Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1850-10-03
From the Boston Atlas
The North and the SOUth,

The series Of measures which have passed Con-
gress within the last few weeks are too important
in themselves, and will have too great an influence
upon the country and upon parties, to be passed
over without mature consideration. The times
have been "out of joint for months. Angry dis
cusson has prevailed in both houses of Congress.
Party lines have, in good degree, been oblitera-
ted. Disunion has been openly threatened in the
halls of Congress, and still more unbushingly and
boldly taught in Carolina and at Nashville. What
is it that has occasioned this state of thingsl The
complaints have come from the South, not from
the North. "Northern aggression" has been the
theme Of Southern defamation, and the cause of
their threats and fears. But we are told the storm
has allayed the winds have ceased, and the waves
of the sea slumber in their caves not breaking
their heads upon the rocky shores. What is it
that has produced this dear, delightful state of
things that has given birth to
"The hour when thrilling Joy repays
long, long course ofdarkness, doubts and fearsl'
In order to answer these questions, 1t will be
necessary to enquire what it was that gave rise to
the storm-what it was that /" set the heather on
fire." Think not, dear reader, that we are about
to Gloss that Sahara Desert of Southern locality,
to gather therefrom all the real or imaginary 'pae
lilies Of despair" which have filled their vision
from time to time, and which, bound up in bou-
quets, are styled Northern Aggressions," and
then thrown, not at our feet but in our teeth. We
shall sum up the whole controversy in the briefest
space possible. There are two classes of human
beings on this continent or rather in the United
States the one white and the other black. In a
portion of these states, say Is, OF them the black
race are the slaves of the white race They are
bought and sold, as we in New England buy and
sell our horses, sheep and cows. They are driv-
from State to State for sale, as cattle are driv
en- from Vermont to Brighton or Cambridge mar
kets. Like cattle, the parent is divided from the
offspring. The slave owns no property, not even
his own body. There is very respectable por-
ton of the people living in the fifteen free States
who think that this system of slavery is mon.
strous wrong, and they have tried, in peaceful,
constitutional and legal manner, not to eradicate
it, but to preDent ITS spread. These men, although
they compose vast majority of the people of the
free States, are called by our Southern brethren
fanatics ''aboltionsts," "disturbers Of the pub
lie peace" They are the aggressors upon South
ern rights, and the men who have made all the
disturbances" and all the excitement and put
the " Union in jeopardy"
AS guarantee for our Southern brethren to re-
main in the Union, these persons must, as far as
practicable. be silenced and punished. Our South
ern brethren say, ''give US all that We want, and
we will ask for no more" Forever close your
mouths in regard to slavery and what you canting-
ly term its evils. Leave the public domain open
to for the further extension of our institutions"
Give US full scope to catch our runaways. Abo-
lish trial by jury and the habeas corpus in their
case. Give US the right by law, to 60 to your Free
States and carrysoff any colored man we may see
there, upon our bare word that he is our slave
Let US appoint Commissioners to carry our de-
mands and claims into execution, and we will be
content to remain in the Union with you, and sup
ply your army and navy with officers, the public
departments in Washington with scions OF our
first families while you Of the North may furnish
the common soldiers, and now and then an officer,
and respectable executive apponee. If you
are quite submissive, we may throw you small
tariff bone. job Pppins, when temptations were
removed from his five senses, was model of self
| government. So with our Southern brethren.-
When they have got all they want, they pretend
liberality, because they don't ask for more.
These seemingly extravagant demands of our
Southern brethren were, at first, resisted by the
people who live in the North; but soon there were
symptoms of giving way. There was gentle
man by the name of Winthrop, who the North de-
sired to have elected Speaker; but our Southern
brethren said that should not be, and he was de-
feated. Georgia supplied the House with speak
er. Many Northern men helped to do it, Then
the North asked for tariff to protect their labor
from European competition, but Mr.. Badger, oi
North Carolina, said no. We quote his words
eyes, sir. Though every mandatory in the
North should be stopped. though her whole indus
trial pursuits should be withered, though her
streets should be aled with sturdy beggars' and
asylums and her poorhouses should everywhere
be crowded, her public and private charities OPP
pressed and overburdened and though the reme-
dy lay in my single vote, that VOTE should not be
given"
And what was Mr. Badgers reason for the ter
rble malediction upon the workingmen of the
North Simply because those very workingmen
would not become parties to the extension of sla-
very That is all, and yet Mr. Badger would see
poverty and wretchedness cover our land, as the
water covers the sea--our smiling villages turned
into loathsOme habiiations of disease and DEATH