Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-10-06

blow upon the resources, the prosperity and the
peace Of neighboring State They are militia
colonies, planted by State Government to subdue
a Territory opened to settlement by Congress, and
take exclusive possession thereof. In addition IL
that esprit du corps which of necessity porvades
such mn organization, they have in common reck
less and desperate fanaticism which teaches them
that Slavery is sin, and that they doing God.
f service in hasteRing its destruction. They have
been picked and culed from the ignorant masses
: which Old England negro philanthropy has stirred
up and aroused to madness on t1is topic, and have
been selected with reference to their views on this
t topic alone. They are men with q single idea
AMI to carry out shis, they have been instructed
e and taught to disregard the laws Of God and
: man to consider boodshed and arson, destruc
/ tion of property or serve war as the mel iest
trifies, compared with the glory and honor of Sc.
ducing single slave from his master, or harbor.
ing and protecting the thief who has carried him
4 That such population would be fatal to the
peace and security fthe neighboring State of Mis-
souri,, and the immediate destruction of such own
ers OF slaves as had already moved to the Terrific
ry of Kansas, is too clear to admit of rgument A
horde of our Western savages with avowed pur.
poses of destruction to the white race, would be
less formidable neighbors.
The colonization of Kansas with population OF
this character was circumstance which aroused
attention, and excited alarm among cur citizens
l here, and those who have already emigrated to
Kansas. Could any other result have been exrec-
ted! Did sensible men at the North-did the
Abolitionists themselves expect any other?
1t is singular fact, and one worthy of notice
In this connection, that in the history of African
slavery up to this time, no government has ever
yet been known to abolish it which fairly repre-
sented the interests and opinions of the governed.
Great Britain, it is true abolished Slavery in ia
maica, but the planters of Jamaica had no poten-
tal voice in the British Parliament The aboli-
ton of Slavery in NewEngland and in the Middle
States can hardly be cited as an exception since
that abrogation not much tne result of legs-
lation as it of natural causes-the unitness of
climate and productions to slave labor. 1t is well
known to those familiar with the jurisprudence of
this country and of England, that slavery has been
in no instance created by positive statutory enact
ment,nor has it been thus abolished in any country
when the popular will was paramount in legislative
action. Its existence and non-existence appear to
depend entirely upon causesbeyond the reach of gov
ernmental action, and this fact should teach some
dependence upon the will of an overrung Provi-
dence which works out its ends in mode and
at time not always apparent to finite mortals.
| The history of some of savehulding States
in relation to efforts of this character it would
seem, ought to be conclusive, at least against
those who have no actual interests involved and
whom proper sense of selfrespect, if not of con-
sttutiona obligation, should restrain from imper-
tinent interference. Virginia in 1881, and Ken
tucky more recently, were agitated from centre
TO circumference by bold and unrestricted
discussion Of the subject of emancipation. Upon
the hustings and in legislative assemblies the sub
jest was thoroughly examined, and every project
genius or philanthropy could suggest was investi-
gated, Brought forward in the Old Dominion, un-
der the sanction of names venerated and respected
throughout the limits of the Commonwealth
known to have been cherished project of her most
distinguished aforementioned by the happen
ing of then recent servile disturbance and pat
ronised by some Of the most patriotic and enlight-
ened citizens, the scheme nevertheless failed with
out show OF strength step in advance towards
the object contemplated. The magnitude of the
difficulties to be overcome was great and so OBJ
vious as to strike alike the emancipationists and
their adversaries. The result has been, both in
Virginia and Kentucky, that Slavery, to use the
language of one of Kentucky's eloquent and dis
tlnguished sons, and one too, of the foremost in
the work of emancipation, ''has been accepted as
permanent part of their social system" Can it
be that there is desttution of honesty of intelli
gence, of patriotism and piety in slaveholding
States and that these qualities are alone to be
found in Great Britain and in Northern Free States?
II not the conclusion must be, that the difficulties
in the way of such an enterprise exceeded all the
calculations of craftsmanship and philosophy. and
their removal must await the will of that Being
whose prerogative it is to make crooked paths
straight and justify the ways of God to man.
We have no thought of discussing the subject of
Slavery. Viewed in its social, moral or economi-
cal aspect it is regarded, the resolutions Of the
Convention declare as solely and exclusively a
matter of State jurisdiction. and therefore one
which does not concern the Federal Government
or the States where it does not exist. We have |
merely adyered to the fact, in connexion with the
recent Abolition movements upon Kansas that |
amid all their fierce denunciations of Slavery for
twenty years past, these fanatics have never yet
been able to suggest plan for its removal, conss-
tent with the safety of the white race-saying |
nothing of constitutional guarantees Federal and |
State.
The colonization scheme of Massachusetts,, as we
have said, excited alarm in Missouri. Its obvious
design was to operate further than the mere pre- !
vention of the natural expansion Of Slavery. 1t |
was intended to narrow its existing limits-to |
destroy all equilibrium Of power between the
North and South, and leave the STAKEHOLDER at the
will of majority ready to disregard constitutional
obligations, and carry out to their bitter end the
mandates of ignorance, prejudice and bigotry.
Its success manifestly involved radical change in
our Federal Government, or its total overthrow.
II Kansas could be thus abolitionized, every ad.
ditional part of the present public domain here
after opened TO settlement and every future acces
sion Of territory would be the subject of simila
experiments, and exploded Wimot Proviso
thus virtually enforced thoroughout an extended
domain still claimed national, and still bearing |
on its military ensigns the stars and stripes of the
Union. II the plan was constitutional and legal, |
1T must be conceded that it was sklfuly contriyed
and admirably adapted to its ends. 1t was also
eminently practicable if no resistance was encoun-
tered, since the States adopting it contained sur
plus population which could be bought up and
shipped, while the South, which had an interest
in resisting had no such people among her white
population. The Kansas. N Nebraska Law too, which
was so extremely hateful to the fanatics and has
constituted the principal theme OF their recent de-
dunciations, would be dead letter, both as re-
CARDS the Territories for which it was particularly
framed, and as precedent to Congress for the
opening Of other districts TO settlement. The old |
Missouri restriction could have done no more, and
the whole purpose of the Anti-Slavery agitators,
both in and out Of Congress, was quietly accom-
pished. But the scheme failed-as it deserved
to fail and as the peace, prosperity and union
of our country required it should fail. 1t was a
scheme totally az variance with the genius of
our government, both State and Federal, and with
the social institutions which these governments
were designed to protect, and its success would