The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-08-01

:
and love for mankind would omen with nsrrection mas
sace In servile war In which Ii the slaves TRIUMPH thei,
masters be the victims Throughout those
& generally believed IN he ta elrate design Of the
aolitionists That tber measures tend 10 snc horrible
results cannot think he denied but that the authors
of them clearly forcsee these results and reckessly psb
ON 10 them willing 10 uarticinate I'm such crimes and 10
meet the fearful responsibility they would incur am
not prepared TO believe So far as reason prevails among
these eluded men tbev win undoubtedly DENY that tls
mode Of eciinq their object i embraced within their plan
of operations Its more charitable 10 presume that they
mean TO stop short OF this catastrophe that they are
willing to spread dire alarm among the white population
OF those States with view 10 make them feel that life
PROSPERITY and all human comforts are insecure where do
nestle slavery prevails and by these means so To
its evils that they will be led by the mere
of them TO emancpate their slaves Such mode of at
tempting effect this object is by folly and
wickednes To suppose that such means will condue TO
such an end betays amentable Ignorance of the uni
versal laws of human action If the slave owners ever
in any plan for the abolition of slavery it must
arise from better motive than fear They will secure
themselves from danger by acting on the objects from
which 1t is apprehended- by emancpation but by
multiplying safeguards bv increasing rest RANTS NV nrc
population by Withholding from them all moral and re-
gious instruction and by every conceivable means Of
making them harmless machines To satisfy ourselves
that such would be the consequences of exciting alarms
have only look what they have already done and
are preparing to do Manumssion is discouraged and
about be adopted to expel all free per-
of color from the saveholding States Instead Of
increasing disposition cooperate in any plan of eman
cipation there is now exhibited a more fixed dcterm
nation than heretofore to maintain the institution of
slavery.
The great engine which the alolitionists profess to
WELD and by the operations of which they hope to bring
their object within their reach is free discussion BY the
potency of abolition arguments the shareholders are to
he instructed in their duty to be taught lessons of hui
mainly of moral obligation and civil liberty and to be
induced to strip the bonds from their slaves and to re-
ceive them into social and political fellowship After all
that has been done to accomplish this end it may not be
Improbable to look ut the results If we believe the con-
curing testimony of citizens of slayehonp States not
one convert has been made among them On the con-
trary their passions are aroused deep sense of indg-
nation at unprovoked wrongs and q mischevous inter
meddling with their domestic concerns excites and agi
tates the entire mass of the white population The abo-
onists and all their works arc loudly and universally
denounced as sedous incendary and wicked and the
bonds of amity and concord which unite us To the neople
of the South are threatened with severance because we
tolerate within borders these dsurbes of their peace
and vioators OF their laws Such we are assured is the
progress which the arguments OF the aboltonists have
made in bringing the shareholders to a concurrence In
their views
When we consider the matter and manner of these an
peaIs and the character of the neonlc In vb, they ar
made we ought not to be surprised that thew have been
Indignantly rejected In all that regards the yities Of
life In high Intellectual cultivation and ep,owments In
moral conduct and character in compreben ion of the
principles of civil and political liberty to give these prn
cpcs practical appreciation in love Of country and de
voton to its interests the
nished as many eminent examples as any other section Of
the Union When any attempt from any quarter or mn
der any pretences made to disparage them if we for
bore to indicate their character we might seem to be
unmndf of what Is dine tn them or tho d;stino;sbed
part they have acted in all the trials and conflicts through
which our country has psed from the earliest stage f
the revolution down to the nrescnt time In aJj The
views have been able To take of the lobors Of the abo
ltionss have not discovered that they have reduced
single benefit but every step in their movements thus
far has been attended with evil consequences will not
undertake to describe the clmities which in MI proba
bty would result from their future progress not only
TO the people of the several States but to the peopc Of
the whole human race SO far as the cause of civil liberty
is concerned because indulge the hone Tint thew have
already reached the last stage of their onward career
willingly turn from this view of the subject to direct
your attention to what has been done and what may be
required to prevent further evils from, this course
The people of this State continue to cherish nm unaba
ted attachment to the federal COMPACT The many single
advantages they have derived from IT, and the many thew
still look for bind them to course Of fraterna conduct
towards their sister States and Law them under the bob
est and sacred obligations to fulfil in good ftb and 10
the utmost extent Of its requirements ali the duties II i'm
poses them and to abstain from all practices incom
patble with these duties or contrary To the shirt of ay
of its provisions
Acting upon these principles our fellowcitizens very
generally feel II to be their solemn duty whatever they
think Of slavery the abstract or in its actual condition
in any section of the Unon to leave its treatment as
it left in their case entirely and forever to the peo
pie of the States i'm which exists These States are not
only entitled to the exclusive control of the subject but
they arc Immediately affected by It, thew and they only
best understand the proper mode of treating IL and Il
requires but small share of good feeling towards them