New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-07


subject Of Slavery, which within very few years
past have made such rapid progress at the South,
haze yet obtained the assent Of anything like the
majority of the white inhabitants Of that part OF
the country. Even the majority of the slave
holders it il probable, have not as yet accepted
those dOgmss But this is no ground for any conf
drnce that these new doctrines may not become,
for certain length of time, the controlling and
governing sentiment upon which Southern action
will BE- ba-ed. III spite of our famous demo-
critic principle that the majority ought to govern,
in point Of fact the majority never have governed.
The English Puritans, who overturned the
throne, uncsssocked the Bishops and stripped the
altar Of all tia ornaments were very far from be-
ing majority of the English people. The indie
penderts, who cut of the Kings head, abolished
the House of Lords, and made Cromwell Lord Pro-
tector, 80 far from being majority OF the people
Of England were in fact but small minority even
of the Puritan Aody. The French Republicans
sho ruled France for time with such absolute
a.cendency. and that upon theories totally new
and to the absolute Overtun for the time being
of all pre-existing arrangements, were never but
very limited number compared with the whole
body Of the French people.
Even here in this country, where our institutions
are framed with the profcsscd intent 70 give fair
play to the principle that the majority ought to
rule, the very slaycholding ascendency that al this
moment controls the Federal Government and
tramplcs frea labor and the free-labor States
under foot, is proof on the spot and at the
moment that the majority do not govern.
The same operation that the shareholders have
performed in getting the control, though they are
but small minority of the voters, of the Federal
Government and through that Government making
their power and influence felt and often decisively
felt in every State, Congressional district, city,
town and village of the North, may well en-
courage even small minority of these very slave
holders to expect that they too in their turn may
obtain the control Of the entire slavehoding body,
and through that body of the entire Union Auda.
city and fanatcism and vigorous employment Of
that system of terror already in full operation at
the South may go great way TO accomplish this
result; and if We to Judge OF the future By the
past, the country may some day find itself most
Unexpectedly in the grasp Of these rulers some
Northern aspiront for Presidential honors himself
moving the revival of the slaye-trade, and some
obseauious Northern doughface in the Presidential
chair exertng all the patronage snd influence Of his
Office to force the measure through.
That this new Southern slayehOding prOpa-
ganda is not wanting either in audacty or fanati-
csm, is sufficiently evident from the tenor of the re-
ports and resolutions in favor Of reyiying the Afri-
can save-trade lately submitted to the Legislatures
of South Carolina and Texas-papers of which we
have already given an account. The degree OF ter
r0r which they inspire is not lcss distinctly shown
in the minority report submitted by one OF the
members of the South Carolina Committee. The
author of this minority report, As any one may find
BY reading few paragraphs of It, is great deal
more than match for the majority, from whom he
disscnted Had he been 81 minded, he would have
found no difficulty in totally demolisbing that report
from beginning To end But, though it is evident
from certain sy deblOws dealt now and then that it
requires not little sedenis his part 10 refrain
from stripping the Committee of its rhetorical
paraphernalia and thoroughly exposing It's naked
ness and emptiness, he has too much discretion to
do any such thing. All It's declarations shout the
philanthropy of the slave-trade and the benefits
which its revival would confer upon the world al
large and the negroes in particular-who have no
other chance. according to the Committee, of
getting civilized and christanized-he meets with
the quiet remark that it is the business of
the South Carolina Legislature to look out for
the benefit of South Carolina. He does not
directly charge the Committee with attempting
philanthropy dodge; he merely suggests that, how
ever great service it may De- to the negroes to put
them in the way of being made Christians of, or
however beneficial it may BE- TO the English manu-
fscturers to reduce the price of cotton To FIVE cents
y pound, the real question for the South Carolina
LEGISLATURE is. What would South Carolina gain by
the operation
He insists that the primary aud natural effect Of
revival of the save-trade would be to diminish the
value of slaves In consequence of an oyer-suppy,
which would be very likely to happen and which,
il NAV be observed, did happen from time TO time
50 long as the African .sye-trade continued, that
diminution of price might become very great. But
experience has shown that the institution OF Slavery
never possesses less vitality than when negroes are
cheap. Wththe increase in the value of negroes the
increase of determination in the owners to resist
emancipation has kept pace. A return TO the
prices of 1870 and 1880 might, perhaps, so this
Report insinuates, lead TO return 10 the same
apathy ON the subject BY which those periods were
characterized.
The suggestion that the diminished price of slaves
will put it in the power of every poor white man TO
become STAKEHOLDER, and will thus largely in
crease the number of persons having direct inter-
est in the institution. is equally web met The
dminution in the price of slaves will only BE- the
r.,,lt of L,,;,rt;on in m. Xnlua nf lah,r cohsa-