The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1855-06-19
NOn-Iuterconrse with Massachu.
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The AohleITribune, in copying from. the
Register an article recommending as a retalia-
tory measure non int ercourse with the people
of Massachusetts says: !. - -,
The sins of that commonwealth are how
very weighly. 1t has deliberately -nullifed, as
far as its| legislative action goes, fundamen-.
tal law of the Union---a law which was essen.
tial to the consolidation If the States 10 the
first instance, and Which is,here held to be, ,es
seuta to the existence Of the Union
In other words, t has deliberately nulliGed
the law Cor the rendition of.fugitive slaves.
I'hegravity of this offence will be seen Pc
tenlialy ir the reader will suppose that all ,ht,
other free States follow the example. That
would be ut once to light up border warfare
between the slave and free States, and it would
be strange if it did not lead to- general war.
fare without termination, except in the utter
prostration Of one Of: the sections.
The subject must be looked at from this
point of view, and not individually, as it. re.
iates merely to Massachusetts,, which is a re-
mote point, and not at all hurtful by coEtiguity,
to our section. If that State be suffered to
give legislative sanction to its enmity against
the South, by multiplying the federal laws, it
will not be long before fanaticism shall have
grown to a potency totally incompatible with
the allegiance Of the South to the Union. "
The question is what is to be done 10 stay
the evil7 80 .-r
When South Carolina Put itself in opposi.
ton to the general government, it had sumo.
reason for its oppugnancy. The question was
argued in Congress by great men, and tits to
this day believed that the South had the better
Of the argument. There was, at the worst,
even in the opinion Of the Northern statesmen,
enough Of reason in the position of South
Carolina to make its notification plausible aud
respectable.
But how is it with Massachusetts, which now
undertakes to nullify fundamental law There
is no argument within its miserable Legisia-
ture on the subject. The members of it do
not deny that they are defying. federal law.
They see that, and act with full knowledge
Of the position they have assumed. 1t is in
fact, deliberate, predetermined opposition to
the South, which lies at the bottom of the
movement-an offshoot Of The "hgher law"
doctrine, which counsels every madman and
and vagabond to assume that his passions are
the true counsellors of what is right and wrong
in law and morals.
These miserable knaves never seem to think
that the "higher law" has as much reason
within the South as within the North-that
here mans conscience is as safe a guide as q
mans conscience there. They act on the prin.
ciple of some of Cromwell's troopers, who
declared that: "rbe earth belongs to Saints; ;
that We are The Saints, therefore, the eaeth be.
longs TO u.s." The fanatics Of thc East declare
that slavery is great crime against the hu-
maAitarian" principle; the STAKEHOLDER is in
constant violation Of this princple; therefore
the STAKEHOLDER is monster that ought to be
destroyed legally or otherwise. But they have
a higher argument than this, which may be
thus stated. Every Northern mans conscience
is the source Of true inspiration for his actions,
and if the Bible and human law be in opposi.
ton to that conscience, the Bible and the law
are "humbugs" and Of no manner Of authori.
ty.
The cunningest abolition papers, in effect,
assume no defence but this, and it is charity to
suppose that their conductors are rather fools
than knaves.
But to return: something, it seems to US,
ought to be done by the Southern cities in re-
lation to Massachusetts, and we see no action
except what lies within the rule of law. We
have no means of giving expression 10 our
aversion to the treason Of that State, except in
the way proposed in the article which, We OK
tract from tie Register. That is feasible, prop
er, and we think, will be eficscious, and tor
reasons which are obvious. The essential ele.
ment Of the prosperity Of Massachusetts 's her
trade with the South. 1t is this which en-
ploys her thousands Of shoemakers--glves
bread to her factory operatives--supplles the
energies which find outlets in her potato and
onion fields, and is the sourco Of her chief mer'
camille operations through Boston. Once let
it be unders, ,ood that here her large and proa:l
table credits shall have.no legal force-that her
ships shall find no collectable freights-that
her shoes and clocks, and onions and potatoes,
cotton fabrics and oil shall be without custom
ers !; or finding customers, there shall be- no
legal means Of collecting their dues, and the
dealers in these potent elements of wealth may
be brought presently to believe that tbo higher
law principle, which juslfes a Massachusetts
man in setting aside the lower law, is a pr'ne-
pie which may be said BY Southern men,
If Massachusetts were sunk forever out OF
sight, by an earthquake, itwould not weigh u
penny's worth in our progress. Without the
South there is not one Of her towns which
would not presently become adesert,e aga yet
there she now stands in deadly opposition 10
the very source. of her prosperity --the 1eus-
TONERS Of her shoes, her agricultural products,
her cotton fabrics, her ships, her Insurance OF,
6ces--tlie source of business TO her men ana
her women--the builders of her manufacturing
towns--she, thus helped by us, now stands inj