The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-01-29
FrON, Tie Nc,c York Ddu Book.

1t has also been asserted that slavery is right,
mud That i, il til" normal cond ion Of the Iaborimg
man, und not confined to race or color.-Gor.
iiamtin's Message.
1t may not hc that Gov. Ha,nlim knew
the above To- be f;,lse when lie pcnmcd it,
vet 10 say that he believed any person in
the wide world had ever male such IN as
,rrlion, is sac'iti,ing Ills sense to his homes
~. "Thc normal condition Of the labor
ing man. Now, we have read the news
papers for the last five years, the speeches
in Congress a,l "n the stump, rs attentive
lv, We will venture to assert, as any other
man in the country. and we never yet SAW or
heard the assertion Govcnor Hamin grave
lv states lIas been made. On the other
hand, we have seen ii denied, over and over
again, hv Democrats aud souillcrners. when
charged with it ly northern men. We have
sren the Charge in The Trib"ne and E'ccmin9
Post, heard it made in Black Republican
.lrcrl,cs and repeated in country ncwsla-
pers. but we never once supposed that any
in.clli gent person believed it for II moment.
Why, if the South or the Democracy held
to any such doctrine. the very foundation of
their party would he broken up at once,
ami what is more, Governor IIamlin knows
it. lie knows that the lahoring man stands
aS the very corner stone of Democracy Oh
hi, broad shoulders the cdiice itself rests,
and stanlmg there, firm and secure as it
docs, it is in vain that sucI, demagogues rs
this man lIa,nlin hurl their shafts against
its iron walls.
But see how the fellow appeals to the
prejutliccs Of the white man, against the ne
gro. knowing, as he does, that the oppo-
nents OF lIack Rrpuhlicani>m hold that
.ubordilIaton is the normal condition" of
the negro, that he is not only created nfcri-
or, distinctly diftrcr, hcing from the white
man, hut made to he subscrvient, he dare
not tell the white laboring men Of Maine
this truth. but changes it into a positive,
palpal,lc lie, and i'll doing so, acknowledges
the fact that the negro IS an Inferior being.
For if lie is not. if he is What Governor Ham
lin, Senator Wilson, Speaker Banks and
their conf,rres say lie is, man like them
selfrs, erc,sr,l, made, ans! made to lie, just
like white mon. where was the necessity Of
telling this liz about his opponents? Why
not write the plain and simple truth? Why
not say to the laboring men Of Maine,
"Sirs. the southern people do not believe
that negroes a,e your equals, nor like you !;
they say ,I,,t they arc different beings, and
ought to hr held subordinate to the whites" "
Why, we ask, did not Governor Ua,nln
write this simple ,ru;li? Ii tho negro is in
reality What he pretcnds to believe him to
he, if he is what he SAYS he is, this truth
would have answered his purpose just rs
well as the lie; for feeling and believing
tho negro to he the same as himself, the
whole nature Of the white laLorny men Of
Maine would have revoted just as soon at
rhe idea of holding negroes in bondage us it
would at holding white men. But Govern
or IIamlin knew that this was not So, and
so he ai.ls the wilfu lie that "lle South
hold that You, white laboring men of New
England, are no better than ncgrocS."-
This the Governor knew To he a clincher-
it was false, Of course, and he knew it, but
then it was necessary, for, TO say that slavery
or subordinat!on is ri gil, for the negro, might
set the white working man to thinking, and
he might g, to Governor IIam!in, and say
"Sir, l have been thinking over what y",
say in your message about the southern
people holding the doctrine that negroc.
ought not to ho put on an equality will
white folks, and begin to think they are
hulfright."
"Why, my dear sir" says Governor
uamlin, do you think that because ma,
happens to lie poor and unfortunate, i,
e+g5!.t to bc held in bonrlage?"
20 no, don't believe that, but then
hiygcr, somehow, is different being; yo,
don't want lin around you nor don't wan
him around me; none of us want him; WI
wont eat with the crccter nor sleep will
him, nor let 4 daughter marry him, an,
somehow it seems us though Cod ma.l
him different from u.s.. he eats differently
lives hBrcMtl y unF never amounts to mucl
any bow; don't seem to care much 70
himself nor any body else, and loafs' round
doing nothing, and acts just rs il he wamte
somebody to tell him what to do; and
amt so sure that those people down Sout
wlo'have so many Of 'em around don't d
the right thing when they keep 'em in VI
der, work 'em and take care rf en-"
But: sNys the Governor, with twinn
Of conscience, they want to make all pol
men slaves, without regard to the color
they do not mean that the negro ONLY is
he held in bondage, but that you, anil eve,
other laboring man, ought to he slave.
that is whit they are trying to. ttu now"
40, they are, are they?" says the |
OOTcI, Will uiotShhCi eyes. ~, l
know ihat-tl,aL's another thing. Ii that
what they want, am agin 'cm; can't 4.
that doctrine. have always been Dem
.'rat, but III not go with any party tha
down on The poor man." and away
goes. hurrahing for freedom IN Kansas
The Governor puts his hands deep dov
IN his pockets, stretches out lis feet nj
looks abstractedly into the fire, and sol
quises thus:
"Wl,at ap Internal lfe' tl.nt -, now !
lAAve lived with those soutl.erners more
Tess for nearly dozen years, heard h.,
dred speeches on the slavery question, a
read n thousand newspapers, and liz
HewerkeaL soy &c en- such an i,,ea prom
gated; yet l'ave told this poor fello
and given to my words an. official author
and dignity, that the South was trying
es,slave aI lal"riug men, white and. bln