Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-04-12

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must be post paid to insure attention
Es- We shall, from time to time, give such
tices from Northern papers as will tend to open
the eyes of Southern men. We are determined
readers shall be kept fully posted up in regard
to the progress of abolitionism at the North.
Plain Talk.
Politicians at Washington seem to think that the
antSlavery spirit has been effectually Frustrated
by the passage of the measures of last session.
Henry Clay has publicly proclaimed it in the Sen
ate. He never yet palmed off one of his so called
compromises without boasting that it was a final
settlement ofthe queston-as witness his Missouri
Compromise and his various tariff compromises.
But the truth is, his sentiments would never stay
settled long In 1889, he made famous Speech
which his friends proclaimed was death blow to
abolitionism but it proved merely death blow to
the political aspirations of the author The coun-
try has never been so deeply agitated on the ques
ton of slavery as since that time So it will be
with his present % peace measures for SO long
the fugitive bill remains the statute book will
this nation be convulsed by it,
We would ask the South, what have you gained
and what do you expect to gain by continuing this
law in force? [ have no doubt that many fugi
tves were recovered under the old law as under
this, and without attracting half the attention
The great majority, we presume nme-tenths, of
the fugitives Immediately fled to Canada, where
they are beyond their reach forever. Again, there
fully as many, if not more, escaping from sav
ery and they receive assistance from null
titudes who, but for the passage of this law
would have continued Indifferent spectators of
the operations of the underground railroad"
system. They hate this peace measure" so
heartily that 1t affords them a special pleasure
to assist in evading it. Such is human nature,
and there is no use in shutting eyes to the
truth.
In this country, puJlic opinion is emphaticay
the higher iaU in sense at least as it is useless
to attempt to enforce law where public sentiment
isdecdedly opposed toit Especially is this the
where the people must assist, in order efectually
TO carry out the law. No observing mind
doubt that public opinion throughout nine-tenths
of our free territory is most decidedly opposed to
this law; and where this feeling is the strongest,
there the greatest number of fugitives will always
be found. If the South listen to the deceitful
presentations of Northern dough-faces on this
point, they will be led to their own ruin There
are classes of that tell the South that the law
can be and shall be enforced at the North. No
doubt in some locations it can, but they few
and far between. a large portion of the clergy
and a numerous host of politicians, laborng
hard to convince the North that it is a high and
holy religious and political duty to assist in return
inc fugitive slaves but let not the South be de-
ceived by all this. Look at the Union Safety
Committee and their clerical abettors of New FORK
city What is it that actuates him to such exces
sive zeal on this subject Why it is simply cal
culation of dollars and cents with them. If it
was not for the fear of losing Southern trade and
Southern yotes, they would never open their mouths
to sustain the law. With all the zeal of these pa
triots will venture the assertion that there is not
one of them who, if called upon by slave hunter,
would lift finger in active personal assistance to
recover fugitive Why, just picture to yourself
the Hon. Lewis Cass preambulating the streets of
natr with all fIlH of -oI1ld- -ha
presidential nominee. Suddenly comes in sight
brave-no, " slave hunter of Kentucky in hot
pursuit of of the fair sex, who is fleeing for
life. The painting fugitive hurries past the brave
General, startling him from a careful calculation
on the vote of New York His Kentucky friend
calls upon him, as good citizen, to aid and as
sst in the prompt and efficient execution of the
LAWN other words, to jod in the chase. What
glorious sight it would be to see the burl y form
of the hero of - under full sail after the fair
fugitive Such spectacle would do much to
those q five bleeding wounds" But does any one
imagine for one moment that he, or any other
of those devoted advocates of the law, will ever
be found Joining in such chase No, not they.
They will talk and talk and talk, and vote laws
laying commands on the people which they will
not observe themselves. If the South satisfied
with such kind of friends, they have plenty of
them at the North, and they can be bought up dog
cheap.
There are dlthcultles In the way OF enforcing a
law of this kind, which, unless it is sustained by
public opinion, will practically nulJy 1t. Secresy
and dispatch absolutely necessary; and yet
what law can secure them without the aid of pub
lie opinion. Even those at the North who are
the special advocates of the law, look upon it as
requiring disagreeable duty'' and thus far it
has been found a very difficult matter to conquer
preiudices The public officers and other citizens
will therefore do all they can to avoid being called
upon and, when they cannot do that, they will not
generally engage in it with that zeal necessary to
insure success. How easy for an officer, who fears
the odium of his friends and neighbors more than
the l-will of a distant Shareholder to quietly no.
tify abolitienist of the proceedings, or be sud
denly seized with illness, which will prevent his
performing his duties, or, as in one case, proceed
to execute writ with oficious haste, by telling
every body he meets what he is after, and the tu-
gltlve has notice. and escapes. There are thou
sand ways in which this can be done, without be-
ing liable to the penalties of the law, and as done
an numerous instances There is no use in getting
angry over this state of affairs because it will not
help the matter, The only way to remedy it is to
reform pablo opinion at the North, which only
be done by sending able lecturers to convince the
people of the inestimable blessing of slavery.
The cases of those who are successful in
6 Slave Hunt in the free States are as one in
hundred and when they do succeed, the money