The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-06-26
Tho Slaveholding Interest.

fullest opportunity may he given him FOR max
ing public his method Of ofinterpretation.
Tho slaveholding Interest.
The following extract from the Now Orleans
Delta, presents an impressive statement of the
greatness Of the Slaveholding interest, the dan
gers which threaten it, and the proper rene
| dy for the evil. The Institution is in danger.
| and needs to be strengthened by material guar.
antees as well q. to be defended politically and
morally. It's bnsis requires to he enlarged ;
| its numbers diffused, and its social position
guaranteed. The public opinion Of the world
ia to be changed. with reference 10 Slavery,
but especially public opinion at the South. A
thorough conviction of right will lead to the
| vigorous and unfinching defence of the insti-
| tuition. But to effect this change the Press
must DO employed:
There not less tlnn three hundred and
fifty thousand actual and legal Shareholders in
the South, md counting members of families
and others who are virtual Shareholders the
number directly Unidentified with the slave.
| holding is not less than two millions
| The number of slaves in the South is over
three and n half Millions and their aggregate
value. at present prices. is fully sixteen hun
drcd millions Of dollars.
\ Auc co'lon piuhtntlOnS III tho south nre
about eighty thousand. and the aggregate value
of their annual products. ut the present prices
of cotton. is fully one hundred and twenty
millions "f dollurs-There are over fifteen
thousand tobacco plantations. and their annual
| products may bc valued at about fourteen mil
lions of dollars. There nre two thousand six
hundred sugar plantations, the products of
which average annually more than twelve
millions of dollars. There nre five hundred
and hfty-one rice plantations, which Weld an
annual revenue of four millions of dollars
Many other products of Southern agricul
ture might be added to this list, but we emu.
merate the above articles hccnuse they may b.
regarded exclusively the productions Of
slnve labor.
Here. then, We have n capital Of sixteen hun
drcd millions. producing annually n cash value
OF one hundred aud fifty millions. owned and
employed in the South, and identified with the
institution of slavery. No community of cnp.
italists Of the same number, unless it be the
| British East India Company in its palmicst
days. ever welded capital of sucl, magnitude
| or possessed moro elements of power CONNER.
| cinl, political, and moral. Yet the vast capital
Of this body Of men is not based upon n mo
nopoly: is protected by 10 fostering laws ; has
had the perpetual frown rather than the smile
of the Government under which it was held ;
and would have long since pcrishcd under the
restriction Of unfriendlv legislation. but for
the inherent justice. wholcsoinencss. and utility
Of the industrial system on which it rested.
How much longer this capital will be nblc
to stand before the hostile influence nr-ayetl
against it, may be question of very few
years: or question running through future
Of indefinite duration. according to the sagnc-
ity or the sollty, the energy Of the nrpathv,
the courage or the timdity, the spirit of indie
| Pendcnce or the spirit of submission, which
may bc displayed by the slavelol,ling inter
cst of the South. Certain it is, that this
capital is in danger. and the danger increases
| daily. The moral sentiment Of the civilized
world" is at wnr with this capital the ltcrn-
ture OF the civilized world is acting like slow
| poison to destroy this capital the newspaper
press in Eur"pc and, with few exceptions, in
the United States. is either hostile to this capi.
| tal or nnsympathising with it while the poll
tics of the only existing national party offer
s:raction Of "non-interfcrence"- means
! tho preservation Of a status quo, the inevitable
| result of which must be the gradual dcstruc-
ton of this capital.
The Slave interest. then. has only to show
that IL 10 in earnest, to show that it is strong,
and show that it is ready to exert its strcngth
definitely and triumphantlv. in the Union or
II necessary, in argument of naked steel and
logic of shottcd gun. to guarantee its existence
| against moral political, any other power
But the great enemy of the South is in the
South. The Indifference and lnssitudc of the
Southern people on questions vital to them
tlcIans wlias look to success by anticipating
public impulse and rejecting public sentiment,
will soon bc right on the Southern question
if the Southern people themselves are made
right To effect the necessary change in the
public mind. the press must be employed. It
should adhere to the Southern interest MS its
cardinal end; it should command hearing
from the whole South it should be light 10
all it should be a warning tn tho unwary; it
| should be terror to the bad and treacherous
it should be an omniprcsence-watching while
all other sentinels slcpt, shining like a beacon
at all hours Of the night, though the stars
| might disappear and storm and darkness min.
gle. Butil,is is maternal age, and such a
press must have material sustennnce. Out of
two millions Of slavcholdcrs; out of sixteen
| hundred aud fifty millions of income derived
| from slave labor, can not sufficient material
nid be suppliedi Yea, hudred times suffi-
cheney. Will il bs contributed with the prompt.
ness and nlacrity which the emergency re-
qu're.l Let those the most materially inter
ested in the question answer.
At preset the Southern press hns not the
| concentration of talent. Che grasp of material
| fnciiities the extended scope of influence, to
| long and successfully combat the gigantic
moral power welded against the slavehold.
ing interest Of the South in Europe and Amer
lea. Ono anti.siavcry newspaper in New York
city alone, it 10 likely. reaches nearly as many
readers as all the newspapers published in
Charleston and New Orleans put together In
Spite therefore. Of whatever zenl fidelity and
vigor the latter may display, they are com.
paratively feeble and their efforts Of little avail
But they might he made irresistible; they
might be clothed with moral omnipotenee; and
they. would be, if the saveholjng interest,
wisely arpreciating its danger and its necessi
ties, would promptly arm with tho sinews of
war and an fundamentally that 10 essential to
itself and perpetuity.
A Book soR rHE TIHEs.-Under this head
the N. Y. Journal Of Commerce announces a
forthcoming work by Rey. DR.. Stiles to which
it pays the following emphatic tribute:
IL .r Al