The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-07-23

OF breaking OH, all Intercourse Win such peo-
pie, commercially, politically, and'socialy One
Of the first steps to Southern Independence is to
break off, as fast as possible, our social and
commercial connections with the North.
Mr.. Brownson on Frcesoilism.
The July number of Brownson's Quarterly
Review contains powerful article on Freesoil-
ism, in which the progress and present strength
Of that destructive fanaticism, the character of
its leaders, and the inevitable end to which it is
driving general anarchy and disorganization,
are set forth with signal clcarncss and truth IN
the end Mr.. Brownson utterly demolshes the
moral platform, Of the Freesoilers In their re-
sistance to the Fugitive slave law and their as
saults on Southern institutions. The article is
q review of the Sermon OF the Rev. Theodore
Parker, on occasion Of the restoration OF Sims
to his owner. We quote from it few passages
that are separable from the context, and COM
mend them to the attention Of our readers.
Mr.. Parker plainly counsels resistance to the
laws, downright treason, and civil war,--only
not just yet. The hour is not yet come, ana
armed resistance might be premature, because
Just now it might be unsuccessful! The traitor
Gus in. ention, the traitorous resolution is mani
fest, is avowed is even glored in, and nothing is
wanting to the overt attempt to, carry it into
execution but fair prospect OF success. And
what is of more serious consequences, the party
Of which this fierce decaimer is an accredited
organ is now in power in this State, and has the
governor and he majority of the representa-.
tives in both houses Of Congress. 1t rules or
misrules the great State of Ohio it is numerous
in Pennsylvania, almost the majority in New
York, triumphant in Vermont, and, we can but
Just not say, also in New Hampshire. Its Frin-
ciples are entertained by men who do not pro-
fess allegiance to the party. Nearly every MEM
Der of Congress frou this State, with the ex
cepton Of Mr. Appleton, of this city, is in reality
as much a Free-soiler as Horace Mann or Robert
Rantoul. Mr.. Winthrop, the Wing candidate
for the Senate, was not whit sounder than Mr..
Sumner, his successful free. soil competitor, and
would have made far more dangerous senator.
The party has absorbed in its bosom all the
separate fanatcisms Of the free States; and all
who, like ourselves, have watched its growth
from 1881, are well aware that it has been
steadily advancing, that it has never lost an inch
of ground once gained; and thatit has never for
a moment met with o serious check. 1t is as
certain as anything human can be, that, If it is
not speedily resisted, and resisted as it never yet
has been, it will in short time possess the
DO wer in nearly all the free States, and conse-
ouently in the Union ITSELF To what then are
we coming?
aThis statement will, no doubt, crafty and
encourage the party butithe party; has already
become too strong to be pushed aside as.con-
temptible, and we must not deceive ourselves as
to the magnitude of the danger that threatens
MS. Both parties, Wings and Democrats
Wings more especially till lately, have crimi-
nalIy tempered with it, and aided it to acquire.
its present formidable power,-a power which,
perhaps, is no longer controllable. The mea-
sures hitherto taken against il have thus far
only exasperated and strengthened it. The
.Compromise measures" of the late Congress,
which it was Hoped would allay the excitement,
and extinguish the party by depriving it of all
pretence for further agitation, have had only a
contrary effect. We do not agree with the So
called dsunionists of the South. for we are
unionists, but it must be confessed that they
have been the only considerable party in the
country that has had any tolerable appreciation
of the Free-soiI movement. They were correct
lin their predictions that The compromise. Beas
! sures would be Intellectual, and they have not
overstated the danger. We say not danger to
the institution of slavery, for the question OF
slavery loses itself in a much higher question,
even higher and more important thap the simple
maintenance of the Union,-in the question of
the maintenance of society ITSELF The Free
soilers are to American society what red repub-
lcans and socialists are TO Europe an society, and
their triumph is the triumph of anarchy and
despotism.
aGood quiet, easy men, looking over their
ledgcrs, or slipping their wine, may hatter them
selves that there is no serious danger, and tell
us that we are unnecessarily alarmed but in all
human probability, If the fugitive slave Sims had
not been given up on the claim of his owneS the
American Union had now already ceased to ex-
ist 1t is all very well to talk of Southern
bluste.s," and the Hotspurs" of the South,
but there is something more than buster just
now. The Southern people are as virtuous and
as patriotic as we, and their statesmen are as en-
| lightened and sagacious as ours. They see
| what with individual exceptions, we do not per-
nit ourselves to see, that the free States fast
losing all their respect for law, and becoming
unfaithfu to their solemn engagements, and
blind to all the claims Of religion and morality.
They see that the abolition Of slavery at the
bidding of our fanstics would be the dissolution
of American society itself They see the dis
organizers steadily advancing, and that we are
| taking no efficient means TO repress them, and
! they very naturally consult secession from the
| Union as the only means Of selEpreservation
! that remain 10 them. They may be wrong, but
we Of the North have no right to blame for do
| ing what we are forcing them TO do, If they
wish to retain any semLance Of freedom.
i "Let no man deceive himself with the vain
i hope that this radcalism now represented BY
| the Free-soil party would stop with the mere alb.
| clifton Of negro slavery. II is the persuasion Of
so many Of our citizens that il would, which rem
| ders Il so dangerous. The abolition of slavery
! by violence, against the will Of the masters and
without compensating them for the property
we compel them to surrender, would be great
evil, but il is one Of the igbtest evils TO be ex
pected from the progress &c Free soil fanaticism
4 We assure the public, and 1t is the point we
wish particularly to Impress upon our readers
that the abolition Of negro slavery is only an IN.
i cident in Free-soilism. Neither the Free-soi.
ers nor we can foresee where they would stop.
4 Combining as thew do in one all the several
classes Of fanatics in the country, and being the
n party opposed TO law, to CONSTITUTIONS and gov
4 ernments, certain it is they would not stop Sc
i long as there remained single safeguard fol
rI..I