Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-04-29

I v,
dissolution Of this Conlederacy-lhe peace
ably separation of the States-an amicable
destruction of.this Government? | would
just as soon expect to see a high spirited
Southern gentleman stand up quietly to
have the whip applied to his back, as to
see the people of this country sit down
quietly, and look tamely and unmoved on
the destruction of their Government. No,
sir; the very attempt would be war; the
beginning Of war of which none but
God could forsee the end; a war of exter-
| minatlon apd desolation; continuous,
ceaseless,. perpetual war; a war to be trans
3sailted from luther to son, from generation
To generation, until your great Ang A
merican race, now the pride, and boast, land
glory of this continent, would become a
! by-word, a scorn, and warning 10 the
world. The very energy Of your race,
that terrible energy which is making you
masters Of this continent, would be the mo-
tive power to accelerate its own destruction
you would devour yourselves. But does
any sane man suppose that the great North
wes. with all its millons-that world
that is growing up between the headwaters
of the Ohio and the headwaters Of the MiSs
souri,, between tho Allegheny and ROCKY
Mountains ever peaceably submit q
see the mouth of the Mississippi river in
the possession of foreign Government?
Never, sir, never. With that people it
would not be question OF reason; 1t would
be above all reason; it would be q question
of necessity and of existence; thing which
they never would quietly submit to. But
there is no danger Of anything Of the kind.
The people Of the valley of the Mississippi
can never seperate. They may talk a.
bout it, and threaten it, but they never will
attempt anything so disastrous. They are
one people, lied together by the indlssoiu-
bic bends Of physical nature. For veal
or wo, for good or evil, the whole people
of the Mississippi valley must share the
same fate and the snme destiny. And
does any man suppose that this people oc-
cupying about one-eig ghteenth Of the in
hubitable globe, will ever submit quietly
and peaceably to see the Southeastern
States establish seperate conlederacy p
The idea is preposterous little short
of insanity. --.... 81.
But suppose the Southern Confederacy
was now established; that it was quietly
and peaceably established this moment
what would be the actual condition of tina,
Confederacy? 1t could not exist q single
.day without close and intimate connec.
ton with some great nation, have all the
elements of industrial, financial, and COM
mercal power. The south possesses none
of these elements. 1t has plenty Of cot
ton, and it has brave men, and lovely wo.
men, but it is wholly destitute of ali the
other material elements of national power
Every man that knows anything know:
this. The Southern Confederacy, there
fore, would be compelled by necessity le
enter into strict alliance with some grea
naton-that, nation would doubtless bt
England. Now, Old England is not ,
whit more partial to slavery than New
England; and Englishmen have peculiar
fondness for enforcing their own views up
on their loving allies. But sir,what woult
be the character of an alliance between
such nation and such confederacy? |
would be supremacy on the one hand, ant
LllC otuOI. ~ "OuAo OO IfIt
worst kind of de pendence having all tiis
disadvantages, and none of the advantages
of colonial dependence. r. -..r
In fact, the Southern Confederacy woult
be mere colony Of masters and slaves, te
raise cotton for the factories Of England
Besides, sir, it is my firm conviction tina
the institution of slavery, as it now exist
in the South, would not last in lis presen
shape for the space of twenty years in tina
Southern Confederacy. The South nigh
as well attempt to shut out the pressure o
the atmosphere, as to shut out the whole
pressure Of the civilized world on its cher
4 ished institutions. Another Chinese wal
would not be sufficient to protect the Con
federacy from the influences of abolition
ism flowing in upon it and invading it from
every quarter of the civilized world. Sir
in saying this, l may be permitted 10 add
that the effect of aboli:ionism at this time
in the South would prove most disadvan
tageous to the slaves. think the negroe
would be the principa! sufferers by thi
change.