New Orleans daily crescent., 1857-04-28
THE APPROACHING MIGHTY QUESTION


The Charleston Mercury is an able, independent
and honest journal, thoroughly devoted to the South
and its institutions OF this there can be no doubt
and when we are compelled to dissent from some Of
its propositions frequently do, we admire the
ability, candor and manliness with which those pro
positions are set FORTH There is neither evasion
deceit about the Mercury. All is straightforward and
open about the editors Of that Journal What they
have to say they say without regard to the popular
ty or unpopularity of their sayings. Consequently,
they WELD an extended influence over public opinion
throughout the South, which nothing but their i'm
practcabity in some respects, prevents from becom-
ing universal.
In the Mercury of the 2lst inst we find lengthy
and forcible article on The Progress of Abolition
1t starts out by stating that the South minority in
the Government, and that the North is majority,
" increasing not only in numbers proportionably with
the South but in the unanmity, fxedness and nten-
sty of her designs on the South. These statements
are undenably correct The man who would dispute
either would prove himself a knave Or fool.
The boosted results that were to flow from the
election of Mr.. Buchanan are shown up in a very
vigorous manner. OF the five free States that voted
for him he received but majority vote in one-his
native State, Pennsylvania-and in that only one
thousand and twenty-five! New jersey, Indiana,
Illinois and California only gave him plurality vote;
and since Pennsylvania voted she has indicated her
true position by electing the abotonist, Cameron,
to the Senate of the United States In view of these
startling facts, well may the Mercury ask, where,
then, do we find encouragement in this hope of pro-
lection from the Northern majority" To its own
interrogatory our Charleston contemporary replies
follows:
Will be found in the rpudiaon of the decision in
the bred Scott casethe bitterness and contempt with which
the Judges e the Supreme denounced the dense
he 10 eessIfs
treasury sf efforts b
Legislature ef New York to Hon hi rhaya
TO @ iEssGi l. and nd ,ynF M IT, s1
the concurrent, sudacious attempt upon Missouri
or nsy do Southern me men see the reony
aud in tie call! which copy from the New York Herald The
supporter of Mr. Buchanan the friends of the traitor Fremon.
organize for active and the immediate of
his claims for the next Presidency H
For our part, and we say it with regret we have
never before experienced in proracted editorial
perience, we can see sign upon the Northern hori
zon that betokens anything but evil to the South.
We have scanned it closely and hopefully, but the
closer the investigation the greater the hopelessness
it produced. There is use in looking North with
the idea of discovering any encouraging indication.
All is black there, and will continue to grow blacker,
until the storm cloud of anaticism bursts in all its
fury upon the land Whether its bursting will result
in the disruption Of the conederacy or the ruin of the
confederacy, are matters happily hidden from the
gaze of man by the impenetrabe veil of the future.
Still it would be well for the South prepare for any
and every contingency the aspect of the times threat
ems her with.
In continuation the Mercury observes:
Indeed appreciate magnitude of The late victory
to the Soni the disaster of 10 tie
Or tokens Of the extending influence and IN
has been ne a1e @ ve9 i 9 ns I
feat they have grown upon it, Thus trained, and gaining
q s
% e n ps ahs % sSn ed @ at the ssa
leaders they know their growing strength and declining
by the plurality that aided the South election
yet the bulk Of the people the North dcule the
going the Union We tie minority They believe is
s N and hn@ 5 sf ws % n1n S
Northern majority They believe that majority should govern
and interests Of The minority are properly beyond the phea Of
Their direction and control They have not been SO taught
under Governmeni-e General Goyernnen-And that in
The North are majority The government is theirs and
the right 9 govern they please for the general welfare of The
sity Of This law Of freedom democracyts ma
all drive them They the darling object their desire
Tho"e s I o ns o4
e eG es s f sns~s t b the ID
r,y sGe .. ne1 A.. A. a;nos they have positively and
State They have fearlessy Introduced the subject
State Legislature have commenced the agitation, and have
achieved the victorious possession of the capital ctyhe
araus city Of s. Louis rising in wealth and beyond
belief and perhaps destined at distant day. from its location
land city Of the continent Nor they satisfied with This
cess Their gaze fixed upon the mellow fields Missouri
mines wonderful iron mountains her Leagues Of cropping
her central position Of power and influence q'od
the acquisition Of State to the North and the ban
siasion and argument but hostile agitation denaneaon alb
ducon violence and every of and assault
invasion another slave State Virginia and have organized
and procured the of entering upon their work Delcu
from the assault until the design compussedhe South
yerted under a Northern dominion.
We should like to copy the entire article from
which the foregoing extracts are TAKEN but have not
room. We may refer to it hereafter. Tn the mean
time let the Southern public consider well the start
ling facts so graphically laid down, and compare the
actualties of the past and present with the probab
ties and certanties Of the future By so doing they
will arrive at better knowledge of the mighty ques-
tion that is approaching towards solution with a
certainty as irresistible as the DEGREES of fate.
Talk ON Change. .-
It was generally very quiet yesterday, some CON
siderable receiving in the way of Western produce at
the upper steamboat landing, but it is evident the
period for the usual annual decline in trade has ar
rived. There is not much freight going thther in