Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-12-21
THE Axri.SLAyERY SENTIMENT Of the North


Friday Msr.ias, ......... Dcee.seer ~. 1888.
THE ANri-SLAvERY SENTIMENT Of the North
never presented itself in so aggressive and de-
fermned . form as in the present Congress-
Day after day. till they have well nigh resolved
the government into anarchy, have We seen over
one hundred members Of that body. banded to.
eether by no other feeling than that Of hostility
to slavery. casting their votes in unbroken league
for a man pledged, as Mr.. Giddings assures Us.
ITO organize the stasding committees of the
House, by placing on each a majority of the
friends Of freedom, who are favorable to making
reports on all petitions committed to them and
whose scceptabty to the North arises from his
long cherished and bitter hostility TO the South
1t is the FIRST serious attempt ever made 10 or
ganze the House on apurely sectional basis
and indicates that our people have already gone
fearfuly far towards that fatal consummation
against which Washington so solemny warned
us-the division of parties by geographical lines.
From the beginning Of this insane controversy
the South has maintained defensive attitude. In
the very nature of things she was obliged to suf
fer By agitation and must have deprecated il. She
had no favors u ask. other than those which were
incident TO the conditions Of our federal compact
no legislation TO demand that was not necessary
to carry out the provisions Of the constitution;
and no privileges TO enforce that were not hers
by law and right size asked simply TO be let
alone; to be permitted to enjoy equal rights with
other sections: and 10 possess and use without
molestation the property she held before the con-
federation. The whole excitement now existing
has grown out Of the failure Of the North TO CON-
ply with these reasonable and lawful require.
meDts. The repeal Of the Missouri restriction
was not an act ofaggression il was simply the
undoing OF wrong to which, for the sake OF
tranquility, the South had submitted for thirty
years. Ii was the removal OF the ban Of inferi
equality. TWAS no invasion Of any right of the
free States; it was restriction of the privileg
es Of their citizens, but was restoration Of each
State and every citizen 10 those common and
equal rights under the constitution whose equil
ibrum had been destroyed by the Missouri act.
Let not the North suppose that the South will
again consent even to secure peace to bave this
degrading discrimination affixed. Whatever di
versiiy Of sentiment may have existed to the
is no division among upon the question Of its
re. enactment. The friendly and fraternal feel
ing which prompted our ancestors to submit To
wrong, sooner than keep alive an excitement dan
gerous to the Union, having failed under all its
sacrifices to awaken an answering spirit and Sc
cure national harmony has wearied out and will
DO longer restrain the South from standing stern
ly by her rights, and demanding TO the last ti,ho
the ful6llment by the North of every doty impos
ed by the constitution Kansas and Nebraska
are 20 be permitted to choose their own instiiu
tons. and to ccme into the Union. when quali6
ed, with or without slavery--and so Of all the
Territories belonging to the government wheth-
er they lie North or South of 36 deg. 30 min. -
No Legislation embracing the principle of tho
Missouri act will ever again be submitted to-
Abolitoniem may triumph in the election of II
Speaker, but when il comes TO acts Of agrees
ion and wrong, the South will meet it with other
,defences than argumer, and remonstrauoe. We
do not believe in clustering and menace, but we
know that the South is done with compromises
and concessions; thu, her people are united, and
that they have the courage TO face all the conse-
quences that may result from determination to
maintain their rights. 1t rests with the North
to determine whether. and how soon. the ex,re-
nifty beyond which brave men will not go shall
come.