The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-08-05
From the New Orleans Com Bulletin Of July II.
INTERESTING SOUTHERN VIEWS OF AN I'M.
PORTANT QUESTION.

The Stare Trade betreen The Stdtes-It is
undoubtedly true that no Southerner would
cOuntenance any interference by the General
Government, with the slave trade between the
States. Such an attempt would be danger
Gus and unconstitutional procedure-one which
would call forth unanimous resistance from our
people. But while there is no diversity of opn-
ion in regard to this point the proposition is
equally clear that the respective States have,
at all times, the indisputable right to prohibit
the introduction of slaves, either az merchan-
disc or otherwise, within their several limits.
This premise has never been controverted ac-
cording to our knowledge. Its policy has been
have known, in neighboring States powerful
and convincing arguments brought to bear for
and against it. but we have yet to see or hear
the first constitutional reason urged in oppos-
ton The legal right of the slave States to
prohibit slave emigration from another State
being undoubted, the question Immediately be-
comes one of mere calculation. Is it polite TO
exercise this power at the present time! VIII
it conduce to the ultimate safety of our people
and to the permanent prosperity of our State
Have we not now slaves enough to till our lands
as fast as they come into cultivation, and will
too great in quarter of century, to be con
sistent with safety or profit The subject must
be viewed with an eye to the future, as well as
the present if correctness and good policy are
to be consulted Looking at the future there
fore, and being guided by the experience of the
past, we have, long since come to the conclu-
sion that sound policy demands that the ex-
IRENE Southern States should pass laws pro-
limiting of .lo
disc, from the more Northern slave States
Why it may be asked We will briefly give
our reasons which we hope will be as satisfac-
tory to the public as they have been convincing
to us. 1t is Il well-known fact that an immense
black emigration annually takes place from
Virginia, Maryland Kentucky, and Missouri,
tending southwardly, and that tens Of thousands
ofnegroes are thus preciptated upon the cotton
growing States, every year, swelling to an incon-
venient extent, in many places, an already over
crowded population. It is also conceded, as n
general thing that more than one of the States
mentioned will become free States as soon as
sufficient number Of slaves shall have been dis
posed of to the people further south, Just in tho
same manner that the States north of them got
rid of slayery-selling of all their valuable ne
groes thus turning their philanthrophy into
source of profit And that all will follow suit, at
no very distant day, if the present system be al
lowed to continue, We have no sort of question
Surprising the four States named sell suf-
ficient number of their slaves TO us to make
abolition a source of profit and then become
free States in what sort of a condition will we
of the extreme South be left Bad enough, in
all conscience. Wewill not only have lost about
one-half of our representative influence, d.
minshing destructivey our weight in the coun-
ellis of the nation but also our physical ability
to defend ourselves from aggression and in
suit, and at the same time will be overwhelmed
with a description Of population disproportion-
ed to the advance Of the country and the re-
qurements of agriculture or manufacturing
How would we prevent the approach of such
a state of things! By prohibiting, under Sc
we're pains and penalties the emigration of ne
groes from any of the Northern slave States
Such prohibition would be followed by good
results In the first place, it would continue
the institution among them for an indefinite
period, during which time they would be ne
cessary our friends and supporters. In the
second place, if they ever determined upon
emancipation, they would be compelled to be-
come philanthropists at their own expense not
at ours, as will be the case il the present game
be not stopped In tho third place, when such
an event occurs, we will not be overburthened
with vast numbers Of blacks for which we
would really have no important use, and would