The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-10-09

QUEHcEs OF A COLLISION IN ALL THEIR BREADTH
AND DEPTH srAKED UPON IT.
And the Legislature Of Virginia, by a majority
of / II to ID in the House, and of ~ to in the
Senate, passed set Of resolutions OF which the
follow ing is one: " ResoLpd, That regard
the passage of a law by the Congress of the
United States, aboshing slavery, or The slaue
trade, in the District Of Columbia, AS a direct
attack on the institutions of the Southe n States,
TO BE RESISTED AT ALL HAZARDS" The Wash
ington Union, abiding to these bold professions,
said: " that Virginia would maintain her reso
lutions BY HER ACTS" What space, ! ask,
have we been travelling, since that time, that
we are so far off the track we then so proudly
rode in!
But you may demand to kno what motives,
what influences, could have induced those South
ern members who gave the compro MISE such
Jealous support, and among others, Cen Downs,
to sustain that measure! ] nave propounded
the question to myself again and again; and it
was bat lately that found an answer to it in
the speech which my distinguished colleague de-
livered in New York, in December last Con-
vinced at Washington" says he, "by the patri
otism of their representatives, that the Northern
people loere sound, PLEDGED MYSELF 10 The sup
| part of the COMPROMISE" Such were the prompt
ings under which Gen. Downs associated him
self with the friends of that measure Let US
see now upon what data rested his conviction Of
The soundness of The Northern people, rs vouch-
safed by the patriotism of their representatives.
What did he mean by the NORTH, and by the
Norlh's representatives. I? We have it from his
own lips He tells us in the same speech that
"as NeU York goes, so goes the North as the
| North goes so goes the South, and in the end zoe
shall all go together" New York, then, was to
be the great criterion, and the patriotism Of her
representatives the unerring sign Of the sound
ness of the people at the North. And yet, on
every resolution offensive to the South which
was introduced in the House from the 18th of
December 1913, to the 4th of February, 1850,
we find the New York representatives in mass,
| siding invariably with our enemies, and warning
against usI Oh, the fatal delusion 1t was
that delusiol that brought him to tell Southern
people :" that aboltionism was no longer to be
preached and practsed at the North that ag-
gression upon them was put ian end to from that
quarter" G) Let US sac, lot US see. how the
| North has redeemed the pledges thus handsomely
commended by Southern senator.
! | have shown you what proud position we
held as long as we stood firm and erect like
men let me show you now, with what bold
ness of contempt and scorn we are looked at
! and spoken Of by those who, twelve months ago,
oourted our favor and seemed almost ready to
pander to our exigenGes. Hear that great co
lossus Of the North abiding to US, su bmissiye
and unexacting as we have shown ourselves to
be- If the South wish any concession from me
they wont get it, NOT HAIRS BREADTH OF TIL
i've always con.ended that any measure calcu-
lated to add to the slave territory of the United
States was unconstitutional. would never
consent that there be one foot Of slave territory
beyond what the old thirteen States had at the
foundation of the Union.-Never never. new
err! (D
And, that there might be no mistake, no
mi4conception rs to what he meant to show of
tenderness and good feeling to the South, he, the
chief of the cabinet and the Secretary of State
of President Fillmore goes on, and hestates not
to acknowledge, that, +" He regrets extremely that
SLAVE erists IN The Southern Siaies, and thai
Congress has no Poper 10 act upon Hear
you him. Can you be any longer deceived p
Is that clear enough ?-Ah but he afterwards
corrected the latter part of the sentence or rather
| approved Of Che correction made upon it by Mr..
Bolts of Virgini and ths sentence, as correct
ed, now reads 81 regret extremely that slavery
exists in the Southern States; bm Congress has
no power to act upon it." Very well. But the
NEXT coming phrase stands uncorrected that
phrase wherein he expresses the hope THAT IT
MAY BE IN THE DIsPENsArios OF PROVIDENCE
SOME REMEDY MAY BE FOUND FOR iT!'
Why, sirs, We have the secret of these strange
boastings. Mr. Webster is of the North, and
dares avow it, and glories in 1t and is applauded
for it; while, here, one could hardly claim him
self from the South without being Kissed and
lapdated.
How proudly, how nobly and brayely he er-
claims Il am Northern man. was born at
the North, educated at the North | know five
hundred Northern men to ons Southern man.
My sympathies ALL MY sYmPATHEs-my Tore
Of liberty for all mankind, of every color are The
same as yours My affections and hopes in that
respect are eractly like ours"
And thus is the torch Of Aboltionism still
brandlshed the very men who had engaged
to extinguish it, and the rawlings of anti slavery
provoked afresh by the most lmpassioned and
most exciting appeals Even the Washington
Union abiding to this speech, forgets its former
mercies for the great Northerner, and gently
chides him for this mnsterng to the passions
and prejudices of his countrvmen. "What need
had ke,p says its New York correspondent of
May 26th, 1851, "Wbat need had he to parade
his detestation of slavery, his love Of freeso
and his eternal opposition to the admission of
slave territory, before people already too much
excited to think calmly and wisely upon such
subjects What was it in effect but saying to
them, this is a. wrong; it is sin, an evil which
mrst be endured foJ expedienee sake. And
how many Of the class of persons whom he ad-
dressed replied in their hearts. ExPEDIEEcY
CAN NEVER MAKE A WRONG RIGHT"
Abolition is no longer to be preached ard
prsctced; is it9-And aggressions from the
North against lhe South are put an end 10 :"
are they not 2-fiow bitterly DIR, Webster be-
lies the assertion and exposes your oredulity
But this is not all. Read with me from one of
the August numbers of the New York Tribune
ave are told to leave slavery alone; it is too
late in the day to think of stopping the discus
sion of the snhject. 1t will be discussed and
the best thing is to look at it frankly and sim
cerely ard to say the whole truth about it, And
WE ARE HAPPY 10 SEE IN THE SOUTHERN STATES
A GROWING NUMBER OF RERsoss who are dis
posed 10 treat IL in that manner"
And in another Of its numbers of the same
month, the same paper says "what madness, |
what futity to tax of respecting such an act as
the fugitive slave law not even a kdnapper
nor slave trader really respect IT, Human
ty and a sense of justice, innate In every heart
imperatively forbid il. We do not
desire the capture of any fugitive slave How |