North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-03-19

One great benefit, Mr. Chairman, has resulted frol
the late slavery agitation. Heretofore our peoP
70 had been accustomed to think OF the I MON with
e sort of religious ihey Were disposed
s idoze the work of their own hands. But all snpe
sttions degrading and debaslng In their enec!s
rejoice that our people have been liberated from
influences. The agitation here, and the discussion
attendant on it, have produced great revolution
the sentiments of our population. They have bee
accustomed to rest in thought on the idea of the
the ark of safety, but they have been aroused rol
: the delusion, One of our citizens, Mr.. Stevens
n while travelling in Central America, experience
there the shock of a violent earthquake. He dacare
that it had produced great permanent revolution
3 his feeIinps. in one respect Till then hesaid,
had been accustomed, when upon the surface OF tn
earth to feel secure and that he rested on founda
lion firm and stable But ever afterwards, he coul
only think of the solid globe itself as Trail tremu
lous thing ready to give way under him atany time
The shock of an earthquake has passed under tn
minds of our people, and they longer rest on tn
Union as the solid rock safety. rejoice that it
so. wish them bold, selt-relying and conf
dent of being able with the favor of Providence
guard their liberties, and preserve their happiness
Will be long before confidence, that plant of SLOW
GROWTH will flourish again. Rather let them real
ze the great truth, that eternal vigilance Is tn
price of liberty. They have met too with its merlte
scorR, and trampled under their feet the doctrine
savish subservency to the government OF their owl
creation Certain professe6 national organs and ora
have preached devotion the Union in any event
and under all circumstances. baser sentiment new
fell from the lips of mortal. 1t is Substantial
the with the doctrine Of passive obedience, and
non resistance, which brought the head of Charles
the Ist to the block. Since then Englishlnan has
had the effrontery to avow such opinions. Its only
supporters in this country formerly the tories OIL
the revolution. Those who have preached the doc.
trine in day, will only find their fellows among
the palace slaves of Asiatc despotism. Their proper
position is below everything that Providence has
ated, when in its natural state. Even the meanest
reptiles struggle upwald against the oPPressor The
American people justly regard these individuals de-
graded below the rest of animated nature.
While the government lasts, it is our duty to ems
deavor keep in the proper track. The danger is
not from violence. The sword has ever been great
destroyer. 1t has consumed feeble communities and
States. But taxation has been the destroyer of the
mighty. By government exaction in its different
forms, great nations have persisted The decay of the
Roman empire has been attributed by the abolition
writers of England, by their echoes in this
try, slavery. But the facts and reasonings of abo
litionists are alike destitute of truth. Slavery
listed in Rome from the days of Romulus. During
the prosperous ages of the republic, the full tide of
conquest enabled them to make the largest number of
captves. The servile population greatly outnumber-
ed the free. These were the days of the highest
prosperity Of the eternal city. During the decayng
years of the empire, the nnnber of slaves rather
diminished But government taxation in its various
FORMS exhibited frg htful increase. The eXactions
of the governors ruined the provinces, drove
them into successful rebellion. Italy then drain
ed of its lfe-blood to support the populace, which
itself at Rome to receive the argesses
of the government. In this way died the Roman
empire. A similar condition of things is now being
presented to own eyes in Turkey. The exactons
nf The government have destroyed its vitality. The
population is concentrating at Constantinople, the
point of government expenditure. The most fertile
ands of Asia Minor and Turkey, in Europe, rap
dly becoming desert waste; and the magnificent
Ottoman empire is little better than dead
Ass. In this way persisted the old empires, which
ormerly existed the banks of the Euphrates The
extended ruins only indicate to the passing traveller
,ver the desert, how destructive have been the exac-
ry. Where there is security, where no limit
SITS to the rapacly of the governors, there be
to the subject to labor or to save.
What is now going on in British India exemp!ifes
he process. Fortyve per cent, nearly one-half of
he gross product is exacted from the agricultu
lists, in many if all the districts Can that
~ live permanntly under the system Ireland is OPP
ressed by similar exactions. prosperous country /
Ike Cuba or the United States can bear great DEAL !
With the direct taxation has not heretofore been
reat, but Of the indirect there has been reason to
omplain. Permit me to take from individual as {
luch choose of all his purchases, and may in
let upon him heavy oppression. The Southern !
of the Union sending from their limits
,ss than hundred and fifty million of dollars
'orth of their domestic productions, and they receive
should receive equal value in return for them.
tut the government takes from them much as it
leases They may, it is true, escape this burthen,
y manufacturing for themselves every thing they
onsume. But if the anti-siavery party should get
lie entire control of the government they are la
bring to do, and have prospect of accomplishing,
hen they shall have brought in sufficient number
free States may at their will make the Constitu-
possibly in form, certainly in practice what they
asre it to be. AS system of society is radically
ferent from theirs, they might so shape their leg
latiOn to isolate and take away substance
ltirely, and leave the Southern States little better
an dead body, fastened to living This
'nditlon of things is what We have most to dread.
READY is 1t appehended by sagacious men, that the
aracter and action of this central government is
;rgoing total change. Sir, what the object of
creation, and with what attributes it original
invested 1t created to effect two main OBJ
cts. In the first place to manage relations with
reign countries. Hence it became necessary to in
st it with the power of making war, treaties, and
guating commerce with them. In the second place
authorized to preserve proper relations between
different States, and by consequence to regulate
'mmerce between them and coin their money. c
These were the main, might say the sole objects
the creation of the Constitution. To carry them Il
to effect, it was necessary that the government t
oud have the means of sustaining ITSELF and hence
E taxing power was given. But 1t never in L
lded that the federal government should control the
ere municipal relations of its citizens interfere
th their private rights These left to be reg r
atei by the several States composing the Union. L
al the government confined itself the exercise of
ese two classes of powers which alone clearly ii
legated to it, it would have escaped most of the S
ficuty which it has hitherto encountered. Espe- 8
lily ought it to have abstained from attacking inter-
IS which it was created to preserve. 1t has en- d
unered difficulties by its ocious intermedling with d
lat it had positive authority to touch. For ex II
pe, its interference with the question of slavery
s very nearly been the of it's destruction. Il
velve of the thirteen States which made the Con- e
tuition saveholding, and while they gave it Il
press power to defend and preserve the institution