Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-12-28
THE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.
HOW TO SAVE TIE UNION!

There is, we think, a very simple aud easy way 10
prevent dsunion nd aay sectional str'ie anu III
feeling ii the good, the wise, the prudent anu Tue
patriotic will unite their efforts. Let each man &C
corins to his opportunity examine for himself with
an impartial and truthoving spirit the evils of slave
Iyand the evils of free society, and nine out OF ten
will arise from the examination, with more tolerant
and fraerual feeling That slavery is not attended
with evils we shall not pretend to maintain; out 'hou
sands are engaged in depicting and exasSerat'''g
hose evils, and it is needless tor Us 10 attempt "
portray them Living in the midst Of the institution
we may be unobservaut or insenSlble OF It's abuses
ws leave the task Of exposing them to other hands
AID, are even willing that the comparative evils OF
slave society and Of free society," shall be asccraheu
and decided on by the accounts OF the worRiug oi
the two systems OF society, written by authors living
10 FREQ society and prejudced against slavery. Nay
will go farther, will give free society I'LL the
advantages which it derive from hctiun ana u'-
ssination in magnifying and increasing the evils
end abuses of aavery-we will let the student TAKE
for fact, the most hideous portrait that the ge'
MUS Of a Mrs. Stowe eau depict oil slavery
and ask him to compare 1t with the stern
realities OF free society, carefully investigated, e1'
posed and reported by committees OF the British
Parliament. We speak far within tbs bounds OF
truth, when We assert that he will mud leu Times dc
much OF evil, of crime and OF human suffering III
free society in England and in all Western Europe
a. felton, regarding .'vraiSembance,' ever dared to
attribute to Southern negro slavery. lie will mud no
domestic animal, no game or fish in prisons ana
ponds half badly provided for, nor half so cruelty
treated as the laboring in Western Europe
Th,impartal student would not hesitate moment,
like Mr. C. Edwards Lester, OF New York, TO subject
lie children to Southern slavery, sooner than place
them in the condition Of the free aborers of South
Europe. And ye;, Ms population becomes Dense
this is the condition to which all free society seems
II tend No men this fact SO clearly as Northern !
abolitionsts and hence their anxiety TO invent and
I'll: in practice some new form of society, before pau
perism and crime, and ignorance and famine over
whc!ln the North, "a they have overwhelmed West
ern Europe But there is vent for centuries To
come in the mighty nllset;led West, for the surplus
population of the North East, and whilst that vent
continues it is premature to asitate the subject OF
white slavery practical question in this country
Before that day arrives social organization tor
old societies, better than the domestic slavery OF
the South. may be d,scor1cd. The student vii!
find thsr, as yet. none half good, has been
discovered and he will feel charitably towards
Southern Domestic Institutions, because he VIII
end them more natural, more permanent IN their
character, and more promotvc, in the long rum OF
human happiness, than any other as yet discovered
and tested If he extends his examination, and finds
out how mutually dependent the North and the South
are, be will Learn 20 love and value the Union, and
10 detest and execra,e aboii,ionss and dsunonists
Almos, oil the light literature OF France. England
and Germany for the last twenty Years is but pictures
of the evils Of free society. The plays the novels the
poetry of these nations t;nged in every page with
the suff.rings Of the poor. All philosophy has rnn
into what The North British Revc" calls the pbiloso
ply OF social reference" For fifty years, the Brit
ish Parliament, has spent half its time in fruess en-.
beavers to mitigate the sutFcrnss of the poor. All
the English and French Reviews, since lslS, have
teemed with articles on this subject. All the riots,
inccndiarsm and revolutions of Europe, for seventy
years. have been the direct and immediate conse-
suenees Of the prvalions and famine OF the poor.-
TIE history of the English Poor Lars, u inrssti-
ga:,a aloge. rzW shoy Mot free society IN Europe,
hos been from tie frst, and Mroughooi IN tbs day,
. tru<i, a'rfu', aud appalling Jasl"e Free society
has not as yet failed at our North we hope it never
may, But it has failed every where else and we feel
cure that oil who examine its past history aud present
starving condition, will be willing 10 stick to the
Union az it is. rather than snatch the bread from the
mouth Of the well-fed Negro in order to elevate him
to the condition Of the ProletariHt OF France, the
earviug peasanry Of England, ireland and Scotland
the Lazzaroni Of Italy the Gypses OF Spain, aud the
Lepero OF Mexico
We solemnly believe there is but one way to save
rte Union, and to Northern society from anar
chy and agrarianism, RIGHTEOUSNESS and iuidelity,-
that is by d.pellius the nonomania about slavery
This will be effected SOON the servatives of
the North, aud of the South, search into history and
statistics and ascertain, weigh and compare the re-
specve evils Of the opposing systems Of society,"
None but msdmsn, after such investigation, will
be ready to dissolve this Union, to risk peace or to
incur civil war, in order to e,nuncpate the negroes,
on 10 prevent the extension Of slave territory. part
olSsa with the extension OF fros territory. Hereto
lore slavery has been assumed t" be an evil BE it
co. But SEQ whether free society, in old countries,
be not far greater cv;-and our country isgrowing