The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-22
The New York Tribune and Slavery.

The Tribune devotes a column and half
to the few lines Of commentary in our first
number, on certain views of New Y ork and
Virginia life, contained in that paper.
The most definite position now assumed
by the Tribune is in the following:
"But bad as may be the state of society iii the
Northern States, with their great commercial CT
ties, gigantic but necessary evils as the world is
now organized ,-swetering with vice and ulcer
Gus with misery, it is better, far better than slu
very in its best form and under the most favora-
BILE circumstances. The reason Of this is plain,
and it is one which The Southern Press with all
its ingenuity and with all its talent, never ar
que out of sight Society based on Free, or
more exactly speaking on Hireling labor, is pro-
gressive Society based on Slavery Is stagnant,
inclining always to decay. The former advances
ever more and more rapidly and surely toward Il
better condition; the latter stands still or tends to-
ward decline, bankruptcy, dissolution. The for
mer improves in spite of the evils attending It's
imperfectiOns the latter cannot improve until 1t
has utterly changed its character and ceased to be
itself. This is the simple truth of the matter, the
perception of which causes us to listen with no
emotion but regret at the blindness Of our opPo-
| nents, to such arguments as that brought forward
| by The Southern Press
The assumption that "Socicty based on
slavery"-as he expresses tits stagnant,
inclining Arrays to decay" is very much in
character with the new school Of reasoners, -
it is begging the whole question. Yet
although this assumption is necessary to the
progress of the Tribune argument, it is so
absurd that the argument could not 90 far
without denying or committing it.
"What exists now is good and useful just so
far as it contributes to the production of some
thing better hereafter, that is, to the subjugation
Of Nature and her forces and the Improvement of
human relations. Herein lies the utter condenl-
nation of Slavery. There was time in history
when it syTsd those ends, and when without 1t
there would have been no industry. no accumula-
ton Of wealth, no preparation of the means for
subsequent greater authorizations of the social state
Then, too, by the will of Providence, the moral
sense of men not against it. But that time
has long past.
SO it appears that so far from being true
that "savery" is stagnant, inclning Arrays
to decay, there are conditions of society, or
at least have been, when without it there
would have been no industry, 40 accumu-
lation of ,ceahh, no preparation Of the
means for subsequent greater ameliora'ions
of the social state.
" But that time" he says, els long PAST"
Perhaps not. Mr.. Greedy is now engaged
in recognizing the world, and invokes the
aid of all the hireling labor which is now
the victim of the present organization.
This organization will probably require some
time, and we suggest the expedency of per-
hitting African slavery to stand while
longer, in order to furnish cotton for the
shirts Of the great host Of Northern re-
formers. We should be sorry to see them
without shirts Besides, their experiment
may fail, and then, if slavery remains, the
world will not be at an end.
But where is the boasted evidence Of
Northern progress' There are more people
now, and larger proportion than ever, who
live in cellars, in poor-houses, in hospitals
and jas. What have they to compensate
for this ? Why smaller proportion than
before who live in affluence - though in
greater ahluence. They have common
schools, with smattering system of edu-
cation widely difused; they have multiplied
newspapers and books, with vast augmen-
tation of libertine literature in the periodical
and irregular press.
But who can say that in the North the
two races of white and black are more pros
porous, more moral, more intelligent, more
happy than in the South? And If Northern
progress does not tend to that result, we
think it is very poor sort of progress.
SO Disappointed!