New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-12

our future course by the decision.
Whatever may be boastinsly truly said about
the unity Of sentiment at the South on the general
subject OF Slavery, we discover just now, on tina.
special branch Of the subject relating to slave in
surrectlors, no evidence of any such unity. but
contrariwise, abundant evidence of great diversity
Of opinion. The Southern papers continue to come
laden with speculations rumors and statements
purportpg to be of facts as to the plot alleged to
have existed on the part Of the slave population at
divers very remote points Of the slsveholdng States
for a rising at Christmas. Certain it is that q
great mary slaveholdpg negabOrhoOds have been
thoroughly frightened. Under the influence Of this
fright, there have been already, according to The
Memphis Eagle and Enquirer, not less than forty
negroes hung, while hundreds of others have been
most severely punished for alleged implication in
these alleged insurrectionay schemes. Nor have
charges Of completely in these schemes, and pun
i.hment therefor, been limited to the negroes,
whether bond or free. Several white men have
been handled very roughly and ordered to depart.
We have not heard that any white man has yet
Been put TO death, but already the blood Of such
begins to be loudly demanded.
The Montgomery AdrertiSer copies from a
Savannah paper an account of white man
who, upon charge of attempting to in
cite discomfort among the slave population,
had been logged and shipped to Savannah,
where be was lodged in Jail to await an op-
portunity to sh Up him to the North. The Adratiscr
is indignant at this undue clemency. " Now amt
L" that too bad ?" il exclsims. Instead OF crush
ing the neck Of the hell hound, he is suffered 10
depart Sent him on his way the North, in
" instead Of launching him into eternity as they
should have done The Knorralc Tenn
Register is indignant that certain white man re-
siding in Rosne County, caught tsmpering with
I" the slaves, had merely been ordered to leave the
county. Such villains" rays The Register,
should be driven from the country" But this
does by no means satisfy The Montgomery MAIL
which thus takes The Register to task:
"'Such villains shoud not be driven from the
.cow try' BY no means II there Is proof TO drive
man ANONYMOUSLY forth, there Ia proof to hang him
and III sparingy. The driving away is to send mis-
sonsry to lie against and our institutions elsewhere
1t is no punishment and the reason so many cases oc
of tsDpering with slaves, Is the probability that
eyitabe death be the doom Of the intermeddler-that
il tie only honest true protective policy Of the Slave
States. When this Is once understood-tanperlng will
become the raIest Of all ofienses'
A beautiful state of things this, certainly-eyery
negro liable to be hung on suspicion as plottef,
and every white man as sn instgstOr But while
these ugly occurrences stand forth prominent and
unquestionsble hard. featured and fnghtful facts,
Lie eruptive mountainous rising into the clear
atmosphere, an impenetrable mist or smoke covers
everything else, beyond the power Of the sharpest
eve TO penetrate it, Whether there is any real oc-
csscn for the alarm which still continues 10 fnd at
different points Of the Southern country new craters
Of eruption, continues TO be vigorously disputed By
the Southern journals. The larger number Of those
journals take the reality OF the plot for granted;
some Of them sHege, indeed, that the doubts thrown
on the reality Of the plot and the opposition to the
banging Of negroes implicated in ii, arisee not from
any doubts as to their guilt, but solely from mer-
ceBary motives on the part OF those 10 whom they
belong. Great complaints are made that the law
should leave the loss Of slaves thus exeeuted-at
least in the case Of execution BY Lynch-aw courts
to fall upon the owners, who are thas tempted
to become the champions OF rebels and dissenina-
tors of the nsurrectionary spirit, By withdrawing
their guilty negroes from public vengeance, ard
running them of to be sold elsewhere. According
TO these journals, the forty negroes already sacr
feed are Lot half the number Of examples de-
nsnded by the occasion as terror TO evil dOers.
There are, however, journals published even
at the seats of alarm which boldly deny any plot
or any danger Tie Natehe: Free Trader thus
de,cribes the state Of things in that city:
For the last few week., our quiet nunity has
been stirred Up Tupted volcano by the current
rumor of contemplated negro insurectiOn during he
Christmas hoiidsys Women have huddled together
with fear a flock Of partrdge, frightened by the
rustlrg Of dry leaves by the innocent winds. Children
Iested more closely in their mothers arms and the
sanming to Of door or the whszing of old BorcaSs
blasts at midnight houn would cause slsepess hours
sferwsrd. Strong mel even have arsenaled ther
houses with firearms awaiting the expected assault
And yet The Free Trader positively asserts that
negro Instructions are all "humbug," "mere
stuff" poodle doodle stuff" "phyaical, mental
AID aoIal sbsut'i.iss," Tue argument Of TIE Err.