Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-09-05
For tie Eindicator.

Mr.. EDITOR -
/. The Emancipation Convention, held for the
purpose Of devsine ways and means for buy
ing, by the head all Southern chattlos in the
shape of slaves, met az Cleveland, Ohio,
some days ago ] am sorry have not had
an opportunity threading the proceedings Of
the said Convention in detail, hit ftom chat
could gather here and there through the
papers find it is another phase Of Know
Nothingism, which, by the time it reaches
the South may be put in more palatabie
form. The main idea Of the leading men ofthe
Cleveland Convention seems to be the appro-
priation Of the public lands and the surplus
Of the Custom House revenue to the buying
up of slaves at one hundred and fifty dollars
a head, and either leaving them as .'free mig
gers or, Yankee like, carrying them down
to Cuba OF So,sth America on speculation
This disposition of them was not, in so ma
ny words, spoken of in the Convention, but
| take it for granted was Intended as no 9TH
or was mentioned. Either would be hard
81 the Goutherners, the first, because ''free
niggers" are our abomination, and we have
been struggling to get rid of them ever since
the death Of the first amiable being who took
this mode of spiting his heirs, and second
because we would rather send our slaves to
Cuba ourselves and put the value into our
own pockets, thereby saving our Northern
bretheren the sin of using .'blood money
But there is another objection to this scheme.
The lands which the Cleveland Convention
is willing so generously to appropriate to-
wards buying up these chattles, are lands
given by the South 70 the United States for
national purposes, and in which the South
have an equal interest with the North. Now
with the proceeds of these lands the Con-
yenton expects to pay Southerners for their
slaves. Thus, il eject, cutting down the
price Of lie eaatles $50 per head, Or in 9TH
er words, giving us .half of the small sum
they originally propose. Sharp trading This,
when slaves are bringing, on an average,
ST coo 1t may be a laudable effort to infu-
eaoo these PRICES, 80 that or Northern
friends who monopolise the honorable bust
ness of niger trading may be benefited,
possibly they may be represented in the Con-
vention.
BIT to sustain the charge that ii IS another
phase Of Know Nothingism. Every one
Remembers in the last canvass for the Leg
islature that the fundamental principle adj
vocated was the right Of. Congress to'dspose
of the public lands in any way they saw fit.
The Know-Nothings thought the proceeds
ought to be divided among the several States,
.sh.s making the Federal Government a
great reservoir from which the States were to
derive sustenance, or rather it would be a
tax gaherer, for the States once finding how
delightful it is to 1--we without labor, taouid
never be shaken off, and when the proceeds
of the public lands gave out, would suggest
some other way for sucking atthe great Fed
eral teat. The Cleveland Convention thinks
tie ,pr9eeods oqght. 10 be applied to the pur
chase of the Southern Slaves, both agreeing
that Congress has the right to do as it plea
SEES with the lands, only differing in what it
~ssiho-lld do with the proceeds Another diff
ference between the father and son, is, that
the son, young America like, proposes to
carry the principle out to its extreme limits,
and use the custom house revenue
SOUTHERNER