New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-15

The preservation Of the equality of the States, or
rather the restoration Of that equality, alleged to
have been grievously infiinged on the part Of the
North, is laid down by Southern orators and their
Northern Doushface humble servants, as coustiti-
tutipg the present platform of the slavedrivins
Democracy. Equality Of the States" is very
fine sounding phrase; but before joining in this
cry, and still more before resolving to cooperate
with the party that raises it, prudence requires
that some idea should be got 40 to what is really
intended by it. Words we all know are ambiguous
and this word Equality, in particular, has, at the
South, quite sdifferent meaning from that which
we at the North are apt to attach to il.
The constitutions Of the Southern States are
very emphatic as to the equality" Of all the free
white citizens of those States; the Southern news
papers are full of declamations on the same sub
ject. This "squality" and Civilizations over it
are as regularly served up in every Southern
political speech as hog and homminy are ct every
Southern dinner table. Nevertheless, with all
this fine talk about equality, il il fact notorious to
all The world that the inhabitants of the South are
divided into four perfectly distinct casses-namely,
slaves, free negroes, poor white men, and slave
holderr-and that these last, constituting about
twenty fifth part of the entire population, exercise
the whole political power and the complete control
Of the public sentiment in every Slave State
1t is true that the poor white men, more or less
Of them and in several Of the Slave States the great
body of them, have the nominal character oil
citizens, and that they are INDUCED in the privl'
lege of reading certain select newspapers-those
of them who are able to read-and Of listening to
occasional harapgues political topics and ques-
tons of social interest But the only newspapers
they arc allowed to read are those totally devoted
to the slaveholdiDg interest. All attempts to es-
tablish newspapers of different character within
the limits Of the Slave States have failed. Gen.
orally their types and presses have been destroyed
BY MODS set on foot and instigated by the slave
holding interest.
As to the liberty of oral discussion the extent to
which it exists-or rather to which it does not
e1ist-was strikingly illustrated BY the rumpu'
made the other day, because in debating
society in Loudoun County, Virginia, school
teacher from New.York avowed his opinion
that Slavery was bad thing and the Fugitive act
of 1851 detestable enactment. All the presses in
Virginia at once denounced this incendary who had
dared to rt peat the ideas Of Washington and Jeer
SOD and he was speedily obliged to relinquish his
employment and fly the State. as every Northern
man will be who carries into Virginia, or any other
Southern State, and sttemptsto give expression to,
those notions of equality which are current at the
North.
Nor is it the poor white men alone who are thus
gagged. Even shareholders themselves enjoy the
privilege of publishing and speaking only SO far a.
they are ready to employ tbo,e means for the gori-
fcaton of slaveholding and for the defense Of the
social system of the South as it now exists. Even
to subscribe for Northern newspaper which does
not advocate Slavery, and to receive it through the
post. Office, is dangerous operation, sueeetng the
recipient Of such newspaper to the charge of being
traitor to Southern rights causing him to be placed
under sort of surveillance, and exposing him to
become at any time the object Of summary Lynch
law vengeance. Then again as to voting; the
poor white men, the great mass OF the non-slave-
holding people, no doubt possess the right Of SUI
fage; but what does that right amount to- Sim.
ply to express their preference as between two,
three or more slavehodipg candidates. Did any
body ever hear Of candidate for any Office above
that of hog reeve, in any saveholdiDg district, who
was not stakeholder I Are non shareholders ever
even voted for for Congress- or for any other sta
ton of the least consequence.
This is the sort of Equality" fscetiously So
called, which exists among the individual citizens
of the South; and this is precisely the sort Of
equality which it is now proposed to introduce into
the relations of the States. According to this new
political programme, the Slave States are to &C.
cupy political and social position in reference tOthe
Free States precisely corresponding to that which
il now held in the Southern States BY the slavehold
ing citizens in reference to the poor white
while the Northern States, under the
,pecous pretense of State equality are to be placed
in the degraded and pitifal position now occupied
in the Slave States by the unfortunate nOn-slave-
holding people. Under this arrangement, the
Free States would be allowed to retain NOM
inal right of voting but as the candidates
would all be selected by the shareholders, aud
as they would have complete control not only
of Congress, but of all our Northern political
organizations, the Northern States under this
new scheme Of equality" might expect presently
to see themselves reduced to political and social
parallel to that which now exists o.
the part of the non slaveholdiDg citizens Of the
South.
The success which the small body of shareholders
have had in carrying out this fine scheme Of
equality in their particular States, may natu-
rally enough encourage them to entertain the idea