Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-11-26
FRIDAY, NovEMBER &c, 1858.


Stewards speeches at Rochester and Rome,
and, from the stir they have created, we
expect to find in them not only a heavy
blow at slavery, but the Development of
new lights upon government, and especi
ally upon the relations between federal
and State systems. In both these expecta
tons we are disappointed, and find instead
the ultraism of sectional patrizan dis
torted by ambition into the wild rawlings
of distempered bigot. Seward IS ability,
no one doubts, and his reasoning powers
have been respected by his most violent
opponents but be is another example of
the truth, that the great become weak when
led, by whatever plotive, to the advocacy
Of error. So inveterate seems his hatred
of slavery, chat be scruples not to employ
the most glazing sophistry and pander to
the most unfounded prejudices in order to
arouse in others the bitterness of his own
feelings, and to win adherents who may
help him to higher promotion. The first
proposition enunciated in his Rochester
speech, is in these words:
sour country Is theatre which exhibits in full
operation two radically different political systems:
the one resting on the basis of servile labor, the
other on the basis of voluntary labor of freemen."
And this is followed thus: "You need
not now be told that the slave system is
the older of the two, and that once it was
universal" From this beginning we were
led to anticipate some startling truths of
sufficient force to crush the institutions of
the South by making shareholders them
selves converts to the new light Instead
of this, however, he proceeds to show that
slavery (white) once existed all over
Europe, and that the fact that it has been
abolished in all the European States, ex-
cept Russia, is conclusive proof that it
must be abolished here. Now any man of
common sense will readily admit that if
the slaves Of the South were white-of our
own race, they would long since have
ceased to be slaves, in name whatever they
may have become in fact; and it is only
upon the supposition that they are white,
that any parallel can be run between their
condition and that of the former slaves in
Europe. A statesman would have seen
the absolute want of analogy between the
two cases, and an honest man would have
.given to the differing circumstances all the
weight to which they are entitled The
progress of civilization enlightens man
upon his social and political rights, and
nothing but ignorance can long make one
white man the slave of another, and upon
this principle, the abolition of slavery in
the enlightened States of Europe was
matter of course, and attended by none of
those social evils that would necessarily
follow the emancipation of the black slaves
of the South. Mr. Seward can find no
where in ancient or modern history an ex-
ample of mixed races living together on
TENS of equality, unless that equality was
one of mutual degradation, and the argu-
ment he has attempted to make upon
contrary supposition, is more worthy of
contempt than serious consideration. Be-
cause they are different race, the North
would not receive the slaves of the South,
If manumittcd upon that condition; and
for the same reason, we can not manumit
them in our midst, and whilst they remain.
must bo held in bondage-there is no other
alternative, even if it were the wish of the
South that they should be free,
Again, Mr.. Seward takes the position
that all the States of this Union must be
free, or they must be slayeholding. Why
SOP This he fails to tell us, for the simple
reason that the absurd declaration is not
susceptible of proof. The amount of
sovereignty with which each State is vested
suthces for the regulation of its own do
nestle affairs, under the guarantees of the
Constitution, and so long as Slavery in
Virginia does not interfere with the in
ternal affairs of New York, the people of
the latter have no right to complain, and
when they do complain, they become
oAicious Intermediates with what does not
concern them; and when they attempt to
Interfere wi h slavery, they come in con-
bict with sovereignty equal to that of
heir own State, and attempt to tramplo
rpon rights guaranteed by all the authori-
~ of federal aud State Constitutions
What then is to bring about the change
of which he spcaks2 Force? Oh, no.
lie says the North does not desire to in
teriere with the constitutional rights of
the States, aud that the South is to be left
70 its own action on the subject of omanci-
9ation. Then why all this outcry AGAINST