New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-14
PROGRESS OF OPINION At TIE SOUTH

Corresporderce of The y. 7 Tribune
WASHINGTON, Saturday, Dec. 10, 1888
Tie progress OF liberal opinions n the South on the
subject Of Slavery is the most striking characteristic OF
the present times. In the earlier years OF the Republic
before the ention Whitney had given importance
20 the cotton plant and made it the prime staple OF the
Sayehoding States the statesmen, as well as the more
enlightened nd yirtuous citizens of the South, dis
clamed to yndcate the justice or the utility OF the
institution Of Slavery But the rise in the price CT
negroes the straits of demagogueism, and the dssli-
arty in the occupations, tastes and customs OF the
uoriern and Southern sections of the Union have
spirtd to make Slavery the most cherished OF
Southern institutions and s0undness upon the Slavery
"auestion" the very shibboleh OF faith in Church and
State In the fierce collision Of opinion between the
CHI unions Of Slavery and anti-Slayery maddened on
each side By sectional ealousies and partisan ryalrles
for power and place, the people OF the South cane
70 regard their peculiar institution as something
sacred; they denied that it is wrong in principle, or
attended with even incidental evils many OF them
denied the humanity OF the negro race, or that any
cruelty is inflicted by sundering the family ties OF slaves;
willie nearly all insisted that whatever evils are incident
to tie system, inseparabe from IT, and that the
institution must remain forever IL s present c0ndi-
tiCp Tie perDetuatOn of Slavery with all its eyls,
became a watchword of parties, and he who ques-
toned or opposed it was deemed no true man south OF
Mason ard Dixons line.
BUTT is the fate of creeds 70 be set aside practically
before they are openly abandoned aud the creed of the
rerretualsts forms no exception to the rule In the
battle over and the smoke cleared up, will not do 10
live with and die with The evils OF Slavery too
coueicuousthey too glaringly presented on every
side, and of every character-moral, political ana
sCeialt0 escape the most thOughtess observer linen
great work Of genius has held the mirror up to M
"ture in which the friends Of Slavery no less than
it, enemies have beheld ITS deiormites They may
condemn Is exaggerated deny false, but IN spite
If themselves the impression has been lett on their
mirds that all is not right The denial Of the acta
l. an admission Of the standard by which those facts
are Judged and hence is that those books which
have been written to show the false representations OF
Uuole Toms Cabin have themselves set up standard
in Southern minds b. which Slavery Is Judged. They
deny that crueties are eommon-that Husbands
aid wives and parents and children are separated;
snd this denial is equivalent admission taat such
things are utterly indelensible Hence when Southern
men have tie Consciousness that such separations do
take place every DAY almost they perceive az olcethat
the system is indeensible-tLat il only be shielded
from odium BY islsehoOd With such convictions every
honorable mind will at once abandon an unEenable POI
stion and set about removing fsr practicable the
admitted evils
Tie first marked indication OF change Of southern
IDEAS in regard to Slavery Swallowed forth In one
Of the last numbers of The Southern Press edited in
is city by Ewood Fisher That paper in the early part
If last year suggested that the South should reform the
institution OF Slavery a means Of cOncliat,ng the
ecod opinion OF tie civilized world and, in particular,
recommended that the marriage relations between
slaves should be made eeel and binding and the separa-
tcn OF families strictly prohibited Next came thePsm-
Ihiet of a CaTolinian,' emaEatng from CARLETON,
ia reply 20 Uncle Toms Cabin. The author attempts
DENIAL Of the extent OF the evils Of Slavery ~ eAalb-
tied by 1rs stowe but admits their existence DO de-
gree, and tlat hey should De remedied. sides tho
re.orms suggested by Tia Sohtsra Press. be recon-
CLcs TIE REGAL q ile laws which pr0h1i tie eiu-
clGtn Of tic oooicd races end tie general tna oi as
C.taT Us lrnaue aul h er7i, ugh l3 p0l.fCa plnt-
pisa. BE IDEAS CT Eight and freedom, wcaia be more