Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1856-12-11
NEGRO lssuBoRDINArps.

Quite panic hiss ex istfd IN paris OF the STATE,
for the last two weeks growing out OF some dis
covered plots for insure ction among the slaves.
These discoveries have been mode principally at
the Iron Works and Rolling Mills in the counties
of Montgomery and Stewart, where there are
Eery large bodies of slaves employed. There have
been some discoveries made of the same character
in several counties in the Western District and in
the adjoining county of Sumner. Various and con-
hcting reports have reached us, the simple purport
Of which is that number of the slaves ct these
different points bad agreed among themselves to
rise in body, about Christmas, over.power the
whites and make their way to a free State. In
Montgomery and Stewart several hundred negroes
have boon arrested and confined with the view of
investigating tie extent of their guilt Vigilance
Committees, composed Of the most intelligent and
prudent citizens, organized by the respective COM
munitiea, have been engaged in taking proof and
trying the accused parties. By their order seve-
raj have been hung, who vera proven to have been
the instigstors and leaders of the plot. Two, we
learn, were hung by the populsce. Several suspi.
cious white men, unknown in the community, and
believed to have been tampering with the slaves,
were lynched and driven off. Among the numer-
Gus rumors we have heard, unsuthenticated, was
one that minister, proven to have been implcs-
ted had been arrested and another that one of the
party hung at Dover as negro, proved to be q
white man in disguise So much of what We have
heard is unreliable that we have refrained from
publishing it. hoping to be furnished with more
authentic statements.
That there was cause for serious alarm in these
communities is unquestionsble, as the owners
themselves, in most instances arrested their slaves
and suspended their interpretations at heavy
loss. We do not suppose that the great body OF
slaves implicated in this matter ever did more than
to give tacit assent to the plans of the few vicious
negroes who were taking the lead; and the major
ty of them, perhaps, if they had joined in an out
break, would have done nothing more than made
an effort to escape from their masters. The more
vicious-few, we believe, in number-might have
gone to the greater extremes of murder and des-
truction.
The alarm produced will serve the purpose Of
putting every community on guard and preserv.
ing rigid discipline during the approaching holidays
The great danger from panics of this character is
the extremes in summary punishment they are
likely to produce endangering the lives of the in.
noceut with the guilty. The best of communities
are likely to overlap the bounds of prudence at
such times We trust it may not be so in this in
stance
The slave communities in the South are not only
mn hnf fha al npf1ta.
ton in the world; and yet we are not surprised at
the restlesaness and insubordination that is being
manifested among them. 1t is the legitimate con-
sequence of certain political and social causes to
which we have had frequent occasion to revert.
The direct issue in the recent Presidential can
vass was "f ee5om" and Slavery" To the dis
cussions of these questions the black population
went in numbers, proportionably, almost as large
as the whites. They had just reason enough to
understand that one of the parties in the contest
was favorable to their liberation aud social equal.
ty and that from the sggressions of this party the
South had serious alarm. They bad heard, also,
that there were men even in their midst more fsv-
orable to the election of fremont than Buchanan.
Who can contemplate the evils of such influences
operating on their feeble intellects and uneduca.
ted passions2 If Providence had not intended the
negro for Just what he is, instead OF a neighbour
hood alarm, the whole country would be red with
blood and servile insurreetion. But the negro
population of the South are the most domes site and
easily governed race in existence, and the evils
they produce are more the feults of the master
lhsn the slave When kept in their places and
under proper discipline, which is SO easily done,
they are generally happy and contented people,
but when neglected and permitted to run free, al
most as the master, which is peculiarly the case in
our State they naturally become vicious and dis
satisfied, an enemy to themselves and troublesome
to society st large.
Let the people Of the South watch bad white
men who come among US, as wolves in sleeps
clothng-let them learn TO keep their negroes at
home and attend the political meetings themselves
let the moral training of servants come from
their own lips respectfully such Northern philan-
thIopy as the Southern Aid Society,"" gotten up
to furnish US with New England missionaries and
Intermediates in our domestic affsirs-we say, let
the South do these things and we will have no
more negro instructions. But if we fail in our
duty we have but a premoniton of the incalcula.
bic evil