Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-05-21
The South and Kansas.

The South and Kansas.
A Movement is in progress in several OF the
Southern States for sending emigrants to Kan
sas, for the purpose of aiding the slavery party
in that Territory in maintaining their ascendehcy.
1t has extended to Virginia, and on the 7th INST.
a Convention was held in Petersburg to promote
the object in view. John r. Chambliss, OF
Greensville county, presided, and James bols-
seau, of Dinwiddie, was the Secretary. The hon.
r. X. Meade reported q series OF resolutions
which were unanimously adopted. These reso-
lutions declare that the efforts to stimulate emil
grafton from the South are prompted alone by
selt-defence they earnestly solicit the people OF
the commonwealth to lend their ald, ana con-
tribute promptly the necessary means anu re-
commended that county meetings be called and
committees organized. The Convention then
resolved itself into an Association to be called
'The Friends of Kansas" the object OF which is
to promote emigration to the Territory. Inc
organization provides for an Executive Commit
tee, a General Agent for the State at large, and
one or more Local Agents for each county ana
town. The Local Agents are to enroll, ana
transmit to the Executive Committee, the names
of all applicants for emigration, ana 1or each
nerson So enrolled are allowed one dollar out OF
contributions received by them. Every emlgrant
is required to declare that he is in favor OF max
ing Kansas a slaveholding State; and that he
will become a citizen of Kansas,and remain such
until the Territory is admitted into the Union.
His necessary travelling expenses are to be paid,
and on arriving in Kansas he is to receive the
SUN of fifty dollars. For each slave an emigrant
NAV take with him, he shall receive ten dollars |!
The Executive Committee appointed by the AS
ISOLATION consist of Messrs. Meade, Boiling,
Gholson and Syme, of Petersburg, and Messrs.
Lyons, mcfarland and Seldom, of Richmond
So far as we have observed Louisa is the only
county which has yet responded to the action OF
the Petersburg Convention.
With due Difference to the respectable gentle
men whose names appear above, we must regard
this whole business as a piece Of h~umbuggery-
or worse, purely mischievous. They propose to
make Kansas O slave State, and to do that they
urge emigration from the South. What securi-
ty have they that the emigrants will continue to
support the institution of slavery after settling
in Kansas? Every body knows that some of
the most rabid anti-slavery men in the North
and West are of Southern birth and when these
emigrants arrive in Kansas, finding but few
H. 4lo.o orJ hov,pr mona thannca1yoc II lie
extremely doubtful if they will carry out their
present p~rofessed principles. The idea of offer
ing the paltry bounty of ten dollars as an induce
ment to men to take slaves worth eight hundred
or q thousand dollars, to Kansas, and run the
risk of losing them, is simply ridiculous. The
probabilities are all in favor of Kansas being
ultimately a free State, and no judicious South
ern men will stake his property on the chance.
But the scheme is suicidal, because it urges
citizens of Virginia to emigrate from the State,
when we have no surplus population to spare.
All the older Southern States have been weaken
ed by emigration, and here we have a formal
proposition for hundreds and thousands more to
leave. We c~annotev er spare the negroes to
send to Kansas, as the present high price OF
labor sufficiently proves.
The project is specially inpolitic, however,
because it is q departure from the true ground
on which the South should stand. 1t is useless
for the South to enter into a contest of this kind
with the free States. The advantages are all
with them, and We shall surely be beaten. Far
better plant ourselves upon the Constitution and
be consent to remain there. When that fails to
protect our rights, all will be lost, and we must
resort to other modes of redress.
We are glad to see that Mr.. Timothy Rives, q
Democratic Presidential Elector of this State,
whose name appeared as one of the committee
to report IA plan of a Kansas Association" has
published a card expressing his disapproval OF
the movement. He prefers to leave the enforce
ment of his rights, whenever he may think pro-
per to emigrate to Kansas, 'to such remedies as
are afforded by the Constitution and the laws
made in pursuance thereof, than to that of any
association of adventures, whether from the
North or the South"
Mr.. R~uchauau.