New-York daily tribune., 1854-05-27

been pursuing career OF iniquty IA utter Ignorance
that il was 60 In thiscase the unbardened conscience
has nothing to contend with. in achieving repent
ancc, but mere animal habit All the moral powers
are sound and upon the right side. and have an easy
victory the propensties Thus, il required little
more than suggestion to array the whole Christian
sentiment of this country against the pr.e,cs Of in
temperate drinking But this crisis too has sons b,
with the South with regard to slave-holdins Ths
light has come the truth has been utersd tho deb.,.
has lled the land. Every intelligent mind in the ma
ton was put possession years ago, OF the great srgu
ments of right and justice which demand the abolition
of Slavery The religious sentiment of the South hss
been, not always kindly perhaps, but faithfully and
thoroughly appealed Time enough has elapsed for
response if there any life and genuneness there
But the religious sentiment of the South is dead IL
died and made no sign Its power to control the con.
science and direct the will has departed Its blindto
the mostobvious perceptions of natural Justice lthM
modified. to sui. its own form and condition all the
world-cld creeds of religion. 1t has perverted the
Bible, and broken the unity of the Church. Is wor-
ships God who is not Father, nor the Father OF
all mankind. What expectations have we that shs
religious sentiment will terminate the existence OF
Slavery when it has invented for itself false FORMS
false Christianity and efecualy sheltered and barr-
caded itself within them Against our charges OF
irrelicon, it points to its slayeholding clergy and
slayehoding Churches to its eryid prayers, its con
versions It's whole mechanism and srmory of spe-
tistic religion.
The sentiment of political justice never influences
any but few of the most literally developed minds
of people 1t acted powerfully in the heroic periods
of our history during and immediately subsequent to
the Revolution. Washington, Jefferson and iienry
perceived the ncompatbility of sayc-holdng with
political Justice But even in these great minds twas
but feeble sentmentality, that was never able 10
control their wills and redeem their own actions from
selfreprehension The sentiment of political justice
has long since died out OF the heart OF the South 10
entertain it, or express it, makes man subject oil
general dersion. Ii is classed with Woman's Rights
and Spirit Rappings the most unmitigated OF hum
hugs Kossuth's visit to the South, though be w~
delicate and ape logetic even to prulcry, was per
feet touchstone of tho rank imposturo of southern
democracy in our day.
VIII wise selfinterest effect tho termination OF
Slavery very large school of thinkers seem quite
confident that it will. They point to bounding Ohio
and tagging Kentucky, 10 prosperous New-York and
decayed Virginia They array figures from the Census.
to prove how Slavery ruins trade, manufactures.
schools, population. They have satisfied themselves
that slave labor does not pay, and wonder that our
thrifty coun,rymen will pursue business 80 pecunl-
ariy runous. These arguments, too, have had very
broad crculation but, in spite of the force of such
calculations wary and sagacous men have persisted
in breeding buying selling and working vast stocks
of human cattle Just as they did before these pot
cal economists appeared. The fact is there is fa
lacy about this entire argument, Slavery indeed inn
pOyorshes the South they say; but 1t does nos ne
cessarly impoyersh the shareholders.
Slavery impoyerishes Virginia, but 1t enrches the
Johnny Tylers, Johnny Masons, and Billy Smiths
that govern Virginia. Ii all their slaves instead oil
working for them, had farms to TILL houses to build.
horses, carriages, schoobooks, pianos, railroad
tickets and bank stock to buy, it would make
tremendous stir in old Virginia, add greatly to its
taxable property and figure most favorably in the
census. But in the meantime the Johnnies and the
Billes would have to goto work, which would be dis
agreeable and be very poor besides. What could any
northern lecturer effect, even if he wsro allowed
peaceaby to open his budget and read his statistics
before any southern legislature, convention or yceum
audience, in proving that Slavery was an impoverish-
ing institution, so long the shareholders themselves
know that ii enriches them? Can he convince them
that it is cheaper to feed laborers upon beef and
plum pudding and pay them adollar day than to feed
them upon corn and salt and pay them nothing at all
In fact Sayeryis very lucrative monopoly and it's ex
cessye gains are only checkedby competition wihtsef
Slavery is not different in its impoyerishing charac-
ter from any other monopoly. Monopoes in trado and
manufacturing, impoverish communities, but enrich
proprietors; does Slavery. The shareholders un-
derstand this and this is their answer to the political
economists.
We have assumed in these speculations that the
South will be able TO maintain its present polity.
OF course any social rising of the of tho non
shareholders against the shareholders, or any nsur
recton Of the slaves themselves, to wiring justice from
the fears of their oppressors would disturb these cal
culatons IT. however neither should occur, then tho
question arises whether the North be brought to
share with the South in the wckedness Of savehodng.
Will she do oitl the popular politicians, and the
trolling commercial classes to have their way she
undoubtedly will We have only to go step by step.
at the rate we have gone since 1870, toward Slavery
to maket in thirty years tolerable at the North But
these classes cannot control the future. There is
genuine undeprayed religious sentiment at the North
and this is steadfasty on the side OF Freedom. The
strongest force governs in the end, snd where the
conscience Of the few points, thither the wills Of the
many must ultimately tend. The awakening Of tho
Slavery sentiment of the North was tho saving Of
Religion almost at its last gasp; it will yet prove the
regeneration Of Democracy, corrupted into worse
than tyranny the assurance TO the Nation that it yet
had future; the soul of apower that will roll back