The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent. (Port Gibson, Claiborne Co., Miss.) 1848-18??, 1851-01-10

have been stealily watching its approach for
the last fifteen years. During that period have
often sounded thealarm; but my feeble warnings
have been disregaded. Inow solemnly declare,
as the deliberate 0Dviction Of my judgment, that
two things are necessary to preserve this Union
from the most imminent Danger
1. Agitation in the North on he subject Of
Southern slavervmust be rebuked and put down
by strong, enegetic, and enlightened public
opinion.
g. The fugitive slave law must be executed
in its letter and i its spirit.
On each of tlese points Ishall make few
observations.
Those are grealy mistaken who suppose that
the tempest whid is now raging in the South
has been raised solely by the acts or omissions
of the present Congress. The minds of the
Southern peope have been gradually prepared
for this explosion by the events of the lest
fifteen years Much and deyotedly as they
love the Union. rDanyof them are now taught to
believe that the peace Of their own firesides. and
the security of their own families, cannot be
preserved witholf separation from US. The
crusade ofthe abolionists against their domestic
peace and security commenced in 1885, General
Jackson, in his apnaal message to Congress, in
A~SNCAAbCt VI cptdho VI tliG
ing emphatic language: 81 must also invite
your attention to the painful excitement produ>
ced di1 the South BY attempts to circulate through
the mails inhammatDry appeals, addressed to the
passions of the slaves. in prints and various sorts
of publications, calculated to stimulate them to
iusurrei tion, and prtduce all the horrors of a
servie war"
From that period to he present agitation in the
North against Southern slavery has been inces-
SAINT, by means of Press, of State Legislatures,
State g. County Conventions, Abolition Lectures,
and every other metipd which fanatics and DEM
agogues could devis,. The tine of Congress
has been wasted in Fiolent harangues on the
subject Of slavery. hhammatory appeals have
been sent forth from his central point through
out the country, theinevitable effect of which
has been to create geographical parties, SO much
dreaded by the Fathero his Country. and to es.
TRANCE the Northern Ind Southern divisions ol
the Union from each dher.
Before the Wilmot proviso was iDterposed
the abolition of slaveryin the District Of CoIum.
bia had been the chieftheme of agitation. Pc
titions for this purpose, by thousands, from men
women and children, poured into Congress ses.
sion after session. The rights and the wishes
OF the owners of Slaves within the District were
bodily disregarded. Slavery was denounced as
national sin and national disgrace, which the
Jaws of God and the laws OF man ought to abol-
ish, cost what it might 1t mattered not to the
fanatics that the abolition of slavery in the Dis
trict would convert it into citadel in the midst
of two slaYeholding Ststes, from which the abo-
litionsts could dsecurelyscatter arrows, 6rebrands
and death, all around. Ii mattered not TO them
that the abolition of slaiery in the District would
be violation of the split of the constitution anC
Of the implied faith pledged to Maryland and Vir
ginia, because the whob world knows that those
States would never have ceded it TO the Union
had they imagined it could ever be converted BY
Congress into place finn which their domestic
peace and security might be assailed by fanatics
and abolitionists. Na9, the abolitionsts wen
even still further. They agitated :or the pur
pose of abolishing slavely in the forts, arsenal:
and navy yards, which he Southern States hat
ceded 10 the Union, under the constitution, fol
the protection and defence of the country.
Thus stood the question when the Wilmo
Proviso was interposed, to add fuel to the flame
and to excite the Son;hernpeople TO madness.
President Polk was anxious to bring the wal
with Mexico to an honorableconclusion with tht
least possible delay. He deemed it highly pro
bable that an appropriation by Congress Of So,
100000 TO be paid to the Mexican Governmen
immediately after the CONCLUSION of peace, nigh
essentially aid him in accomplishing this desira
| bic object. He sent message to this effect t
Congress in August, 1876; and whilst the bill
granting the appropriation was pending befor'
the house, Mr.. WiImot offered his fayorite pro
viso as an amendment, which was carried by
majority of nineteen votes. This amendment
had it even been proper in itself, was out oil tim
and out of plaee;because it had not then been as
certained whether we should acquire any terri
tory from Mexico and in point OF fact, the Trea
| ty of Peace was not concluded until eighteel
months thereafter Besides, this Proyso, b,
defeating the appropriation. was calculated
though cannot believe it was intended, to pro
long the war.
The Wilmot Proviso until near the termina
ton of the last session of Congress, deieate
every attempt to form territorial governments 10
our Mexican acquisitions Had such govern
ments been established at the proper time, Cali
fornia would have changed her territorial into
State government and would have come Int
the Union as naturally as young man enter
into his civil rights at the age OF twenty-ont
producing scarcely ripple upon the surface
public opinion.
What consequences have resulted from th
Proviso? 1t placed the two divisions the Ur
ion in hostile anay. The people OF each, N
stead Of considering the people of the other
brethren, began ID view each other as deadly en-
emies. Whilst Northern Legislatures wer
passing resolutions instrnciing their Senator
and requesting their Representatives to vote f
the Wilmot Provho, and for laws TO abolish sls
| very in the District 0! Columbia, Southern Les
islatures and Conventions, prompted and sustain
| ed by the indignant and united voice of th
Southern people, were passing resolutions pleds
/ ing themselves to measures of resistance. Ih
spirit of fauatcsm was in the ascendant. i
such height had it mounted, that bill intro
duced into the House Of Representatives, by N
Giddings, during the last session Of the last Coz
gress, authorizing the slaves N the District !
Columbia to vote, on the question whether the
themselves should be freemen. was defeated Q
the motion Of my friend, Mr. Brodhead,
this State, by the slender majority OF on
twenty.six votes.
4 Thus stood the question when the presel
Congress assembled. That body at first presel
ted the appearance of Polish diet. divided IN
hostile parties. rather than that OF the represei
tatiyes Of great and united people, assemble
Fin the land OF Washington, Jefferson, and Jacl
son, to consult and act together as brethren
prompting the common good of the whole &
public.
Ii void be the extreme of dangerous infatus
lion to suppose that the Union was not then