The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1854-12-06
Nc 16.


The following is an extract from a speech
delivered by gen. Shields, the colleague of
senator Douglas, on the 10th, inst, at Sprin-
field, Illinois:
"Kansas and Nebraska are free now, ard
the people there would keep them free. The es.
tablishment of slavery in these territories was
not only improbable, but impossible, and it was
always wiser and better to let people work out
a great good for themselves than hayeit forced
upon them by others, this is the way in which
freemen always do what is great and good, by
their own free and voluntary act This princi-
pie of non-interyention would not only keep
Kansas and Nebraska what they are now-free
4 but would by its full and fair operation, if
we acquire the continent to tie isthmus ofDarien
work with such powerful force and effect that
no man would ever see another slave territory
on this continent .......5.
The authority of senator Shields, we presume
no democrat will deny. He speaks from the
book. His opinions and feelings are modelled
after and controlled BY the opinions and feelings
of his more distinguished colleague, Stephen A.
Douglas. We care not if the above sentiments
were uttered from the stump and on the eve
of an election. The high position which gen.
Shields occupies in our national councils, as well
as the entire confidence Of his party enjoyed by
him, forbid us, to suppose that even, on such
an occasion, he would, so far, forget hiuself,as
to utter Vgillful falsehoods, in order to secure
temporary endorsement of his own and senator
| Douglas course upon the Nebraska bill. As
suming then, that the distinguished general and
senator, on the occasion of making tie speech
from which we have extracted the marrow, ut
tered his real sentiments and views, we would
commend them to the careful consideration of
every southern democrat and whig. We be-
lieve senator Shields is right in his assertion
that kansas and Nebraska are now free and
the people there will keep them free" Look at
the character Of the migration which has been
pouring into those territories since the ''llttle
giant fixed up the cards upon the south. Nine
tenths are from the north, sent out from the
very hotb Of abo!itionism, for the sole pur
pose of keeping those territories as they now are
''free,'' and the cry is still they come. But as
southerner, we dislike very much to acknowl-
edge, what we fearis too true, that other asser-
ton of senator Shields, that the principle, estab
lished by the passage Of the Nebraska bill, will
"by its full and fair operation if we acquire the
continent to the Isthmus Of Darien, work with
such powerful force and effect that no man
continent.
HOME TRUTHs.-The Woodville Miss. Re-
publican, in a notice of Oakland college, puts
forth the following:
CA 1.-THE Of the money squandered among
the people Of north by southerners, rightly APP
piled, would support educational institutions
among us Of character and influence second to
none. We do not deny but that, at present,we
should send southern youths to northern collie
ges, to be educated-and plainly, because we
have not in the south such advantages as they
can find by going from home
We have broad acres, millions of slaves,
genial climate, luxurant soil, rich products, at
f this moment controlling the commerce of the
world and yet we have no colleges-at least,
compared with northern institutions their char
acter and influence is feeble indeed. True,
there are some Individual exceptions, but gene
rally speaking, our character for the means Of
home education is low verv low, indeed. Our
among strangers, in princely style, often making
it a point to convey an awful impression of their
wealth and ability to spend, by squandering
their fortunes hecd}essly for the sake of a pass
ing remark.
These things are done in New York at Sara
, tcga and Cape May, and even in Europe, by
slave holders every season. Men spend enough
on a single show dinner, or in chartering a
steamboat cabin-all to make the crowd cape
and stare, and silly newspapers comment upon
it, enough, we say, to support family for
year, and we'll educate their children-and yet
ten to one if these men have ever given one
cent for the great OBJ ject of southern education.
If the people Of great portion of a great coun-
try expect prosperity from such conduct as this,
fearful some day will be their awakening. This
is just exactly what is in the way of educating
our own children, we will not do our duty we
prefer to live while we live, and let poserity
and the future take care Of themselves.
Many now living may not live to see the re-
suit themselves, but heritage is being laid up,
harvest made ready, to which coming gene
rations shall succeed, and which they shall reap
as certain as man must always reap that which
he soweth.' To our mind, these are simply
stubborn, and at the same time fearful facts,
and if the southern people will not awake to
their seriousness now, those to whom they
should have left different legacy will seriously,
r,linousv realize it hereafter"
VALUABLE D1scovERY.-The Indian commits
sioner at Washington has received advlces that
dr. G. 6. Shumard, who accompanied captain
Marcy's expedition to the source OF the big
Washita and Brazos rivers, discovered vau-
able substitute for gum arabic, which is called
''gum mezquite'' Dr. S, writes:
The mezquite tree, from which this gum is
obtained, is by lar the most abundant tree of
:he plains, covering thousands of miles Of the
surface, and always fourishes mos: uxuriantly
in elevated and dry regions. The gum exudes
spontaneously in semi-iuid state from the
bark of the trunk and branches, and soon hard
ems by exposure to the atmosphere, forming
more or less rounded and variously colored
nasses weighing, each from few grains to
several ounces. These soon bleach, and whiten
upon exposure to the light of the sun, and fl
nally become nearly colorless, a semi-transpa-
rent, and often with minute assures.
The Washington Star says this is considered
| the most valuable discovery since gold was first
found in California, and that the specimen for