Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-03-12

try. It has alienated and estranged the
people of the sister States from each other,
and has even seriously endangered the very
existence of the Union.
Nor has the danger yet entirely ceased:
Under our system there is remedy for all
mere political evils in the sound sense and
sober Judgment of the people. Time is a
great corrective Political subjects which
but few years ago excited and exasperated
the public mind have passed away and are
now nearly forgotten. But this question OF
domestic slavery is of far graver Importance
than any mere political question, because,
should the agitation continue, it may even
tually endanger the personal safety of a
large portion of our countrymen where the
institution exists In that event no form of
government, however admirable in itself,
and however productive of material benefits,
can compensate for the loss Of peace and do
mestic security around the family altar
Let every Union-loving man therefore exert
his best influence to suppress this agitation,
which, since the recent Legislation of Con-
gress. is without any Legitimate object.
It is an evil omen of the times that men
have undertaken to calculate the mere ma
terial value of the Union. Reasoned esti-
mates have been presented of the pecuniary
profits and local advantages which would re-
suit to different States and sections from its
dissolution, and of the comparative injuries
which such an event would inhict on other
States and sections. Even descending to
this low and narrow view of the mighty
question, all such calculations are at fault
The bare reference to a single consideration
will be conclusive on this point. We at
present enjoy free trade throughout our
extensive and expanding country, such as
the world never witnessed. The trade is
conducted on railroads and canals-on no
ble rivers and arms of the sea-which bind
together the North and the South, the East
and the West of our confederacy. Annihi-
late this trade. arrest it's free progress by
the geographical lines of jealous and hostile
States, and you destroy the prosperity and
onward march of the whole and every part,
and involve all in one common ruin. But
such considerations, important as they are
in themselves, sink into insigniicance when
we reflect on the terrific evils which 7wcu;;d
result from disunion to every portion Of the
Iconfederacy-to the North not more than to
the South, to the East not more than to the
West These I shall not attempt to por-
tray, because [ feel an humble confidence
that the kind Providence which inspired our
fathers with wisdom to frame the most per-
feet form Of government and Union ever de-
vised by man will not suffer it to perish un-
til it shall have been peacefully instrument
tai, by its example, in the extension Of civil
and religious liberty throughout the world.
Next in Importance to the maintenance
Of the constitution of the Union is the duty
of preserving the government free from the
taint, or even the suspicion, of corruption.
Public virtue is the vital spirit of republics:
and history proves that when this has de-
cayed, and the love of money has usurped
its place: although the forms of free gov
ernment may remain for season, the sub
stance has departed forever.
Our present financial condition is without
a parallel in history. No nation has ever
before been embarrassed from too large a
surplus in it's treasury. This almost neces-
sarily gives birth to extravagant legis-
lation. It produces wild schemes Of expen-
diture, and begets race Of spectators and
Ijobbers, whose ingenuity is exersed in con-
triving and promoting expedients to obtain
public money. The purity of official agents,
whether rightfully or wrongfully, is suspect
ed, and the character of the government
suffers in the estimation of the people. This
is in itself very great evil.
The natural mode of relief from this en-
barrassment is to appropriate the surplus
in the treasury to great national objects, for
which clear warrant can be issued in the
constitution. Among these I might men
ton the extinguishment of the public debt
a reasonable increase of the navy, which is al
present inadequate to the protection of oul
vast tonnage afoat, now greater than tina
of any other nation, as well as the defence
of our extended seacoast.
It is beyond all question the true princi
pie that no more revenue ought to be col
lected from the people than the amount ne
cessary to defray the expenses Of a wise, e.
economical and efficient administration of the
government To reach this point it wa.
necessary to resort to medication of the
tariff, and this has, [ trust, been accomplish
ed in such manner as to do as little inju
ry as may have been practicable to ou1
domestic manufactures, especially those ne
cessary to the defence of the country. Any
discrimination against particular branch
for the purpose Of beneftting favored cor
porations, individuals, or interests, woulc
have been unjust to the rest of the commu
nifty, and inconsistent with that spirit O
fairness and equality which ought to cover,
in the adjustment of revenue tariff
But the squandering of the public money
sinks into comparative insigni6cance as
temptation to corruption when compared
with the sqandering of the public lands.