Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-08-21
Tbt slaberp Question.
From the Knoxville Witness.
LETTER FROM DR.. ROSS,
HUNTSVILLE, Ala, July II, 1856.

BROTHER BLACKBuaN: [ affirmed il
my New York speech, that the slavery agi
tation has done, and will accomplish good.
Your very kind and courteous disagree
ment on that point, will make the occasion
to say something more thereon, without wish
ing you, my dear friend, to regard what
write as inviting any discussion.
I said that agitation has brought out, and
would reveal still more fully, the Bible, ir
its relation to slavery and liberty-also, the
infdelity which long has been and is now,
leaveuing, with death, the whole Northern
mind. And that it would result in the tri
umph Of the true Southern Interpretation OF
the Bible; to the honor of G ID, and to the
good of the master, the slave, the stability
of the Union, and be blessing to the world.
To accomplish this, the sin per Sc doctripe
will be utterly demolished. That doctri
is the difficulty, IN ercyy Northern mind,
(where there is any difficulty about slavery,
whether they confess it or not Yes, the
difficulty with every Northern man is, that,
the relation of master and slave is felt to he
sin. | know that to be the fact. | have
talked with all grades of Northern men, and
come in contact with all varieties of North
ern mind on this subject And, Iknow that
the man who says, and tries to believe, and
does, partially, in sober judgment believe,
that slavery is not sin, yet, IN his feelings-
in his c''ucote7 prqoultces, ho feels that slave
~ is sin,
Yes, that's the difficulty, and Mat is the
whole of the difficulty, betmeen the North
and the .South, so far as the question is one
of the Bible and morals. Now, Iagain say,
chat that sin per Sc doctrine will, in this great
agitation, be utterly demolished. And when
that is done; when the North will know,
and feel, fully, perfectly, that the relation of
master and slave is not sin, but sanctioned
of God, then, and not till then, the North
and South can, and will, without anger con-
slider the following questions whether slave
ry as it exists ir .ho T"itod States. all t!,ings
considered be or be not great coed, aud the
greatest good, fora time, notwithstanding its
admitted svils! Again whetherthes evils,
can, or cannot be modified and removed p
Lastly, whether slavery itself can or cannot
pass away from this land, and the world p
Now, sir, tho moment the sin question is set
Ftled, then all is peace For these other qucs-
tions belong entirely to another category of
morals. They belong entirely to the cate
CORY of phat is wise to realize good. This
agitation will bring this great result And
therefore, affirm the agitation to be good.
There is another fact also the result, in
great measure, of this agitation which in my
view proves the agitation to have been, and
to be of great good. I mean the astonishing
rise, and present stability of the slave power
of the United States. This fact, when ex-
amincd, is undeniable.. And it is equally
undeniable, that it has bepn caused in great
part by tho slavery agitation in all its bear
ing. 1t is a wonderful development made
by God. And I must believe he intends,
thereby either to destroy or bless this great
Union. But as believe he intends to bless
therefore am fortified in affirming thp good
there has been, and is. in this agtation.-
I:et me Lring out to view this astonishing
fact.
l. Twenty-Five years ago, and previously,
the whole slaveholding South and West had
Il strong tendency to emancipation in some
form. But the abolition agitation then be.
gan and arrested that Southern and West
ern leaning to emancip patton. Many people
have said, and do say, that, that arrest was,
and is a great evil. I say it vas, and is a
great good. Why? Answer: 1t was, aud
would now be, premature. Had it been car.
ricd out it would have been, and would now
be, evil, immense, inconceivable-to master,
slave, America, Africa, and the whole world !;
because neithermaster, slave, America, Afri-
ca, nor the world were or are, ready for eman-
cipation. God has great deal to do before he
is ready for emancipation. He tells us so
by this arrest put upon that tendency to
emancipation years ago. For He put it into
the hearts of abolitionists TO make the arrest
And He stopt the Southern m9ysmeat, all
the more perfectly, BY permitting Great Brit
ain TO emancipate Jamaica, and letting that
experiment prove, as it has, perfect failure
and a terrible warning. JAMAICA IS
DESTROYED. And now, whatever be
done for its negroes, mast be done with the
full admission that what has heen attempt
ed was in violation of the duty Britain owed
to those negroes But her failure in seeing
and doing her duty, God has given to us to
teach US knowledge; and through US, to in
struct the world, in the demonstration of the
problem of slavery.
.. God put it into the heads Of Northern
men-especislly aholitionists-to give Texas
to The South. Texas territory so vast
that bird, as Webster says, can't fly over it
in week Many in the South did not want
Texas. But many longer-headed ones did
wantit. And Northern men voted, and gave
to the South, exactly what these longer head,
ed Southern statesmen wanted. This, grant,
was Northern anti-slavery fatuity, utterlyun'
accountable, but that God made them do it.
8. God put it into the heart of Northern
men-and especially abolitionists-to vote
for Polk, Dallas, and Texas. This gave us
the Mexican War and that immense terri
tory, its spoil A territory which, although
it may nc. DO favorable for slave labor, has