The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-04-29
HON. EDWARD EVERETT ON SLAVERY

We Ci'P iToin ah exchange the following cx
tract, taken from speech delivered by Mr..
EVERETT in Congress, in 1926, in reply to reso
lutions introduced by Mr. McDuFFIE, to change
the manner of clectng the Presidential Electors
The extract embodes in q small compass, q
strong argument i'll favor Of our institutions, and
proyes its author to have been thoroughly i'm
bued with the true spirit of our government:
"Having touched ON this point, ought, per-
haps. to add, that If there are any members in
this House Of that class Of politicians TO whom
the gentleman from North Carolina, (Mr. Saun-
ders, alluded, as having tue disposition, though
not the power, to disturb the compromise con-
tanned in the Constitution on this point. am
not of tho number. Neither am one of those
citizens OF the North, TO whom another honora.
bic member lately referred, in publication to
which his nume was subscribed, who would
think it immoral and irreIigious to join iii putting
down scrvile insurrecton at the South am
10 soldier, sir; ray habits and education are very
unmilitary; hut there is no cause i'm which |
would sooner buckle 4 knapsnck to my hack and
put a nlusket on my shoulder than that. l
would cede the whole continent to any one who
| would tnke ito England, TO France, to Spaiu:
l would see 1t sunk in the bottom of the ocean
before would see any part of this fair America
converted into a Continental IIayti, by that
awful process Of bloodshcd and desulaton by
which alone such catastrophe could be brought
on The great relation Of servitudc, in some
form or other, with greater or less departures
from the theoretic equality of man, is insepara-
bic from our nature. l know of no way by
| which the form of this servitude shall BIZ fixed
but rolitica! institution. Domestic sllvery, though
confess not that form of scrvit'idc which scc,l,s
to be most beneficial TO the mdscr.-certainly
not that which is most beneficial 10 The slave
is not, in my Judgment, to he set down as mn
immoral and irreIigious relation. I cannot ad-
init that religion has hut one voice to the slave
and that this voice is, Rise against Your mas
ter. No, sir, the New Testament says, Slaves
obey your master; and though | know full we'll
that in tho bcnignunt operation of Christianity
which gathered master and slave around the
same contribution table, this unfortunate institu-
ton disappeared in Europe, yet l cannot admit
that, while it snbsists, and where it subsisis it's
duties arc not Prc-supposcd and sanctioned by
religion And though l certainly am not called
| upon &c meet the chnrges brought against this
Institution, yet truth obligcs me to say word
more on the subject ! know the condition of
| the working classes i'll other countries; l am i'm =
timatey acquainted with it in some other coun-
tries and have no hesitation in saying, that
believe the slaves in this country are better
clothed and fed and less hardly worked, than
| the pcasantry of some of the most prosperous
States of the continent of Europe. Consider the
| checks on population read MaltIus. What
keeps population down? Poverty, want, starva-
ton, disease, and all the ills Of life it is these
| that check population all over the world. Now,
| the slave population in the United States in
creases faster than the white, masters included.
| What Is the inference as to the physical conCi.
ton of the two classes Of socety9 These are
| opinions have long entertained and long since
| publicly professed on this subject, and which I
here repeat, in answer to the intimatons TO
which have already alluded"