The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-13

acy; and Of having TO rerel denunciations Of our
) people US an inferior, degraded race, aud their
institutions as a disgrace and reproach To our
country the establishment and promotion OF
! societies, clubs and other associations designed
10 encourage tue spirit Of fanatlcsm, and scatter
the elements Of dscord all over the land. The
fact, that this insignificant, despsed band OF Ia
natcs, but few years ago denounced, and IN
some instances stoned to death at the North,
have spread throughout the free States, and now
} possess the ruling power IN Congress. me or
ganization in parties npon the principles that the
only passport to political hooors is eternal hos
tity to the South, and the surest political death
the slightest maintenance OF her rights. The
announcement Of our enemies ~ their liked de-
termination to exterminate slavery from the
Southern States and that with this design they
not only intend 10 harrass US by kidnapping our
slaves, but also to employ the power OF the Fed
eral Government to surround the South with a
Gordon Of free States, so that like scorpion in
a circle of fire she will sting herself 10 death (;
and that should the spirit of fanaticism become
too much exasperated to wait upon this process,
the Constitution can be changed as before stated,
and the Institution of slavery at once swept
from the Southern States. But the picture al
ready drawn, seems to be sufficient to scar the
submissionist And the man who sees the
wrong, and has no spirit to resist it, would be
more degraded by wearing the manacles Of n
slave.
| Then the great question is presented-what
course is to be pursued, by the South in his
emergency G n she submit. Submit to be
excluded from all the territory acquired from
Mexico Submit to the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF n
slave State, for the purpose only Of enlargine
the area Of free son, when we ourselves will be
compelled to pay three-fourths Of the price OF
i, our own exclusion from all the benefits Of the
purchase! Submit to the abolition of the slave
trade by an exercise directly in the power to
! abolish slavery itself in the District of Colum-
bia Submit to being robbed annually ofslnves
enough to bring seven hundred and fifty thous-
and dollars Submit to the uneasness, distrac
ton, insult and modification occasioned by an
eternal agitation Of the slavery question. God
forbid that the disgrace of submission should
ever be added to the wrongs of the South The
South cannot submit without bringing upon
herself with positive certainty emancipation with
all its dreadful equences--bankrnptcy deg
T radiation, ruin, desolation-with all the horrors
/ of servie war.
|, Abolish the institution of slavery, and the
, loss of nine hundred millions of dollars in slave
f property would be the least wrong thereby
visited upon the Southern people. 1t is an unde-
nabc fact that slavery exists in some form in all
nations upon the globe. Great Britain, France,
Russia, and the Northern States of this Con-
federacy, all have their ,ohte slaves; and it is a
part Of their history that they are the most
abused degraded, unhappy people on the earth.
, Upon the contrary, it is true beyond all ques-
ton, that the system Of negro servitude as it
exists in the Southern States, is one Of the
wsest most beneficial institutions known to
our Government ltnot only eleva'es the honest
poor man and satisfies him with his position in
society, but it is blessing to the slave. The
negroes of the South, are in Il higher state OF
civilization, occupy higher moral elevation,
enjoy more of the pleasures and comforts ofl'fe,
are freer from its cares and responsibilities, and
more contented and happy than any free blacks
to be found on the globe. Here the negroes
are in their natural condition, fulfilling the de.
!, signs of an all-wise Providence. Give them that
liberty which the misguided fanatics affect so
much to desire for them, and instantly they
would begin to relapse into barbarian, and the
time would not be far distant when we could
, look upon all the forms of human wretchedness
and misery. Such picture is now to be fouEd
in the history of the free blacks of st. Domingo
! and the West Indies, since they were liberated
{ by France and Great Britain Look also from
I the Cape Of Good Hope to the Mediterranean
{ covered with ninety millions of free negroes
|, living like cannibals in the most deplorable state
of barbarsm. Like satan himself, these Abo-
, ltionists are struggling to enlarge their do
mnion and power for the purpose only OF in
creasing the amount Of human suffering.
But again, what effect would the abolition of
slavery have upon the aborng white man of the
; South! 1t would force him into the position OF
the slave Mental serrice must be reformed
? that there must be buot blacks osters, carriage
drivers and other walters. Among us such low
service is performed by the slave but make The
slave free, and such labor has to be done by the
white man. Whenever the poor man blacks
boots, drives carriages and attends servant
upon the rich, he sinks far below his present po-
sition, and loses bis responsibility. He is no
longer an equal of his empoyer-has no seat at
! his table-arourd his fireside-and no place but
that of a servant in society The truth of what
is here stated can b, learned by visit to any OF
: the free States.
Turn loose three millions offree blacks among
= the people of the South and what imagination
is wild enough to exaggerate the consequences
The aboring white man would be thrown into
competition with these free blacks, and being, as
the negro race has ever been, indolent, slothful
and fond of ease, their labor could be had for a
mere subsistence. In this way the labo: of the
poor white man would be commanded for II
price insufficient to obtain decent support be
sides, he and his children would be thrown con
st,Dty in the most degrading. demomlizing, aud
corrupt asso citation. Living here among their
former owners, where they had been under the
restraints of slavery, when liberated, the i'm.
pudence of these free negroes would soon be
come intoerabe, and being averse to labor, they
would steal for a livelihood. and in a short time
! there would be no security against any crime
As it has ever been, so it wond be again-the
two races could not live together in peace--a
servile war, with all its horrors would follow
and such calamity would exhibit " the bloodiesl
picture in the book of time"
If, then, it is agreed that we must resist to
avoid these direful consequences, the next ques-
: ton is what shall be the form of our resistance
Shall we be satisfied with paper resolves and
empty defamation? Shall we resort TO tempo
rary inefficient measures of redress, and then re-
8 lapse into submission Such policy will only
slave off the strupole which is certan to rome