The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1850-03-27

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esi of the country. | shall punue her IN
struciions with giadness of heart, and
; with all the efficiency which can bring
! here. But il tbe question Be one which
affects her interest, and At the same time
; affects the interests Of all the other States,
shall no more regard her political wish
es or instructions. than 1 would regard
the wishes Of man who might app,int
. me an arbitrator or referee 70 decide some
Question Of important private night. If
) erertLerr was Government upon earth,
J il is this Government; il ever there was
fla body upon earth il is this body, which
should consider itself as composed by a.
greement Of all. appointed BY some, but
orgnnized by the general consent OF ali,
lsiiling here under The solemn obligations
of oath and conscience 10 do that which
they think is the best for the good Of the
whole.
Il Then, sir. there are those abolition So
cieties, Of which am unwilling 70 speak,
but in regard to which have very clear
notions and opinions. 4 do not think
them useful. l think their operations
for the last twenty years have produced
nothing good or valuable. All the same
time l knos thousands Of them are hon.
est and good men perfectly well mean
ing men. They have excited feelings,
they think they must do something for
The cause Of liberty, and in their sphere
Of action they do not see what else they
can do, than to contribute 10 an abolition
! press or an abolition society. or to pay an
abolition lecturer. do not mean 10 i'm
: pule gross motives even to the leaders Of
!, these societies, but am not blind to the
| consequences. | cannot bur see what
: mischiefs their interference with the
South has produced. And is il not plain
} TO every mani Letany gentleman who
+ doubts Of that recur 10 the debates in the
D Virginia House Of Delegates in.l632,
and he will see with what freedom
proposition made by Mr.. Randolph for
: the gradual abolition Of slavery was dis
cussed in that body. Every one spoke
; Of slavery as heihoughi; very ignomini-
: Gus and disparaging names and epithets
were applied to il. The debates in the
T House Of Delegates on that occasion, I
$ believe, were all published. They were
0 read by every colored man who could
{ read, and il there were any whocould not
{ read, those debates were read 10 them
: by white men. AT that lime Virginia
e was not unwilling nor afraid to discuss
E this question, and to let that part Of her
I population know as much Of il as they
; could learn. That was in 1892. As
has been said by the honorable member
from Carolina, these abolition societies
commenced their course Of action in
. 1885. II is said-I do not know how
true il may be-that they sent incendia-
. ry publications into the slave States at
any event. they attempted to arouse, and
, did arouse. very strong feeling; in 9TH
! er words, they created great agitation in
the North against Southern slavery
Well, what was the result! The bonds
of the slaves were bound more firmly
than before; their rivets were more
strongly fastened. Public opinion, which
in Virginia had begun to be exhibited
against slavery, and was opening out for
the discussion Of the question, drew back
and shut itself up in its castle. | wish
to know whether any body in Virginia
can now talk as Mr.. Randolph, Gov.
Mcdowell, and others talked there, OPEN
ly, and sent their remarks to the press,
In 1882. We all knew the fact, and we
all know the cause. and every thing that
that agitating people have done has been,
not to enlarge, but TO restrain, not to set
free, but to bind faster the slave popula>
tion OF the South. That is my judg.
ment. Sir, as | have said, know many
Of them in my own neighborhood, very
honest good people, misled, as think,
by strange enthusiasm; but they wish to
do something, and they are called on to
contribute, and they do contribute; and
it is my firm opinion this day, that with
in the last twenty years as much money
has been collected and paid to the aboli-
tion societies, abolition presses, and abo-
ltion lecturers. as would purchase the
freedom Of every slave, man, woman and
child IN tie State Of Maryland. and send
them to Liberia. | have no doubt of it.
But | have yet to learn that the benevo-
lence Of these abolition societies has at
any time taken that particular turn
Laughter.
Again, sir. the violence of the press is
complained of. The press violent p
Why. sir. the press is violent every
where. There are outrageous reproach-
es in the North against the South, and
there are reproaches in not much better
taste in the South against the Morrill,
Sir, the extremists Of both parts of this
country are violent; they mistake loud
and violent talk fos eloquence and for
reason. They think that he who talks
loudest reasons the best. And this we
must expect, when the press is free, as
II is here, and | trust always will be-
Tor, with all its Righteousness, and all its
evil, the entire and absolute freedom Of