The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-02
A DANGEROUS ELEMENT IN SOUTH
ERN SOCIETY.

The fact can be no longer disguised that
there is considerable danger to the institution
of Slavery from what may be called party in
our midst. There is certain class in the
South rotten upon this vital question. For the
last fifteen years it has been gaining, because
Southern Shareholders have not placed the stamp
of Reproduction upon it. Corrupt and infamous
politicians have courted this class, for ambitious
purposes, until it now begins to show itself in
all its strength. Ten years since, Casslus NJ
Clay began to tamper with this class, and the
consequence has been, that a formidable party
has grown up in Kentucky against the institn-
ton of Slavery. 1t will soon be the case in all
gf1r1Iates Its redders df rne Era cons
soon have an enemy ut home to contend with
How significant! We must meet this party at
the North, and in the South, from this time
with the most obstinate resistance We cannot
in safety, trust Southern men, who are willing
to concede, IN the slightest degree to its de-
mands. Every concession makes it stronger and
more important We must strangle it in its
infancy, or the day will soon be on us when it
will prove too strong for us.
" Southerner Rome, Ga
This dangerous element is the class of non
shareholders in the South, many of whom are
labOring men or small farmers and unfriendly
to Slavery. This is the class to which Cassius
NJ. Clay is appealing. In conversation few
days since with native of North Carolina and
an old citizen there, he said that in his county,
five to one Of the people were opposed to Sla-
very, but the minority ruled, because it had the
capital, and controlled the press.
The policy of the Southerner has already be-
gun to be carried into effect Read the account
from the american Telegraph of the lynching
of citizen of Virginia, simply ON account of
hostility to Slavery, and also another paragraph
in to-day's Era, concerning mob violence in
Guilford county, and the selfexpatriation of
some of its citizens. The question arises-will
the white laboring men and poorer classes of
the South submit to be made slaves Of or to be
driven out as exiles, by the despotism of Cant
tai! The menacing article from the South
ermer shows that they will have to decide this
question soon Capital is powerful-bm so is
the Ballot Boz Let them remember the four
thousand Kentucky voters who lately rallied
under the standard of Cassius Nj. CLAW; and
ihueeu, tlis example II we may Judge from
the following item in the Southern Press is
already working
FREE-SouIsM IN KENT-A letter to the edi-
tor of the Cecil Democrat, dated Chestertown,
Md, Sept. 22d, says;
The Free-S0ilers meet here tomorrow, for
the purpose of nominating q ticket as they say
| do not know their strength, but it is said they
can muster from fifty to seventy votes in the
county"
ROBERT MCCLELLAN of Monroe, Mich, has
been nominated for the office of Governor of
Michigan, by the Democratic State Convention,
which lately met ct Detroit. This was a tri-
umph over A. w. Bpell, who is thought to be
the special friend y Gen Cass MIR. McLel-
land, while in Cengfss, was an able supporter
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