The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-08-26
Cbe Slabtrp Question.
LETTER FROM DIR. ROSS.
lPUBLIsHED BY REQUEST OF A LADY.l
HUNTSVILLE, Ala, July IA, 1856.

| 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
wishing you, my dear friend, to regard what
| write as inviting any discussion.
said that agitation has brought out, and
would reveal still more fully, the Bible, in
its relation to slavery and iberty-also, the
infdelity which long has been, and is now,
leavening, 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 God, and to the
good of the master, the slave, the stability
of the Union, and be a blessing to the world.
To accomplish this, the sin per Sc doctrine
will be utterly demolished. That doctrine
is the difficulty, in every Northern mind,
(where there is any difficulty about slave
ry,) whether they confess it or not. Yes,
the difficulty with every Northern man is,
that, the relation Of master and slave is felt
to be sin. l know that to be the fact.
have talked with all grades ofNorthern men
and come in contact with all varieties of
Northern mind on this subject. And, l
know, that the man who says, and tries to
believe, and does, partially in sober judg
ment, believe, that slavery is not sin, yet,
IN has feelings-in has educated prejudicrs,
he feels that slavery is sin.
Yes, that is the difficulty, and that is the
whole ofthe difficulty, between the North and
the South, SO far as the question is one of
the Bible and morals. Now, 1 again say,
that sin per Sc doctrine will, in this agta
ton, 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 the
South can, and will, without anger, consid-
er the following question; whether slavery,
as it exists in the United States, all things
considered, be or be not, great good, and
the greatest good for time, notwithstanding
its admitted evils )! Again; whether these
evils can, or cannot be, modified and re-
moved! Lastly, whether slavery itself can
or cannot pass away from this land, and the
| world! Now, sir, the moment the sin ques-
ton is settled, then all is peace. For these
other questions belong entirely to another
category of morals. They belong entirely
to the category of 1Dhat is wise to realise
good. This agitation will bring this great
result. And therefore, affirm the agta-
ton 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 as
tonishing rise, and present stability of the
slave power of the United States. This
fact, when examined is undenIable. And
it is equally undeniable, that it has been
caused in great part. by the slavery agita-
ton in all it's bearings. It is a wonder
full development made by God. And l
must believe he intends, thereby, either to
destroy or bless this great Union. But as
believe he intends to bless, therefore l am
fortified in affirming the good there has
been, andis, in this agitation. Letme bring
out to view this astonishing fact.
l. TMenty-fve years ago, and previ
ously, the whole slaveholding South and
West had strong tendency to emancipa-
ton, in some form. But the abolition ag-
itation then began, and arrested that South
ern and Western leaning to emancipation.
Many people have said, and do say, that,
that arrest was, and is, great evil. say
it was, and is, great good. Why An
swer: 1t was, and would now be, prema-
ture. Had it been carried out it would have
been. and would now be, evil, immense, in
conceivable--to master, slave, America,
slave, America, Africa, the world were, or
are ready for emancipation. God has great
deal to do before he is ready for emancipa
ton. He tells US so by the arrest put up
on that tendency to emancipation years ago.
For He put into the hearts of abolitionists
TO make the arrest. And He stopt the South
ern movement, all the more perfectly, by
permitting Great Britain to emancipate ia
maica, and letting that experiment prove,
as it has, perfect failure, and terrible
And now, whatever be done for its negroes,
must be done with the full admission that
what has been attempted was i'll violation of
the duty Britain owed to those negroes
But her failure in seeing and doing her du-
ty, God has given US to teach US knowledge;
and, through US, to instruct the world, in
the demonstration of the problem of slave
ry.
2. God put it into the heads of Northern
men-especially abolitionists-to give Tex
as to the South. Texas-a territory so vast
that a bird, as Webster said, can't fly over
it in week. Many in the South Gid not
want Texas. But many longer headed ones
did want it. And Northern men voted, and
gave to the South, exactly what these lon-
ger-headed Southern statesmen wanted
This, I grant, was Northern anti-slaVery