The Plymouth pilot. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1851-1852, 1851-05-07
For the Plymouth Pilot:


INC Otutc ShoHta DC 0d0pted,
The long agitated, and much abused
question of abolition of slavery in the u
nited States, is so situated; that it is al
most impossible 10 talk upon the subject
with any thing like fair chance of be-
ing understood; but, trusting to the ac-
knowledged ability of your readers, and
the quick perception naturally belonging
to the American people, | shall endeavor
to lot down a few ideas, founded upon
PRINCIPLES, which think, cannot fail to
address themselves to every candid mind,
as truth. Principle, like science, is e.
,ernal. and appeals to the Reason; where
it always leaves its impress-and if it is
read or heard by one on whom it has no
effect, argument of any kind would be
useless; for Reason is SO hid by rejudice.
and erroneous opinions, founded upon
arguments drawn from false premises in
the. first place, that no appeal can be
made to Reason.-with such we hold no
converse, | address only those who are
DESTROYS of truth, and willing to be con-
WINGED of Terror, lift can be done fairly, in
word. those who will listen, and dis
eliminate.
There is clause of the new Constitu-
ton of our State. separately submitted to
the people for adoption or rejection, pro-
viding for the exclusion of negroes from
the State hereafter, but taking no rights
from those already here. 1t should be "a
depted, and in order to show why, we
must begin at the beginning. Slavery
already exists in our land. Whether ii
Is right or wrong. il is here, and we can
not remove it directly without civil war.
Then the only course left is to mitigate
its evils as best we can. The motto Of
Jefferson is true Philosophy. If we
cannot do all the good we wish to, do all
the good we cam 1t is not national
Institution as is often asserted, but To-
Cal one; and its own evils have worked
out its own curse in many of the States.
as all things do in the natural, moral
world, and in time, if properly managed
will do so in ALL The doctrines of Je-
sus Christ, and the science OF Astronomy,
were much longer in making their way to
a firm position, than it will take to re-
move slavery, if we only act on the same
principles that governed the fathers in
the one cas-, and philosophers in the
other. As slavery now stands, 1t is eff
ctua l., and will be forever confined to
the territory it now occupies. Every
other foot of territory is now free. and
all that may hereafter be acquired will
be equally free. The enlightened people
of this Union are never going TO eStab-
lish slavery in a new State-for, first, it
will be principally settled BY people from
tn free States. who are so sltusted as TO
become transient at any moment inter
est NAV require it. and are proverblally
more enterprising and adventurous than
those of the southern and slave States,
and even could the slave holders them
selves sell out, or readily remove to new
territory, they would not establish slave
ry if they could. Every intelligent plan
ter in the South, not only Acknowledges
its evils. but would readily be free from
it, could they do so, save their property,
and be free from the negroes. We take
it for granted, that every calm observer
will readily admit, that any territory
hereafter acquired, never will, and never
can be settled by Southern planters SO
soon as by Northern adventures, and
that slavery never will or can be there
established. But under the present pol
icy of the slave States, and that of the
Free Sellers north. the evils of redun-
dant negro population can and will be
spread over the entire Union, and its
uorst evils be fixed on tn, free States.
1t is evident, and we believe admitted on
all hands, even by the most ultra aboli-
tionists. that the white and black races,
as races, can never antalgamnte, and can
never stand on level of equality, Should
the political rights claimed for them be
extended. the distinction of patrician and
plebian. would be ever present. and the
spirit of superiority and inferiority, Pc
cu!iar to master and slave, and to moth
ing else. would forever exist, and with
this addition, the consciousness of polit-
ical equality, bnt mental inferlority In
the negro, would make him lin most in
stances) attempt to assume station to
which he is not adapt while opposite
feelings on the paIt o. The white man
would mahe him overbearing, and the
two first principles necessary for the es-
istence of all society would be lost In
the antagonism of secondary principles
arising from the false position of the two
races. and a total destruction of all the
desired objects would be the result
This would inevitably be the fact in the
first instance. until the negro could bt
educated, and this very antagonism
would as inevitably prevent that evel
taking place and total humiliation o.
our race or the other, or else resumption
of slavery, must follow or as a natura
cnnsenuence These seem TO be nntnr