Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-25


ttions generally proceeded from the Society Of
Friends" than whom no citizens certainly can
be found of purer morals, or who maintain high
er conservative character. These petitions were
respectfully received and referred, and no further
action was had upon them. This was not much
complained OF by the petitioners, and they were
contented with simply renewing their petitions.
AT length :" Ant-Slavery y Societies were organ.
lied in certain of the States and the subject was
frequently brought before the People in the form OF
lectures. All desire to interfere with the politics
Of the country was disclaimed, and no other force
than that of moral suasion was spoken Of This
continued for some years, the societies, and also the
general interest felt in the subject by the people of
the free States, gradually increasing. 49,.
| This movement excited but little attention. and
no apprehension. 1t was considered harmless
Politicians eventually fixed their eyes upon it, and
saw, thought they saw in it, means of gratify-
ing their political aspirations. AT this point the
evil may be said to have commenced. Not that
we suppose the discussion of the abstract question
of slavery is an evil to be deprecated but the prac-
tical results of such discussions become dangerous
when they array in hostile action one section of
our country against another. We have no doubt,
and had at the time no doubt, that the inces-
SAINT attacks made on anti-slavery associations and
feelings, by political journal then published in this
city, did more than all other united to increase
the anti-slavery feeling in the free States. That
paper was VIGOROUSLY devoted to the views of a
particular party in the South, and it generally
supposed that its course was not unadvised by it.
The object of this apparently concerted movement
was hardly sought to be disguised. single quota
ton from thepress Of that day sufficiently discoses
this object
FROM THE WEEKLY "TELEeRApH' OF OCTOBER 90, 1888
"And hy is it that the South do act together Can
Southern statesman give any t0hy the South do
mot together If the bare apprehension that Garrison
and Tappan will alarm the South and force them
together has put the whole political hive lin New York;
into ferment what could be the effect of united action
IN the South, if all presses and all people spoke
sone language If is that sentiment
and action, in interest," who would dare invade
| : our rights !" j. .a
"If the movemento Garrison & Co. in New York has
been such to call forth meeting, is time tha,
the people of the South who the Of this pro-
pery, should consult together the steps necessary
/
tators have grown much call forth such meeting
how long will be before those who approve Of the object
but dsapprove Of the time Of Gasons movement will be
found acting with him The is with every one
they will with him when they find the majority acting
with him; and, judging from the progress of bis party
that time will not long be deferred unless the South
common, and united resistance shall alarm those who
troll public sentiment, and convince them that upon this
subject at least there is interest and will be
common resistance"
| The purpose of such publications as this, con-
tinuay repeated, obviously was to unite the whole
South on this absorbing question, and, through its
insrumentality, to control the political action of
the country. So vigorously was this object pro-
secuted, that in short time the Senate, and after
wards the House of Representatives, were induced
TO refuse the reception Of petitions in relation to sla
very. This made false issue before the country
on "the right of petition" which produced great
excitement in the free States, and added much to
the strength of abolitonism This result, we think,
was not wholly unanticipated by the contributors
to the excitement: and we are not sure that it was
not desired, means of further consolidating the
action of the South.* If this be true representa-
tion-and we think it is-the people of the South
will see that the evil which has been so portentous,
and is yet sufficiently so, had its dangerous origin in
the South as well as in the North. To this source
Of agitation may be added, without entering into
their history, the facts of the annexation of Texas
| and the Mexican war, both of which measures
originated in the South, and prosecuted against
the will and the remonstrances of the North.
Our friends of the South complain that their
rights have been outraged by the obstacles raised
to the extension of slavery in Territories in
which slavery did not already exist. We ask them
to consider, deliberately, ho,o much slave territory
has been actually acquired since the adoption of
the Constitution By the purchase of LOUISIANA
and FLORIDA and the annexation of TEXAS, a
greater extent Of Slave Territory has been added
to the Union than the whole territory that was en-
braced by the thirteen Colonies at the commence
ment of our Revolution. CALIFORNIA was admit
ted free State, slavery in that territory having
been long abolished, if it ever existed there, and
the people in their Constitution having prohibited
it. LOUISIANA, ARKANSAS, Missouri, FLORIDA, and
TEXAS, having been formed out of slave territory,
were admitted into the Union as Slave States
Whether there shall be slavery not depends upon
the decision of the people of territory in their
sovereign capacity, when called to form Consttu-
ton. This is doctrine which has had its highest
| in ,tc ol, in