The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-30
Mr.. DOUGLAS IN THE SOUTH.


Mr.. Douglas made an elaborate speech at
repeated it, in substance, at New Orleans, The
friends Of the black man will be gratihed to
learn that the Illinois Senator had the ind.
pendence to ayow, in the presence Of a South
ern audience, his preference for negroes over
crocodles. 1t is true that he goes for the per
petual enalayement Of the negro but that is
from the necessity of the case the Almighty
having drawn line south of which Slayery must
exist He saws;
:. Whenever Territory has a climate. soil.
and production. making it the interest Of the
inhabitants te encourage slave property. they
will pass slave code. and give il encourage
ment. Whenever the climate. soil. aud prOduc-
tlon, preclude the possibility OF Slavery being
profitable, they will not permit IL. You come
right back To the principle Of dollars aud cents
! do not care where the migration in the South
crn country comes from; if old Joshua r. Gid
diug> should raise a colony in Ohio. and settle
down in louisiana, he would be the strongest
advocate of Slavery in the whole South: he
would find. when he got there, his opinion world
be very much modified he would find on those
sugar plantations that it was not a question be-
tween the white man and the negro, but be
tween the negro and the crocodile.
- He would say that between the negro and
the crocodile. he took the side of the negro. But
between the negro and the white Dlan he would
90 for the white man. The Almighty has drawn
the line on this continent on one side Of which
the soil must be cultivated bv slave labor on
the other, by white labor That line did not
run on thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes. for
tlirty-SiN degrees and thirty minutes runs over
mountains and through valleys. But this slave
line Ineanders in the sugar-helds and panta-
tons of the South the remainder of the SEN
tence was lost by the confusion around the re-
| porter And the people living in their different
localities and in the Territories must determine
| for themselves whether their middle bed is
| best adapted to Slavery or Free Labor
Hence, under the Constitution, there is no
! power to prevent Southern man going there
with bis slaves more than a Northern man"
On this question, of what has been fore-or-
dained in the councils of the Almighty in regard
| to the perpetuation of Slavery. the Democratic
doctors disagree very materially, For instance,
| there was Mr., Jefferson, whose authority was
| formerly much respected in Democratic circles,
who expressed opinions directly the reverse OF
those given above from the speech of the Illinois
statesman and philosopher. In his Notes on
Virginia, Mr.. Jefferson said
with the morals of the people, their indus
try also is destroyed; for, in warm climate
no man will labor for himself who can make
another labor for him. This is so true. that OF
the proprietOrs of slaves, very small propor
ton, indeed, are ever seen to labor. And car
the liberty of a nation be thought secure. when
we have removed their only firm basis-a con
viction in the minds of the people that these
liberties the gift of God-that they are not
to be violated but with his wrath +? Loleed.
tremJfe for my country ,chen refect M0
God Is inst; tint his Justice cannot sleep for
ecer that, considering numbers, nature, and
natural means only, revolution of the whee
OF fortune, an exchange of situation. is among
possible events that it NAV become probable
by supernatural influence! THE ALMIGHTY ha
attrib,fe ,chich can take side lcih as in s1cI
a contest
Again, in a letter to one of his friends. h,
saws
But it was found the public mind would no
bear the proposition, nor will it bear it even a
this day 1921 yet the day is not distan
when it must bear and adopt it, or worse vii
: follow. Nothing is more certainly written i,
J the Book of Fate, than that these people are t.