Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-22
IS SLAVERY A CONSERVATIVES ELE-
MENTs-IsMs AND THE ALBANY RE
GISTER

MHNT:-ISMS AND THE ALBANY RE
GIsTER.
The Albany Register is pleased to be face
tious over an article in recent issue of the
Sentinel, in which we spoke of the great preva,
lence of is0as in the $50 caled) free States, and
the entire absence Of them in the slave States.
In that article we said, "Slavery is safety
valve. 1t is strong element Of conservatism.
Where it exists, no corrupt factions and ridiou-
lous isms prevail" ~ ,ss
That sentence, the Register makes the text
ofa half column of comments.
The Register thus expresses itself:
WWhere it exists,n SAYS. the Sentinel, mo
corrupt factions and ridiculous isms prevail
True, doubtless. And the evidence is to be
found in the forty thousand white men in Geor-
gia that can neither read nor write. Corrupt,
factious, or ridiculous isms,' never prevail in
sach State. Your people that read and write,
who study theories, look into the nature and
tendency of things, understand the true policy
of government, the right interests of men, make
all the trouble, eliminate all the theories, origi-
nate all the ridiculous isms.,n
The above is the only effort at argument in
the Registers article, and candor compels us
to say that it is altogether abortive. Is the
suggestion of the Register that there are "forty
thousand white men in Georgia that can neither
read nor write any evidence that slavery is not
conservative element?" Onthe contrary it
tends to show that if in the South where
slavery exists, both the ignorant and the learned
are free from pestilent isms and pernicious
doctrines, slavery is a conservative element
But the Register is driven to the necessity OF
defending all the isms in the midst of which it
lives, by declaring that these isms are the re
suits of reading and writing-of education ;
and that their prevalence is but proof of su
perior enlightenment, of studying, "theories,r
and looking into the nature of things" The
Northern States we're free from isms SO long a,
they had slavery; and it is a poor compliment
TO the slaveholding Fathers of these slave
haring children, to say that their failure to
originate and propagate isms is a proof tina
they had no education and no sense.
The Register makes sad mistake when i
undertakes to represent the invention of al
ism as the evidence of high mental culture an.
profound reflection. An ism is, in itself. a
mistake. Strong and enlightened minds strik,
out systems; weak and unsound minds ar.
satisfied to reach an ism. They cannot com.
pass system. The Fathers of the Republic
were enlightened men they we're statesmen,
as well as patriots. They lived in the good
old days, when slavery existed in all the States.
None ofthem originated an ism. Washington
Jefferson, Madison and other great southern
men were wise and elightened-but here we
will, perhaps, be met by a fat contradiction by
the Register. 1t will, no doubt, say, they were
not wise and enlightened they had not sepse
enough to originate an ism.
We draw two differences from the Registers
comments. The first is, that isms are the best
proofs of learning; and, secondly, the reason
that there are no isms in the South is, that
there "are forty thousand white men in Geor.
gia that can neither read nor write"
Now there are some learned and some sen
sible men at the South, where slavery exists;
there are hundreds Of thousands of them, and
if none Of them run after isms, it is fair to
suppose that if the /" forty thousand ignorant
Georgia "white mem that the Register talks
about, could read and write, they would neither
run after isms. We repeat that oil that con-
duces to the preservation Of law, order, and
regularity is conservative, and all that tends Il
foster error, heresy, disorders, and Irregular
ties is pernicious. Slavery has done the first
in the slave States, the absence of slavery.
united TO other things, has done the last in the
free States.