New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-08-10
SOUTHERN AGITATION,

SOUTHERN 'AGITATION'
The South has exacted of the late Ma
tional Conventions Of the two great parties
respectively declarations in favor of the
finality of the Compromise measures and
the essential eternity of the Fugitive Slave
Law-expressly to preclude all further
agitation respecting Slavery. 1t has
thus stopped the mouths of nine-tenths of
the politicians and presses of the (iron-
ically termed) Free States, or pitched their
pipes only to the monOtonous melody,
'Our party is as devoid of Anti Slavery
'agitators as t. other-if anything, rather
more so' Agitation whenever there
are half a dozen Hunkers in any locality,
is pretty eifectually suppressed-as they
make it their chief business to protest, re-
monstrate and bolt whenever any one
within the limits of their party ventures
to utter a word in derogation of Slavery.
But, though the South has succeeded in
silencng the North, she is herself as full
Of agitation as ever! Her politicians
are at it, hammer and longs from morn
ing till night; and the one string on which
they play is eyermore Slavery, Slavery.
Your party at the North is thoroughly
leayened with Anti-Slayery,' say the De-
mocracy to the Wings; Gen. Scott is
the Seward candidate The Tribune is
the leading Scott Press; and Gen. SCOTS
election will be an Abolition triumph.
Gov. Johnston, Sim Draper & Co. are the
men who made him. No, zoe ant
bit more infected with Anti-Slavery than
'you are reply the Wings: Didn't
Frank Pierce once say he lOath6d the
Fugitive Slave Law! Tin order to coax
'some reyoted Democrats into supporting
it, as he did.) Don't the Van Burens,
'Wilmot Stanton, Rantoul, &C., 20 for
Pierce You can't boast any superiority
over us on this point, for your party has
as much Anti-Slavery in it as ours has
and so they belabor each other from day
to day, to the exclusion of every other
question.
Now, it is unquestiOnable that the Wings
occupy the defensive position on this ques-
tiOn-that the Democracy is the only
party which agitates with the hope Of
making anything out of it. Abstract this
Slavery question wholly from the canvass,
and Gen. Scott would sweep the South.
He is widely known there, while his COM
petitOr is not; many of the people have
served with him; and the whole are CRATE
full for his achievements and proud of his
renown. Take away the Slavery question,
and North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee,
Florida and Louisiana would 90 for Scott
with a rush. and it would be hard to hold
back Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi and
Texas from taking the same track.
Still, this Slavery agitation has its uses,
and we contemplate its progress with
great satisfaction. 1t is sowing the seeds
Of truth in the Southern mind. 1t is keep
IL alive in the South a general attention
t. the ethics Of Slavery. 1t is sending
great many people home from gatherings at
which they have yelled in sympathy to the
speakers denunciations of the sayings and
doings of Abolitionists, to reflect on their
lonely pillows over what they have heard
and to say to themselves There is some
'' truth in these quotations from Northern
criticisms on Slavery, after all 1t is i'm
buing the South with salutary belief
which is not so well founded as il ought TO
he, that everybody out of the circle of
those interested pecuniarily in Slavery,
intensely hates it and labors for It's over
throw. The slaves, too, geta confusedinklinp
Of these Anti-Slavery avowals at the North,
soappallingly rehearsed from the Southern
stump, and from mouth to mouth pas, tho
word that the election of this or that candi-
date will be death-blow to Slavery. They
desist from conspiracies and peacefully