The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-28
DISUNION AS A REMEDY.

Inc ADVOCATES OF OlaVeryJ tnht 10 W soy s-1o
leaders of the Southern Democratic party, de-
clare their firm purpose to dissolve the Union,
if Republican shall be elected President.
The absurdity of this threat is so manifest that
few intelligent people now. a-days give its au-
thors credit for sincerity in making it. Ten
years ago. it was potent argument with timid
conservatives, and never failed to deter them
from acting up to their sense of duty, in insist
ing upon measures restrictive of Slavery. But
it is now seen through, and understood to be
mere scarecrow. Southern demagogues are
not the best-informed people in the world, but
they cannot be so ignorant as to believe that
the South can uphold Slavery, and carry out its
schemes Of extending and perpetuating the
system, outside Of the Union. Their only hope
of success is in the Union, and they know it.
But the masses Of the Southern people, whose
ideas extend not beyond their farms and plant
atoms, doubtless believe that the South is the
most wealthy and powerful portion of the Con-
federacy, and can, through the medium OF king
cotton, dictate its policy to the North and to
the rest of mankind.
1t is to be regretted that a Chinese wall OF
prejudice hedges in the honest masses of the
Southern people, and diverts from them the
healthful channels of independent thought
The Southern public is a private domain OF
Southern demagogues, and it is with the ut
most difficulty that any truthful representation
of the real state of affairs can be brought to the
notice of the people. The Republicans and
| friends of Freedom could do no better work
than to disseminate broadcast over the South a
full, fair, impartial, and friendly statement of
the relative positions of the North and the
| South. the universal condemnation of Slavery
throughout the civilized world, and the trem-
bling weakness and dependence which must be
the inevitable portion of Southern Confed-
eracy.
In the first place, supposing the Federal Gov
eminent to interpose no obstacles to dissolu
ton of the Union and the formation of South
ern Confederacy, the line of separation would
under no circumstances be drawn on the north
ern border of the slave States. The border
slave States, including Virginia, would infall-
bly, adhere to the North for whatever might
be the sentiment Of Eastern Virginia, the west
ern portion Of the State, in which large and
rapidly-increasng majority of the white popu-
lation resides, and which contains but few
slaves, would adhere to the North. Its inter
ests and modes of life are Northern, and have
almost nothing in common with Slavery and,
in addition to this, there is a general aversion
to Slavery, a consciousness that the insti-
tuition is a curse and drawback to the pros
perity of the community.
The border slave States are becoming con-
scious of being in transition state from Sla-
very to Freedom; they are aware that this
change is highly conducive to their prosperity,
and they will never for a moment think of link
ing their fortunes, in the event of dissolution
of the Union, with the forlorn hope of South
ern Confederacy. In addition to these general
considerations of public policy, there is the
strong personal interest of every individual
Shareholder in the fugitive slave law, which will
continue 10 bind them, as with hooks of steel,
70 the Union; for even if the present law should
bd repcaled. and no other substituted in its
place, there is still the constitutional guaranty
for the rendition of fugitives, which, if not very
eficacious in catching runaways, will at any
rate preyeut the enactment of laws for aiding
in their escape. But if the South should go out
of the Union. this clause would cease to be OPP
erative, and the most active measures would be
taken, in the open face Of day, to protect and
defend fugitives from Slavery. Itwould become
the political duty Of the border free States, as
well "a of tue Northern Coufederacy, to afford
protection 70 tie fugitive black immigrants, as
l. now is TO the white immigrants who come to
our shores from the despotisms of Europe. In
such a state of things, it would be impossible
to hold slaves within hundred miles of the
border; and for two or three hundred miles
further SOUTH the insecurity of that species of
"prcperrF" would be greater than it now is on
the border of Maryland or Kentucky.
These considerations must press themselves
upon the attention of the border slave States
and operate powerfully in suppressing the
disunion spirit, supposing it to exist. They
cannot fail to keep all the States bordering on
the free North firm in their allegiance.
But suppose the line of separation is drawn
along the northern borders of North Carolina,
| Tennessee, and Arkansas. Still, the same diff
Guilty would occur. They would become the
border States, and their escaping slaves, so soon
as they touch the soil Of the Northern Confed-
eracy, even the slaveholding portions Oft would
become free, ard entitled to protection. The
! slave States which af;eg dissolution shall con-
tinue to adhere to me Northern Copfederacy
would soon cease to be slaveholding, and the
! Pro-Slavery spirit would die out. The more
ultra men belonging to them would remove
South, and the Emancipation spirit would be-
come dominant almost immediately.
But let it be supposed that the whole South
secedes from the Union in body. What is to
be gained by it? Secession is threatened by
the South, because the policy and the moral
sentiment Of the North are against the extern
sion Of Slavery. But will Southern Confed-
eracy be able to carry out its plans of extern
sionf Can Southern Confederacy conquer
Cuba, or force Spain to sell it? Can it conquer
or annex Mexico and Central America, in op-
position to the stern and relentless will of a
Northern Confederacy, backed BY England and
France? The idea is too prepoSterous for any
but the most ignorant 10 believe.
4 Southern cOnlederacy with four millions Of
negroes, whose amor paf,i9 is destroyed by q
system Of Slavery. 4" one hour Of which," in the
language Of Mr. jefferson, is more intolerable
than whole ages = of that which England i'm
posed on her colonies, would be very weak
power indeed; and it wonld have its hands full