Weekly Clarksville chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857, 1857-03-06

Z
but neither the State. of Tennessee,
nor all the slave States in America, are
alone IN theworidy OF in-aposition to have
a public opinion and common sense Gifts
own, distinct from the rest of the world,
and opposed to tho judgment of mankind.
~. ssrsiS Novdoes theuStateu of iEsnnesses,
enjoy, any assumption from those laws of
sRsntaueous Development which obtain
over all the races Of man, only adapting
Themselves to his varying circumstances"
Copceding-as we do--the power of
public opinion to mould the social and po-
litical institutions of any people upon
whom it is brought 20 bear, there is pc
tculiarity in the condition OF the slave
States, well calculated to resist, if not ut
terly to defy this power, And this ele
mcnt of resistance is to be found. not SO
much in the moral and political views of
the people, on the subject Of slavery, as
I in the stern necessity which rivets it upon
us. The public opinion, to which the
Times thinks we must ultimately yield,
has Hcrculean task to perform. 1t must
either lower the standard Of southern feel
ing to point, when it will not revolt at
the idea Of social and political equality
and gradual amalgamation with the slave,
or it must provide the means to purchase
and transport him to another cline. And
until the mode of doing the one, or the
other, has been devised, it is Sheer folly to
preach about the omnipotence of public
sentiment, and unmitigatcd cruelty to en-
courage the slave to insubordination.. If
the blacks are unjustly enslaved by the
whites, the latter are irresistably enslaved
/ by necessity; and, throwing out of thee count
the whole question of humanity and natu-
raj right, the subject is narrowed down to
this point--the slaves cannot be enamel
pated here, without the extirpation of the
one or the other race, and the law of self
preservation commands the whites to main
tain the power they hold, Public scnti-
mcnt passes no power by which it can de-
grade the freemen OF the South to level
with their slaves, and until it can persuade
the master to sell, and enable the philan-
thropist to buy the slave, and transport
him from the South, all this morbid SYM
pathy is anything but blessing to him.
Outside of this, mode of delivering him
from bondage, there is none, unless his
physical proves may suffice to cxtermi-
nate the whites, One more quotation, and
we are done, and to what follows, we in
yite the special attention of the democrats
of Tennessee, because of its truth, and
close application TO their conduct:
'They" (the slaves "also attend pub
lie meetings; and here, it appears, the mas
ters have made grea. mistake. They
have actually invited their own slaves to
come to public meetings held for the pur,
pose of exposing, eondemning and de-
nouncing the arguments of the Abolition-
lists and Freesoilers. The negroes have
gathered hence that great attempts were in
! progress in the North for their emancipa.
tom that the Abolitienists were sending
cmissaries and oven settlers South tina
their own masters were in great panic
and that. in the opinion of the rest of the
world, the institution of slavery was contra
nv to tlc laws of Cod, and certain soon t.
end it is true all this was refuted a
these meetings; but, as happens with dis
coursesupon heresy infdolity and licenciou'
E indulgences, the hanc proved stronger thar
the antidote, and the speaker has mor,
power to disseminate the disease than t.
cure it. 1t requires no great shrcwdness tC
: discover this mistake; but if the wise pcO
PIE of Tennessee will think twice they may
make some further discoveries. They ma,
:. find out that best devised plans may fail
that they have to deal with a class tina
l listens to speeches, thinks for itself sepa
, rates the wheat from the chaff and is ready
, 20 act On its own convictions"
This issoasonable and wholesome advice
f but our London contemporary is in error
, in supposipg there is any scheme, in thi'
, slavery agitation, to strengthen the institu
, ton; and we are sorry to inform him tina
it is all a mere trick to strengthen the hole
: of the democracy upon the key of the pub
4 lie crib"
nsas I 600 e6sa
= nuab,ls % Gna Ir;gb Dototons so{b A,