Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-03-16
THE "EyIL OF THE DAY" LESS ALARMING,
YET STILL SERIOUS.


to the possible consequences of the present agita
ton, they far from having disspated all uneasi-
ness concerning it. The EVIL continues TO
distract the public councils, and enough of uncer-
tainty yet hangs over the issue to afford abun-
dant material for speculation to the result OF all
this. We do not ourselves know what the end will
be; but the end is not yet.
Within the last few days we have had the Ad-
dress of Senator CALHOUN in the Senate, which
had been generally looked forward TO as an authen-
tic exposition of the griefs of the South for which
"redress'' is so loudly called for by the Resolu-
tons of the Legislatures of some of the Southern
States, and especially by such as have expressed a
disposition to resort to the instrumentally OF a
Southern Convention to accomplish their wishes.
We have not failed to read, with the close atten-
ton due to the high of it, and to its careful
elaboration, the Address of the distinguished Caro-
linian and, though it adds little to the force of the
Appeal to the People Of the South of the last year.
from the pen of the same gentleman, there are yet
some new points in it, which, in general survey
of the Evil of the Day." deserve particular con-
sideration.
The Address sets out with the proposition, as
sumed as fact that the Onion IS IN danger; and
the immediate cause of this danger to the Union is
stated to be the almost universal discomfort which
peryades all the States composing the Southern
section of the Unon.' To account for this dis
content, grievances which the South is alleged to
have received at the hands of the North recited,
with little variation from the similar recital in the
Address of the last year which grievances, as we
have lately shown, are some of them substantial,
and others of them partly real and partly not So
whilst all that have reality in them susceptible
of constitutional remedies. The rest of these al
legged grievances being merely the natural fruits of
ncompatibility of empers and difference of habits
such as, occurring in individual life, are not allow
ed to be sufficient causes for dissolution of the
marriage tie, never can constitute valid reason
for the separation from one another of the States
which compose this political Union. Rightly con-
sdered indeed the diversity of pursuits and tastes
of the members of the family of States will be
found to impart the charms of freshness, variety,
and reciprocal profit, whilst in Union; which
would, by severance of that Union, be converted
into an intercourse, within each community, of in
sipid dullness, and, between community and CON-
munity, of jealousy, bitterness, and hate. Should
we live to witness such severance as is now con-
templated by the discontened gentlemen of the
South, and as Mr.. Calhoun argues to be inevitable,
set US down as the falsest of prophets if such
be not the result should the States themselves not
be shivered to atoms in the process.
After having thus begged the question of almost
universal discontent-the actual discomfort being,
ocb< e. r
affirmed, in the Address referred to, as the belief of
the People Of the Southern States, universal as
the discomfort ITSELF that "they cannot remain as
things now are, consistently with honor and safety,
in the U1aon." That such is the universal belief,
or even that of respectable proportion, of the
People of the Southern States, we peremptorily
deny, and have it in our power to prove, from evil
dence which we will produce. That it may be the
prevailing belief in South Carolina and in Georgia,
we shall not undertake to deny, though we doubt
in regard to the latter. 1t is not the belief certain
ly, of the People of Maryland, of North Carolina,
ofVirgnia, OF Louisiana, of Tennessee, Of Kentucky
of Texas, Of Missouri; of Delaware, of Florida.
Concerning the public feeling in the States of Ala
bama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, we have less
information: but if the Senators and Representatives
from those States willing that they should thus
be counted om of the Union, we shall certainly
not oppose our own hope and belief to their better
knowledge.
The first cause assigned by the honorable Sena
tor on this alleged almost universal belief of the
People of the South that they are dishonored by
remaining in the Union, is the long continued
agitation of the slave question in the North Upon
this point we will only here add, to what we have
heretofore said, that, as we shall have occasion in
the sequel to show, that agitation was met, il
it was not preceded, by couner-agitation from
the opposite quarter, which was industriously pro-
secuted SO long as political objects were hoped to
be attainabe by means Of it and, in despair Of
success, was abandoned then, only to be renewed
as it is now renewed, at season supposed to be
more auspicious to the views of the actors in it.
1t this demonstration against the North
indeed, which animated the Abolitionsts and Anti.
Slavery in the North, and set them to work in
way, it must be admitted, as claimed by the South
contrary to the spirit Of the Constitution, and
Justly offensive to the People and Governments
existing agitation, not easily to be accounted for
that it is Just at the moment that more censtitu
tional spirit, wiser policy, and greater comfy
are manifesting themselves in and from the North
that the South is stirred into such storm of pas
sion, as in particular districts seems to blind People