Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1859-07-29
Hr. Stevens Speech.

( ALEXANDER Hamilton STEVENS al
dress at great public barbacue III
Gcorgia. has Uceu variOus!y comment
ei upoa and understood by different
portions Of the public press. The
rroard he takes IS essentially this
that for the last sixteen years slavery
has been gaining ground. If not be-
vonl the Constitution. at least under
AMI through it. That it IS the best
ami most natural state Of things and,
therefore, to ne preserved and extend
ell as a good, auI that there are now
no limits to iis extension, except the
want Of a negro population. He care
fully abstaius from putting the two
last ideas together and drawing the
inference. that therefore il Is the dItv
and interest OF the South TO reopen
the Slave trade. On the contrary, h.
leaves that TO lie filled up by his
nearer. expressly saying thathc wishes
them to form their own opinion upon
it. Yet he openly AYERS his convic-
Uon that the trainers of the Constitu
ton regarded slavery as an evil, but
that they did not understand this
question and We do.
Some oil the savannah papers re-
mark truly upon this speech, that il
seems not like the production Of =
national statesmen who has been six
teen vra.S before the country. but like
one who. having everything to make.
wautcI to ride into sectional powe,.
Ly paGIcriu- to the ultraiSm OF his
district The thought which is tn.
KEY to The whole !. that the fathers
Of the republic, even in The South, anl
the trainers Of the Constitution, dill
not understand the question OF sla-
very, a. ;hc South at the present dar
DO. This is the most pregnant oi
concessions that Mr. Stevens in his
speech has abandoned all the great
lights Of history, abandoned all Con
st!,ur.onal ground.
Ii the South has achieved anv vic
tories within the last sixteen wears. il
has at least been hy making Congress
and the world believe that they were
all ~ the Constitution. But 10 con-
ccdc that the trainers of the ConStitu-
ton meant one thing. and that be
means something Just the opposite, IS
unworthy Of 4 statesman of Mr. Ste
vcus position. Mr.. Stevens himself
does not, with his accustomed clear
ness, come ont in 4 straightforward
manner AMI advocate The slave trade,
but he suggests and maintains course
Of reasoning, of which that ouly cOull
lie the legitimate, as ii Is the intended
conclusion. Oar only consolation -
lhat NATIONAL poi,icians. Lo,h North
and South. Will be- in No danger Of
being lei ia'o such views hy any feel
iug Of regard either FOR the Constitu-
ton or IL trainers.
We know that the slave trade Will
he ana Is The most immensely lucra-
tive and cXccrahIc traffic on the globe.
AM mast be. while the prices Of cot
ton and Of slaves be what they now
are in the South. For fifty years any
Southern mlA could look with pride
upon the Atlantic sea coast. from Nir-
gInia II Florida, about twelve de-
-rccS Of latitude. aud say the coz
science Of the SJIih lNp THAT ALONE,
has broken up Tie most lucrative
trailic on the Garth. Aud while Cuha.
and Brazil were secretly importing
slaves from Africa. and while We had
SHIPS and such a line OF coast as To
make i, Impossible To blockade it out
with ships Of war, the conscience of
the South u,o-hadcl il out in the tuco
Of all 'Lcir physical interest.
Is all this to be- swept away with
the single rcmar. that our fathers did
not IN tcrstand this question. but We
do. Oac thing is certain. the Nor
thern States, and the Middle, conser-
vatiyc Is ihcy are, never will or can
alter upon this question. Aswe have
said. all national men at the South
see aAJ feel this change to Uc most
vital and unconstitutional. Wheu
the Middle States slw the extreme
North disposed to take advantage Of
numbers, and 10y legislation do that
work which the Constitution had en-
trusted to time, and left entirely with
the conscience of the South-namely,
regulating Slavery in the States
where it cXi>icd-thcy chcerfully and
couscryativcly gave their voice against
such extreme measures. But, if it
ever comes to an issue like this. Of
desri,,a" the wisdom of the trainers
Of the Constitution for that Of the
men who think they understand
things better, there is not a Northern
State nor Middle State, and not
very many even of the Southern
States, but what would rather sec tho
Union dissolved openly than under
mined thus latally.-PUILAD. LrDGEE.
4 GALLANT PARTY.-The Sham De-
mocracy having admitted its want of cOuI
age to defeat the nights of nlturalIzed cit
izcns when a>Sailed hy European despot-
isms of first rate preieusions, we may look
out for rclrisals at the expense Of some Of