The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-04-22
THEN AND NOW.

"A iiiVhlh VI 50 ago, one, on reading
the fire-eating Secession papers of the
South, would have thought that immcdi-
ately on the rejection Of the Lecompton
Constitution the whole Southern country
would be in arms, and ready to fight
"till the last armed foe expiredi" We
have faint recollection of having seen
some such declaration as "war to the
knife is truly our motto" but instead of
war to, or with the knife, it has only
proved to be a war with thespens. Two
months ago the AraldRche, the Sammy
South, the Petrol, the Clipper, and few
others of the "terrible" patriots shouted
disunion with such vigor as to make a
few believe such a thing could happen
! Through their agency. Some three
months ago a grand Secession demon
stration was made in Aberdeen, which
ended in gas, and the only service which
it performed was to give few ambitious
spirits an opportunity to give vent to
their bursting feelings, in language al
most forcibe enough to burst the Union
besides furnishing the Sammy with mat
ter for bursting leader; this was all the
disunion meeting at Aberdeen did. Now
we hold up our eyes inquirngly and ask,
where are all the Secession meetings
which the ranting fire-eaters threatened
to hold, all the bloody measures they
vowed to adopt, all the terrible retribu-
tons they swore should fall on the heads
of the accused Aboltionists Echo
answers where If we had to choose
between disgrace and dishonor, or dis
union and destruction, we would certain
ly choose disunion and destruction, but
there is no need of choice. There new
er has been, never can be- never will be
a time when Kansas can be admitted I'M
der a strictly legal constitution, recog-
nising slavery. We desired the Lecomp-
ton to pass simply for the effect it would
have of calming, to degree at any rate,
the agitation of this everlasting question
of slavery. About its legality we know
nothing, though there is reason to sus-N
pect that it is not all right, from the way1
it was voted down at an election in Kan
sas some months ago.
The really sensible portion of the peo-
pie OF the South, we are proud to say, are
not so lost to all consciousness of their
influential and happy cond-
ton, as to wish to sever the ties which
bind together nation whose very name
is symbolic of granduer and power
Particularly upon so trivial pretext as
The non-admission of slave State, which
IS palpably Northern in sentiment be-
cause a few hair Drained, hard-headed
democrats wish it. Notwithstanding the
spirit OF fight that seems to animate the
breasts of these so-called- ambitious-to-
oe-distinguised-d isunionists, if they were
asked and would candidly answer the
question edo you really wish to dissolve
he Union ~ their reply would be "no,
out we say so because it is democratic !''
But the desire for crawling out of the
Union is like Bob Acker's courage rapid
y oozing out at their fingers ends, and
instead OF the bravado-trying-to-fr Brighten
omebody kind of talk, which has for
ometlme graced the columns of their [
secession papers, we occasionally see
ong article on the ''Value of the Union" |
sc' = not exactly crawfshing from :
heir old position, but sort o. stepping j
side. When the question of the admis- a
ion of Nicaragua, Cuba, or Mexico is Q
rought up we will wish them better sue a
eSs.
gB A duel which was to have come off q
n the Sth inst, at West Point, Ga, be-
Teen Ben Lane Posey, editor of the q
larion (Ala.) American, and Reid, edi- D
'r of the Marion (Ala.) Commonwealth, il
id not take place. The seconds split e
pom very nice punctilio in regard to !
neither or not the arrangements should 4
)t be put down in writing; Poscy's t;