The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-06-04
nm rArs AND fottv or oo,tfao,ffsn

thAspfNciical aehse, The esiatencs Of a
secret ctgahisatioh In Massachusetts, 10 70.
sist the esecution Of tho fugitive slave
aot ID a t,atter Of mo- sort Of consequence
TO the people Of the South. We are con.
oerned oaly with tho fact Of tie nullifica.
tion of The law, nnd have no choice whe,h.
or the, thing be done by spontaneous or
concerted assassination. If the slave es.
cape, wo care very little whether he is spir.
tied away on the underground railroad, or
torn from tho hands Of justice by the vic.
lence Of mob. There may be such an
organization as the "Pine Tree League"
0hough it looks very like hoax,) but it is
an unnecessary piecc Of machinery, consid-
ering that the Fugitive Slave Law is already
an exploded humbug.
BY the Compromise of 1850, the South,
in some particulars, sacrificed its essential
interests. 1t gave away the magnificent
empire of California. 1t recognized the
principle of Squatter Sovereignty in its
most odious and misclievous operation.-
1t surrendered portion of Southern
State to the dominion of Free-SoiI. 1t
agreed to protect Mormonism with the
sanctions and shelter of territorial gov
crnment; and above all, it consented to
the abolition Of the slave trade in the Dis
trict of Columbia, under the conditions
which imply power on the part of the
General Government to abolish slavery
itself in the Federal domain. All this the
South did when it resolved to acquiesce
in the Compromise of 1850. What in
demnity did the South receive for these i'm.
portant concessions! The Fugitive Slave
Law, and nothing more! The act was
drawn with care and ability, and is want.
ing in no provision essential to to its salts
factory operation. In view of the adyer-
sarys strength, and the detection of Foote,
Clemens, Cobb, and others, from the sup
port of the South, it was something to gain
even so inadequate compensation for all
our sacrifices. Considering the extremity
Of our distress, tie enactment Of strin-
gent statute for the return of fugitive slaves,
was in some sort a triumph for the South,
and it is not because of Inherent INSULT
cheney that the law is an abortion.
: These are painful "reminiscences, and
since the advent of the present Saturian
age-bringing a blissful respite from Sec
tional hate and feud-it may seem to be-
tray disorganizing spirit" thus to recall
the spcctres of extinct animosities. Ave.
but we are proof against the spell of The
politicians necromancy. With lis, facts
that were once facts are always facts. A
thing which was treason to the South in
1850, is treason to the South in 1857, al
belt parties agree to hush the matter up.
and to call the day before the election an
antediluvian age. A resolution of "ac-
quiescence imposes no obligation Of per
petual silence touching the past. The sue
cess OF buchanan secured US a patriotic
President for the next four years but the
South is not yet absolved from the neces-
sity of vigiIant guardianship of its rights.
The best lessons in craftsmanship are taught
by experience; and if we would know
how to protect ourselves for the future. we
must profit by the logic of events. Al
vivid recollection of former defeats NAV
save the South from repetition of the ig-
nominy and the disaster. It is the hour
OF peace and quiesence, when the South is
secure with wise and conservative Ad-
ninistration, that we should make most &C.
tive preparation against the dangers that
are to come upon us at no distant day and
to that end let us be instructed by the mis-
fortunes of the past.
Assuredly there is no passage in the his
tory of the struggle between the South and
Abolitionisn, so pregnant with admonition
rs that which records the pompous enact
mentz and the miserable miscarriage of the
Fugitive Slave Law. What better illustra-
ton could we:deyise of the Punic faith of
the North What more impressive ex-
ample of tho utter and unspeakable follv
OF putting. trust in paper compromises
The engagements which the South con.
tracted under the Compromise of 1850
wWeresdischarged YER at once and to the full
the obligation which the North assumed
was oxcusatory," to borrow legal phrase
And An how has that single pledge been re-
leemedf Does the North surrender our
fugitive slaves9 Is not the law in fact
worse than dead lettera In some instan-
:, ges the master has been the victim of Abo-
'htlonsm6bs. In others, the mere attempt
toTecoyer ahisSproperty under clause of
he Constitution and laws of the land, Iias s
exposed him TO the fate Of common felop.
id;eysry sase of the:recapture of fugitive
slaye, the expensense of the undertaking
;has,sxceeded the value of the negro. In
y,if not ,a majority of the Northern