aggressions by
siren songs Of the glores Of the Union. Give
us, sir, the Constitution. 1t has been our shield
from all dangers, and our conductor through all
difficulties; with 1t we are more than content
The charge Of dsunions against the South is an
unmitigated SANDER. The South was foremost in
the Revolution that established the Union. She
was the first to declare for Independence OF the
/ British Crown, and she acted well her part In
that long and bloody struggle which maintained
| It, And when the war OF 1912 was declared, the
ssecond war of independence the South was
true to her duty. The State in which | have the
honor, in part to represent, though then compare
lively new State, sent more men to that war-gal.
liant, brave men, who did good service--than any
State IN this Union, old or young, large or small.
| From her admission as State to this time, the
Union has never called upon her for defence, that
citizen soldiers have not rallied to her standard
and In the hardest fought battles, where danger
and death dealt their most fearful destruction,
! there were Tennesseeans fighting and triumphing
over the enemies of the Union, and this at the
cost of the lives Of many of her noblest and Draw
est sons. And sheis ready to do this again in
defence of the Union. But, sir, the real ground
of complaints not that the South does not love
the Union, but that for the sake Of the Union she
is not willing to submit to every injustice and
degradation that the North may desire to place
but that she loves the Constitution, justice, equal
ity, and her honor more. These are the soul Of the
Union which she loves aF. .ltff5 gs{ safEI
But, sir, desire most earnestly, and the whole
South desires, that these difficulties shall be set
tied amicably, and that the Union shall be pre-
served. And willnot our Northern friends come up
to the work with that spirit Of justice and friend
| ly compromise which established, and has hitherto
| preserved our liberties? We ask no new rights;
we but desire that which the Constitution gives
us. The truth cannot be concealed, that NOR
bid jealousy prevails in the mind Of the North
against the South. An improper view is taken Of
slavery; they do not see it in its proper light,
Judge OF 1t by proper rules. II was remark of
| Addison, " that misery is not to be measured by
the nature of the evil, but by the temper OF the
sufferer. (" They judge of slavery as it would be,
If enforced against themselves, and not by the
temper of the Affican--a race whose ances-
tors were brought from barbarous and savage
slavery to a humane and Christian bondage and
whose descendants have ever since felt and be-
lieved their condition improved by the transfer,
and that it is their destiny to live in slavery;
and with this destiny, unless excited by Northern
agitators, they have been content; and it is con-
tentment alone that secures happiness in any con-
diton Of life. aEt $50 '1i0
Many Of the advocates of Free-soil wholly dis
claim any wish to interfere with the slaves in the
States, and insist that their whole desire is to re-
strain the institution within it's present limits
They say that they do not desire to emancipate
the slaves, but to prevent their dispersion over
any larger area Their sympathies are not for
the slave, but for the /" soii''-a strange, wonder
full philanthropy. 1t is not the slave they would
emahcpate butt is the earth they would save from
the contamination of his touch. All who have ary
knowledge of the institution, know that the more
slaves are dispersed, the more their moral and
mental condition is improved, and their wants
more kindly relieved by their association with
the white race and that their condition is thereby
amellorated. They talk most eoquently Of the
sh ackles OF slavery, and of the imprisonment
which they suffer. Sir, we do not propose to in
crease the number of slaves, it is only to enlarge
the prison bounds" and it is this that so much
| excites Northern sympathizers. Let any on e
visit and examine the situation Of the slaves,
! where they are held in large numbers, and where
they are more sparse, and the difference is mani
testify in favor Of the latter, and if philanthropy
be the prevailing motive they will once abandon
| their Free7soil opinions. t@
| The Constitution, as already remarked. is care
full to provide that States shall deliver up fugitive
slaves that may come within their limits. This
| was regarded as very important provision, vet
there is no such provision to slaves escaping
into the territories. Why was this omitted9 For
no other reason (Which was abundantly sufficiently
than that slaves within the territories were slaves
still, and much under the control of the master
as in the State from which they fled. If slavery
does not exist IN the territories, land the Consti-
tuition says nothing upon this subject,) then
slave escaping into the territories will be free; yet
no one VIII pretend tnat tnlS Is or can be true yet
1t is So unless the Constitution protects slavery i'm
the Territories. The only disunionsts of which
have any knowledge, are in the North, and there
they are quite numerous some of them have found
their way to seats in Congress some ofthese men
denounce the Union as covenant with sin, I" be-
cause OF It's protection to slavery, and claim to be
influenced by moral and Christian motives have
not the time nor the inclination to discuss this sub
ect. will not insult the understanding of this
House by proving that Abraham--who is styled q
'friend of Cod" and of whom it was said the
Lord "hath giving him hocss and herds, and sill
verand gold, and men servants and maids servants
was a moral man that Job, who sswas perfect
and upright, and one that feared God and eshewed
evil, " was as good modern Abolitionist; that
st. Paul, with all his zeal and all his knowledge
and all his piety, knew as much of morality and
Christianity these self-styled refo1nisrs, when
he sent back runaway slave to his master, or
when he encouraged and countenanced the institu-
ton by writing most afrectionate counsel and wise
rules for masters and servants, (the word here
translated servants is by the learned held to mean
slaves.)
And what shall say, in reference to that holy
Being whose name should be mentioned only with
the most profound reverence, the Deity himself
when He stood upon Mount Sinai, clothed in His
omnipotence and gave laws to His chosen people,
and commanded them to buy of the heathens
round about" for possession to them and their
chrildren; or Of the blessed Saviour who spent
his ile Teprovll9 vice ana Teaching Wisdom, ana
this In the midst Of slavery, and yet made no con-
demnaton or reproof of this institution. Sir, the
Abolitioniss for while repealed the idea that sa-
very was sanctioned, either by the Bible or by
the Constitution but such has been the force of
argument upon thissubect that many of their lead
ers have been forced to admit both, and to sustain
their folly, have been compelled to renounce both
the Bible and the Constitution as being immoral
and unjust. This is but the natural result of such
fanaticsm, and the end to which this Anti-slavery
and Free-Soil excitement directly tends--this is
its morality. And for its pariotism-it desires to
sever all political connection with us, because we
are no better upon this subject than General |
Washington who Tired and died stakeholder.
Sir, will have no reasoning with this fanatical,
impracticale philanthropy, if it deserves worse
name ; it is at with the institutions Of society.
Borne away by single idea, il seeks to prostitute
the most sacred things to the worst of purposes.
1t is bringing religion itself to war with the insti-
tutons of society and thereby making 1T odious,
and driving its votarics into the frozen regions of
infdelity. It dsregards the wise and venerable |
interpretations of the Bible and the Constitution,