The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-11-10

"H''", at NUc IluS alarming, IL haS "cen
in fact scarcely more than wholesome ex-
ercise TO repei an exercise which has
made us the most virtuOus aud one Of
the most enlightened and most powerful
people who now flourish on The globe
The South has long been underwriting
and doing great injustice to herself She
has Teen iamenung her weakness, and
croaking about the dangers that beset
her, when she might glory in her strength
and hurl defiance 70 her enemies.
isut il is SAID that with IA fixed and
overwhelming free State majority against
us in this tniuH, with ell our natural ad.
vantages, We must dissolve the connection
to insure our present safety and accom-
plish our proper DESTINY Perhaps so.-
But permit me to suggest, not vet. The
Fihc dissolution of the Uuio,4 is an altern.
atve that We have ALWAYS at command
and for which We should be ever ready ::
but peaceful, prosperous and powerful
people may not chal.snge Fate a day too
soon. HE question still remains can the
4ree States lie brought to concu; parma.
nently in any line Of policy that will sub.
vert the ct Institution, ard seriously dam
age the South i'll this cOnfederacy do
not believe that they can. Reckiess as is
political ambition, and insane as flna,i
G'sm ev,r is, have no idea that the free
States can be consolidated on the wild
project OF ruling the Shareholders by mere
brute numbers, either through the ballot
box or by force Of aims; whether to eman
cipatc our slaves, or strip us Of the fruits
ot their labor - to g0ger;!-HS with the
-tut!iH2Ss and paternak care due to imferi
ors. The nervous of the South am, the
abolitln demaLOuges of the North. may
belive 1t. But when it comes to the ac
tual test, IT neither sober sense nor patri
otclsm should prevail, the sense of danger
and the love of cotton ard tobacco would
with our northern brethren. in every crisis
override their love Of regros. On this
/ think you may depend, despite the in
solent boasts Of the abolitions,s of what
they will do when thev Ge, the govern
ment III their hands. The Nmrh has on
~ 10 he made clearly sensible how far
she can go, and what the $outr will not
submit to. Sac will not trespass bevond
that, but will content herself with The
elections, as she has Just fone.-alwavs
leaving IT to the democracy to carry that
which makes the President.
iBut / am making mere assertions.-
Allow me, then, to refer 10 facts to show
the past power Of the South in this Tn
ION, and tie present state of the great
questions in which she is most deeply in
terested. When, thirty wears ago, we
rbegan this arduous conflict for the consti.
'iuilonai reform Of this government and the
security of the South, the South herself
was thoroughly divided. The tailf, the
bank, the internal Improvement system.
nav, even abolition itself, all had tie
sanction of a large number OF orr most
prominent southern men. If they did
not aIl originate, they were all rcsuScita
ted, III tLat era oi ;ntatuu;ion, when n
southern President proclaimed that we
were call federasts, all republicans :"
when southern ST tatesmen sueerel at State
rights, and the constitution became for
time dead letter
The tariff of 1923 levied average du.
ties of more than forty per cent on all cur
imports. BY the tariff OF 1857 the aver.
age Of duties was reduced below twenty
per cent. We have accomplished that
much and, besides, the principle Of fee
trade is pretty generally conceded now
throughout the Union. 1t cannot be de.
MED that this is a great success think
the duties should be reduced still lower ::
and particularly that the determinations
against the agricultural interests should
be abolished But it is supposed that
there will be demand TO. thelr Increase
at the next Session. Ii so, 1T will OF course
lie resistsd, and rL5t successfully. Free
trade is the test. the touchstone Of free
government, as monopoly is of despotsm.
/ have no hesitation in saving that the
plantation States shout! discarl any gov.
eminent that made protective tariff it's
policy. They should not submit to pay
trlbute for the support of any other indus
trial system than their own; much less,
to make good the bubble speculations OF
another section of the Union. Unequal
taxation is, after all, what we have mos:
TO fear in the Union, and against that we
must be always ready to adopt the most
decisive measure.
lie internal improvement system was
in ruti sigcr in 1928. Inaugura,ed also
by southern men, il absorbed ali .l1 sur
,nlus of the treasury, and being in its ma,
tnre unlimited, it was capable Of absorb
ing all the revenue that could be extorted
by the highest possible tariff. That too, il
not destroyed, has been checked and zip
pied hy southern action. | is true that
~ still appears annually in Congress - but
the once naughty brigtnd is now little
more than asturdy beggar
We had then, also, in full operation a
Bank Of the United States, with branches
A;in all onr principsl cities. IT received and
ssspecuIaied on all The revenues of the gov
srpmeut, aud controlled aud concentrated
lt<stae North all the exchanges, thus levy.
'a2s<sesr centage upon every commercial
'trssaS<e&sG OF the South. That has been