The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-10-15

who believe with him, as being Of a higher char
i acter, and OF more force and authority than the
4 Constitution Of the United States And such, no
doubt, is the universal idea and feeling through
out the whole Of the free States, North and West,
Notwithstanding all the statements to the contrary
which are continually being made IN and out OF
+ Congress. And thisb being the ease, agatn ask
] the all-important question, will they, can they
stop in their mad course of aggresslons upon the
South No!!-never! till the last vestge of sla-
very shall have been removed from the country, If
the Union is 70 be preserved. Nor viii they, by
net Of Congress, or by any other agency, COM
promise the question with the South. As has
been already shown, this is not a political din
Guilty between the two sections Of the country,
| and no political adjustment can, or will be per-
mitted to settle il. With the North, il is ques-
ton of morals, religion, freedom and philosophy.
The roots Of the difficulty, therefore, lie far be-
! low the foundation of the Union; and IL Is but
little less than stark madness in any one TO sup
pose that il ever he settled, except by sepa-
ration Of the sayehoding from the free States.
As well might we expect the Jews, the Chris
tian, and Mahomedans, respectively, TO renounce
their creeds, and cease To labor for the conversion
Of the world as 10 believe that the Abolitionlsts,
at home and abroad. will abandon their doctrine
of opposition to slavery. The needle of the COM
pass points not more steadily and unerrngly to-
wards the pole, than does the whole course of
things among the Abolitionists al the North, tend
towards the entire emancipation OF TIE slaves al
the South. Let us not be deceived upon this
point. The charlatan in philosophy, the denia-
gogue ii politics, and the superficial observer in
priv te life, may cry peace, peace, when Il IS plain
there is no peace. On the contrary, the cry will
soon be mar, icar, if We remain together in the
Federal Union.
And now let us turn to the consideration OF the
next great feature In this conference.-the nstitu-
tion Of slavery itsef-and briefly enquire into It's
nature, and the probability, if not indeed the me-
cessity Of its indefinite continuance IN the greater
portion Of the country where i now exists IN the
United States well as else where. And, without
paying much regard to method in approaching the
subject, ask, in the outset, how is it POSSIBLE to
get rid Of slavery in the Southern Statess even
admitting, which am very far from doing, except
for the sake of argument, that II Is socially, NOR
ally, politically and phiosophically wrong. Will
the South cansentto its adjustment by the General
Government, in imitation ofthe English and French
governments in the West India islands, Will
the people who own the slaves voluntarily manu-
NIT them, either all at once, or by degrees Or,
will the Northern people, as they are in duty
bound to do f they are sincere In their professions,
| attempt benevolenty to raise the fund, and buy
the slaves--take them into their States-free, and
hug them to their bosoms as brothers Of a common
nature. and thus oberate forever this national
curse, as they call it, from our country! No
never! There is not the most remote probability
Of either Of these things being done. How, then,
| again enquire, is this system Of slavery to be-
come extincti The answer is plain and direct ---it
cannot be accomplished by any human effort direct
y and at once, or by degrees. The law of necessity,
TO say nothing Of that Of interest, will operate to
keep the negro in bondage here in the South, for
centuries to come, even though his master were
now willing and anxious 10 let him go, All
| that man could do in case like this, would
be merely to shift the condition Of things from
one place to another. Witness the abolition Of
| slavery in the Northern States: They removed
1t from that quarter by putting it off upon the
| al EoIto hal
| the system; but each owner took care to pocket
| the value of his property by selling II in due time
| to the Southern planter. But the Ethiopian can
not change his skin; nor can the superior Caucas-
sian regenerate him while he continues black.
And in the color Of his skim il there were no others
to urge, to the philosophical mind, there is the
| Strongest reason for the ensavenent OF the negro.
| This thin film covers the whole question, and is
! conclusive against his equality with the white
| ian, and in Justification of his bondage. But,
whether regarded in the concrete or in the abstract,
slavery, as IL exists in the Southern States is alb
soIutely and unquali6edly right And inproof of
| this position, will here submit few additional
considerations. ' a''''ss t-5'' y "1t' '... .
There are five different species Of the human
family; namely,-lae Caucassan, Mongolian,
| American, Malay, and African. These, as IS well
known to the general reader, occupy the countries
| respectively, of Europe, Asia, America, Polynesia
| and Africa. The Caucasian, to which we our
selves belong, stands at the head of the list in point
Of physical and intellectual Development and civ
ization; the others, in their respective grades of
Development IN these respects, ranging downward
| in the order in which they hayebeen named. The
African is not only the lowest OF the several spe
cIes IN the scale OF human existence as manly
shown by his imperfect physical form and meagre
| intellectual powers, but his skin is black. How
ever do hold that the color Of the skin, of itself,
degrades him; it is simply one Of the most striking
| and powerful evidences of his natural inferiory,
| compared with the white man. And, from his
Incupacity for dong anything that is important to
and desirable for human being TO accomplish,
tven in that Of merely taking of himself, like
| the child during minority, he is dependent upon
the more mature and elevated species of our race
Aud consequently, lie ever has been and will con.
tlnue to he either enslaved or destroyed by his
superiors. ..,.a@ ...s,.- -. &.,hn r..,}f g..
Let bigots frown and fanatics rave as much as
they please, this truth in undeniable--lhat the
weak barbarian tribes and nations Of people,
wherever found, and in all ages have been, and in
the nature Of things, must continue tn be more or
less subject TO and controlled by the more ntelli-
gent, and therefore the more powerful nations OF
the earth. w itness the case Of the aborignes in
our own country. Where are Powhattan, recum-
sch, and Oceola? Where are their once happy
honest Where are their descendantsi They
have each aud all, alike been swept away by the
march of civilization and the la Tvs Of progress.
But, aside from the absolute necessity, as | be-
eve, Of enslaving the African, in civzing and
ciple ol justice and humanity involved in the rela-
ton of master and slave, 1t exists in the South
ern States, which seems not To have been duly
considered and urged by the slayeowner hereto
fore. And that is this: The protection irhica is
rendered to The sigre by the master, against the as
saus aud oppression ~ The ,pord and his o,cn I'M
perfection and inbeciy, in consideration, Of his per-
sonai restraint aud the profits If his labor. Lett to
himself in his native country, the negro is prey,
for gain, to his own father and brother, as well as
all others who may choose % Cypress and destroy
hm while, on the other hand, In state Of slavery
to the Caucasian family, he is protected by the
laws Of civilization, and compelled provide him
self with all the necessaries Of life. And this law
Of protection is precisely like that, in respect
at least, which exists between parent and child.
The child, from It's natural weakness and mma
turity, is in a stnte OF bondage during the period
of homage. And so Of the African, as compared
with the more perfectly organized, the farther adj
vanced. and therefore superior American Caucas-
sian, he is in the weak and ignorant state Of mi
nory; and, for all that is desirable and hopeful Of
Il. =