Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-04-06

NEVER NEVER w
We suppose they all adjourned to drinl
after this review. 1t is said, however, tba
tue captain of this unconquered and uncon
querable troop "still lives" and that le re
counts this anecdote as among the memorable
achievements of his military life.
An ARGUMENT AGAINST THE POLICY OF RE
OPENING THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.
by R. G. HARPER, ESQ.
The Political Power of the South moi
EcstOred...EXtract No. 4.
There is another ground upon which thi:
policy is advocated, more purely of politi
cal nature. 1t is said that it will increase
our political power, under the three-fi(ths rule
of representation. II is worthy of remark
that if this were IN object worthy of consid-
Grafton, in conncXion with this question, it
must appear to be one consistent with the
true interests Of slavery, regarded as proper
t.. We would not destroy the institution,
as valuable domestic relation, for the vain
purpose of gaining political strength. For
then the very motive and enl Of the equili-
briun Of power sought TO be attained, will
have been defeated by that suicidal course.
But is there any hope Of gaining strength
enough from such source, TO cape with the
migration to the free States, and the ratio of
their natural increase, when we consider that
they have about double the population that
we have, including our slaves, without trans
ferrng to the South, Africa tSelf2 The
number Of negroes it would take to put u:
Oh an equality with the representative power
Of the free States in Congress, and in the
electoral colleges, upon the three-iltls rule,
and to keep up that equality against the
growing accession Of free States, and the To-
crease Of their population, would be incalcu-
liable, OF all the plans to create and main
tain an equilibrium, this seems to me the
least feasible. Indeed, I have no hope of
seeing IN equilibrium restored by tnis or any
other means. III the Senate, W here we KAYE
maintained our strength as a section until
recently, We can only gain by the admission
ui Slave States; and that Stems to be Il fer
lorn hope. Iii, extremely doubtful whether
we Cain succeed in planting slavery iii any
new territory yet to become State. And,
whether it is To 90 there or not, cannot he
made to depend upon the question of reopen
ing the African Slave Trade. Other causes
besides the number Of our slaves, will con-
troll that result. 1t was not the scarcity Of
our negroes which deprived us of California
and Kansas. There are causes in operation
against lis which, fear, no increase Of ne
:;rues could cuunteract. If we had had enough
might have gained that territory. But no
number of negroes cnutl have saved it to lis.
So it will be in the settlement a.d admission
Of tie olher territories. IL we are wanting
III voting population, all tie negroes We could
import Could not aid us in gaining another
State to tho South. Negroes do not strengthen
our representation, in territorial legislatures
nor in Conventions to frame State Cun~titu-
tons; nnr 1o they help us in popular votes of
rejection Or ratification. The contest be-
tween the North and the Sunth, Oh tl." slave
ry question, Is practically transferred to the
theatre Of the lew territory ilseli.. The ex-
element growing out OF it, and connected
with it, tinls vent a,rl exhibition in Congress
and in the open field Of tue general elections !;
but tue real contest is in tue territories. It
was upon that th"atre that we have recently
been dcfeated-and upon tile principle Of
popular sovereignty, ensratted Of late years
upon our territorial policy, the real contest
will always be in tile territory. If there
were ten millions of negroes, instead of three
and a half or four, they would he no more
apt than at present to be taken into terri
tory in whicn contest was raging like that
which has been kept UP in Kansas; and if
they wero taken tbere, and the Northern
population overpowered the Southern in the
territory, in the furmation of its domestic in
slitulions, it would be disastrous result to
those who had taken them. The migration
Of the Northern population into the new ter
ritorics cannot BE- prevented nor checked. 1t
is not done by the agency Of the government
consequently We cannot make war ON the
government to resist" it. Emigration Aid
Societies, and all the means employed Of late
years, to promote aud stimulate the migration
Of Northern inhabitants into the new terri
tories, are forever outside Of the pale Of gov
rrn,nculal control. They cannot be reached
by any move on the floors Of Congress. or
any move by the States of the South. They
are independent of the f.vur Or encourage
ment OF the government, and equally so uf
its opposition to tlleir plans. They beat us
upon our own ground-they take us upon
non-intervention and popular sovereignty
itself, and beat US by the overpowering u-
tluence Of emigration. Its sources are mex
hausLlLlu, aud the causes which stimulate il
beyond the reach Of human prevention, The
den1lig nf t!!tir p,pn!atiuDc-t!ls consequent
A!si, yalur rf trir lsf,4s,-ltp ideafpHcs, al.t
ricbnrss Of tie Wild lands Of the Wet
their peculiar niapty,irD 10 the production ui
cereals, and the iatness Of their pasturage for
cattle ami slock-iaiee!i, their boun1iiulness
Of NIL the ricI, clements OF supply anal main
tenancc E,r hungry .'oruIaton--all ,he.e
i;nprl onward tue tide Uf Tree Suil empire.
The increase Of negroes is 4 poor exprh!enl
To stay that tide. 1t is n remedy which
woul,l never reach the lir. uif SOURCES of their
growing lWTcr.
There is very arposte view Of this point
to be considered. LISA view which presents
to the mind danger that, inatead Of adding
to our political strength, this policy would
wenkenit. Weaken it at home, in tho strength
10 ueI.nQ tlliS lllslltutlOil dlu utlF llEcSlUeS,
when the war OF abolition aggression shall
be brought within our borders, if it ever
SHOULD be. 1t is well known fact that, in
Georgia, those counties which embrace the
best lands tor slave labor, and where slaves
have accumulated in the greatest numbers,
have diminished in wllite population in pro-
portion as they have become populated with
slaves. This has occurred by process which
is easily understood. A STAKEHOLDER is COM
pellcd, US be grows richer, to extend his pos
sessions. IIc must, therefore, buy out the
small farmers around him, aud they must,
emigrate. In this way, the wealthier por-
tions Of Georgia have greatly diminished in
voting population, and in that clement of
strength, upon which alone we could rely for
the capability of coping with tue North in
migration to the territories-or for defence
at home. There may be some portions Of
this State in the South and South West,
where emigration is tending on account of
the cheapness of lands aud the undeveloped
state of tue country-so that Us yet this re-
suit has not manifested itself so clearly. But