The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-07


through the Southern States draws parallel
between the social condition of the two sections,
which is not very fAttsriug 10 the North, and
the less 90 because Of its truth.
ut 10 said aud verify believed in the North,
that slavery ID wrong aud tends to immortality.
How FAR this is 30, may be seen by the facts
which shall here refer T.. II il y well established
principle that the commission of one crime tends
10 nnother that q maa who habitually violates
one OF the Fundamental laws Of sound morality,
Will not scruple at the others. An habitual
drunkard will lie. liar will steal, and thief
will swindlc and murder. Now then, il slavery
is SINFUL the STAKEHOLDER is a sinner; therefore
the conclusion Il THAT all in the South arc sin
ners, and Of course moral character does not
exist. Now for the facts.
II am not going into the statistics Of crime,
but simply to state what my eyes have seen and
my ears heard, or rather what they have not seen
and heard, us we'll US what 10 very well known
and admitted. have been in the slaveholding
States little over 4 month, have travelled
nearly two thousand miles by railroad and steam
boats, have staid all night and great many days
at hotels. | have been in bar rooms, in drinking
saloons, in groceries, in bowling and billiard
rooms, on plantations, and in private houses of
the master and the slave and have not seen
one solitary individual drunk or intoxicated. l
do not think that ever travelled hundred
miles in New York without seeing drurkard
have not heard from one Of the laboring peo-
pie an oath. have not seen quarrel or fight
lin short, have seen nothing to indicate that
the people were not only strictly moral, but re-
iigious. As for profanity, think that there is
not one quarter rs much even among gentlemen
as among US. In reality, if hear man swear
ing good deal, have come to look upon him
as "fellow citizen" and am pretty sure to find
him Northerner. The Sabbath il regarded
much more here than with US, and religion more
respected and revered.
LET us now look ut the public men of the two
sections, and must say that refer to this COM
parison with modification and shame. Since
have been old enough TO read and observe the
course Of public characters, New York has sent
to Congress habituaI drunkards, bankrupts, swind-
lers, forgers, public defaulters, and | think in
| one instance a common thief. She has sent to
her State legislature common rowdes, blacklegs,
gamblers, debauchees and drunkards. Her re.
representatives. and Legislators are notoriously i'm
moral and disreputable men. Not all, Of course,
but good share Of them. The abolition dis
tricts between Albany and Buffalo have done
the worst, but all have been bid enough. Her
office seekers have been greater in number than
all the Siathes South Of her put together, her
defaulters more numerous and her office-hoders
worse men than anywhere in the Union. She
has had more government patronage and done
| more government swinding than all the South
crn States put together. Yet amid it all and
with 1t all her chief demagogue and head devil
gets up in the Senate and breaches TO others
upon their obligations to a abigher law" sup
pose the fact will be got over some how or some
way by the devils imps, but should like to see
them try it.
"Now turn to South Carolina or Georgia !;
where do you find u man VIGOROUSLY INN raj
elected to any responsible or honorable office
Such thing has never been known. On the
contrary, man whose private character in South
Carolina is not above reproach cannot be elected
to office. They are quick and mpctuous and
ready to recent an injury or nm insult with the
sword, but there is none of that underhanded,
sly, calculating, treacherous, assas,in-kc way
OF creeping around and taking advantage of a
mans confidence to stab him, nor of the pick
pocket plan of waiting for good chance" to
rob him. Ii We turn from their public men to
those in the ordinary walks of life, tho compa-
rison is quite as much in their favor One ex-
ample is enough for my purpose. In the city of
Columbia, s. c., you can go at any time Of niyh I
/
all the butchers stalls entirely unprotected by
dogs, watchmen or locks. One might take
down q steak or roasting piece or a whole
quarter of beef and carry it off and the owner
would be none the wiser. But it is not done
The negroes are not allowed to be out after
eight o'clock, and vhite folks don't steal They
respect not only the higher but the lower Iafv.
Dare Gov. Stewards pious followers, Goss and
Sartwell, for instance, trust their property in
Auburn in that way unguarded after night fall I?
If they dare, theirIneighbours dare not AS for
burglary, larceny, robbery, forgery and other
States prison offences, they are almost un-
known here there is not one to a hundred
in New York How then in the face of these
facts can it be said that slavery has an immoral
tendency? have not locked my trunk, for /
have lost the key, or my room door since ] have
been here. ! have slept in room at hotel
with gentlemen who have laid their gold watches
on the mantel shelf and hung their coats with
hundreds. of dollars in the pockets on the chairs,
and gone TO bed without ever shutting the door.
A feeling # confidence and security exists which
| have never seen before in any community"
More Noise and Confession"
! The election of the new senator from Rhode
Islasd does not give satisfaction to the Wing
organs there, which charge the coalition by
which it was effected, Of resorting to undue
means. The Providence Journal thus pitches
into the successful aspiriant:
"STRAScE RUMogs.--The town is full Of ru-
mors in relation to the late senator al election.
Before it is settled how the election was accom-
plished fierce dispute has arisen as to the man
who has been elected The following rumors
| are in everybody's mouth:
I" LIST. That General James stated to Demo
cratic member Of the General Assembly that he
was Democrat, and nothing but Democrat !:
and tia; he would accept the ofijcee of Senator
only as a Democrat.
"2d. That General James has written letter,
in which be uneqnivocally pledges himself in
favor Of the measures of the Wing party.
"Both Of these statements are made upon such
authority that we should not doubt either, if it
Was not cOntradicted bv the other