Weekly national intelligencer., 1850-02-09

very uiihh VI q war VIII Orcat Drltaln, nIougu
premature and gratutous display of chivalry OF
her Governor, in ordering knows-how-many
Militia to the frontier of the State of Maine armed
and munoned for bloody fight across the line, in
doing which he was sustained by both branches of |
his State Legislature with remarkable unanmity and
intrepldty though every man in the Legislature OF
any sense was laughing in his sleeve at the farce
the reason of this unanimity being that the par
ties in the Legislature were nearly equally divided,
and ran against one another into the same net ; |
both parties being determined that the People
should not think one side was more afraid of gum
powder than the other We believe that the una
nmity of certain Of the Southern State Legislatures
at the present day is attributable to like cause.
Indeed, one of the Southern papers actually states
the fact, in the following terms:
!" Unfortunately for correct decision of this
question, the public mind has been good deal
warped and excited by the efforts of party dema-
gogues, knowing well that when people believe
themselves insulted or their rights encroached
upon, they admire and applaud those most who
show themselves readiest to do battle in their be-
half against the aggressors. Aspiring partisans
have taken advantage OF this natural propensity.
and each has sriyen to outdo his party opponent
in this wordy warfare. The Democratic and the
I Wing party have each sworn that each is in adj
vance of the other in defence of Southern rights,
and each has denounced the other for tagging be-
= thind-all purely for party purposes. In mis-
deafenng and ceaseless clamor, the voice of pru-
dence and truth is rarely heard and still more
rarely heeded'
With all the deductions that can be made, how
ever, by such arguments and facts these from the
force Of what appears upon the surface, enough re-
mains to satisfy us that there are men Of respecta-
BILE standing in the Southern States who are ready
to stake their political character and prospects,
and, what is more to be needed, their domestic
peace and prosperity, in collision with the autho
rity Of the Union, if they can persuade the People
to follow them. Ifthere be among our readers any
SUCH who are not too far gone for reasoning with,
and are yet capable Of listening 10 the still small
voice Of truth" we impore their attention to the
warning lesson conveyed in the following passage,
taken with variation in the two first lines adapt
ing it to the present CASEY from the same work Of
an English writer from which we made quotation
a few days ago:
| " The separate States of any community of
States not morally at liberty, at their pleasure,
and ON their speculations of contingent improve
ment, wholly to separate and tear asunder the
: bands of their subordinate community, and to dis
solve it into an unsocal, uncvil, and unconnected
chaos Of elementary principles. II is the first and
supreme necessity only, necessity that is not
chosen but chooses, necessity paramount to de-
liberation that admits of no discussion, and de-
mands no evidence, which alone can justify re-
sort to anarchy. This necessity is no exception
to the rule because this necessity itself is part
too of that moral and physical disposition Of things
| to which man must be obedient by consent of
: force. But if that which is only submission to
necessity should be made the object of choice,
the law is broken, nature is disobeyed, and the
rebeious are outlawed, cast forth, and exed from
this world of reason, and ORDER and peace, and
virtue, and fruitful penitence, into tha antagonist
4 world Of madness, discord, vice, confusion. and
\ universal sorrow. y
4 TWAS our intention to have concluded this arti-
Gle with summary view Of the consequences Of
dissolving the bands Of the Union, Of which men
are habituating themselves to speak as fippanty
and as familiarly as ift were but the untying Of
garter But the discussion going on in the Senate,
and especially the late great Speech of Mr.. CLAY,
having covered the whole ground, we shall, instead
Of attempting the task, close what we propose to
say on the subject by introducing to our readers
the suboned copy ofa Letter lately received by the
Editors of this paper from Louisiana Planter of
high responsibility:
i sr. -'s PARISH, (LA.) January 6, 1850: 4
1 Editors Of the National hatelligeacer:
! ~ am rejoiced to find you, as doubted
not that should find you the steady and unhinch-
i ing friends of the Union of these States. Have the
gentlemen in Congress calculated the length and the
BREADTH the heghlh and the DEPTH Of the evils wnic
they would bring on our devoted country by the dis.
union which they speak so lightly of2 Shall we
/ dissolve society into its elements? Shall we put
out all the lights of the past, and grope our way
through revolution along with France and Italy, and
Austria in quest Of more liberty, security and
more happiness than enjoy2 Dissolve the
Union! Who are to be our new partners? Where
of the Mississippi. Will the States above-like Ohio
/ Indiana, Illinois, and others-every year springng
into being consent to have the mouth of this noble
river closed against them? Louisiana is bound to
| the States of the Northwest by thousand ties any
one of which is ndissolube. But what shall we do
with the Navy? What with the National Debt ? On
/ which side of the border will be Western Virginia;
which Maryland which Kentucky; which Missouri
The truth is dissolution of the Union is Anarchy.
! 1t is not in the wit of man to present plan for
quiet SOBER settling down of the people of the United
States under any new organization. The effort will
be ruinous to happiness, and disgraceful to the
civilization Of the age. Suppose for instant that
shall rid ourselves Of the evils of which we com
plan2 The Northern part of our Southern Confede-
| racy-Maryand Virginia and Kentucky-would be
the manufacturing States. They would advocate
tariff OF protection at the first Congress. The ire of
South Carolina would be aroused. Nay, more, the
gradual reduction of the slaves in these States would
soon give rise to an Abolition movement. Another
dissolution must take place. and another; until some
one State would stand alone, the solitary champion
OF the slave interest. The evils complained of by the