The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-10-20

in arms but the s.iicst rulnor OF a slave
conspiracy plunges thsm INTO tie most
ridiculous paroxysns of fear. SwaSger-
ling ostentation and poltroonery, fury aud
despair are often found as close bed fell
lows. What will the South do. then, af-
ter the success of this policy? / do not
say, sir, that the Shareholders VIII atonce
submit cheerfully and gracefully. They
will certainly give their lungs hearty
exercise in the finest figures OF speech.
They will predict fearful things, although
they will not be over nice concerning the
time when these fearful things will hap
peu. But after while they may stop
and listen to what the North may have
toesay--at first disdainfuliy, and wrap
ping themselves up in the majesty Of
outraged dignity. but presently with
greater calmess and consideration.
Suppose, then, the North were to speak
to them as follows: Friends, we love and
esteem yon as citizens of a common coun-
try. AS citizens you enjoy every right
we enjoy, and whatever legitimate ambi-
ton YOU entertain, there is an open field
for it in this our common Republic. But
rs we claim no privileges for ourselves,
we are unwilling to concede any to others.
IF you want to curb our necks under tie
yoke of your peculiar notions, if you want
to adapt the laws Of the land to the soc
purpose of the protection of the savehold-
ING interest, if you make any pretensions
or claim any superiority as slave holding
aristocracy you will expose your;ev to
grievious disappointment. There is Il sol
ID phalanx arrayed against the arroga-
tons of slavery beyond the limits which
the Constitution and history have assign
., e. & 4. Tow, this Is your choice. FL
ther govern this Republic with US, as citi
zens on perfectly equal terms, or, as a
sIayeholIing aristocracy, submit to the
doom Of a hopeless minority. Here is
strife and disappointment: there is peace
and prosperiiy-choose.
Do you not think that such words will
mako them stop and eoneider-such
words, accompanied, perhaps by the sui
len thunder Of an earthquake beneath
their very feet {? They willie, rtqinly not
abolish slavery at once. They viii not
suddenly cast off that singular claim Of
ideas which has bound them to the old
order of things For do not forget that
interest is with them not the only, and
perhaps not even the most powerful adj
yocato Of slavery. 1t canno hav e ,caped
you that the slavery question IS with
them question Of arlstocratic pride, that
they look down upon the plebeians of the
| North with certain contempt and want
to rule the governments Of their States
and the Federal Government also, not as
mere citizens, but as Shareholders. 1t is
the pride Of an aristocracy. the ambition
of q caste. AGAINST thesa, mere argument
is no available weapon. Vain pride and
ambition are fed and grow upon conces-
sion, and there is nothingI b; twill So m
them but the evidentimpossibiity of their
qualification. When Shareholders see
their aristocratic pretensions put down by
firm majorities, and when they can no
longer escape the convictions, that their
aspiration to rule the country as slavchold-
/ ers meets with universal contempt, they
will be more apt to listen to the voice of
reason, which, at the same time, is the
voice of their true interest. After the
binding influence ofthose ruling passions
has been paralyzed by rirreyocable events,
then, and not till then, will the true NOR
al and economical merits of slavery be
fairly investigated and thoroughly under
stood in the slaveholding States. Dis
covering that they are an isolated anoma-
| ly in the vide world, the shareholders will
endeavor to conform their condition to
the spirit of the age. Discovering that
there are other more productive and
far more honorable sources of wealth
than laziness feeding upon slaye-labor.
they will sacrifice old prejudices to new
spirit Of enterprise, and repeated trials
will produce substitutes for slave labor
where hitherto the latter has been deemed
indispensable.
What depravity the system Of slavery
may have entailed upon its devotees, the
people of the South are neither devoid of
noble impulses nor of the elements of
common sense Rather than be thriftless
ar.stocrats, they will endeavor to become
industrious, wealthy, and free plebeians.
Rather than kill their time in mourning
over the ruins of departed glory, they
will try to found new fortunes on a
new order of things. And the non
slaveholding whites, now degraded
class of beings, viii speedily rise to the
rank of active citizens, carried forward by
o
doubt, slavery viii Iinger a long time in
the cotton and rice growing States. But
even there you viii see statesmen at the
head of affairs. who abandoning old pre-
tensions, viii rather apologize for its con-
tinued existence, than beastingly parade
it as the fundamental principle of Demo
cratic institutions. And at last that thick
fog of prejudice will pass away, which
hitherto has yelled from their eyes the sun
of true Democracy. They will, as if a.
Weakening froia dark dream, admire
with astonishment the disappearing
warmth fits beams and the glorious pur-
ity of its light. 6
And at the same time, when slavery
ceases to be power, it Will cease to ex-
ercise demolalizing influence upon our
national poGty. No anti-democratic ten
dency win any longer rule the govern
ment ofthis country. The people will no
longer be distracted and confused by the
conflict of antagonistic principles. Our
foreign policy viii no longer be subser-
yientto the grasping appetites of the slave
aristocracy, but to the real interest of the
whole cnnr FRY. Onr Influence with fore