The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-06-10
Southern Rights.

We give below capital article, from
the Dallas (Ala..) Gazette" upon the
oft-discussed theme of Southern Rights" J"
The Gazette" was formerly one of the
most Jealous of the Fire Eaters" and is
published in locality where the most
jealous Southern Sectionalism once most
brightly famed. In the language of the
Mobile Advertiser" !" we "hsii the remark
able change of position, so frankly &C
knowledged by the Gazette, as cheering
sign of the progress and development of
sound, conservative sentiments in the
South" Let no reader fail to persue the
article:
SOUTHERN RIGHTs.-We are not going
to trouble our readers, as they may sup
pose from the heading, with long dis
sertation on the wrongs of the South, for
the belief is penetrating to our brain.
through rather thick skull, that most of
the wrongs we have heretofore complained
of have been imaginary, or at least, the
South has not, as get. suffered any serious
injury by the agitation of the slavery
question at the North, no matter what
anticipations we may have of future mis-
chief, as the effect of measures already
passed. The South may suffer hereafter,
it is true, but we do not know that she
will, and as we are in doubt on that point,
we fall back on the scriptural injunction,
Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof"
We are, however, assured of one thing,
that the more noise the South makes
the more fuel she throws on the flame
kindled by Seward, Hale, Sumner, and
others, the more likely she is to suffer
hereafter. This is our honest and candid
opinion, predicated upon personal expe-
rience and the past history of the coun-
try. We admit that we have thought
differently, until about year since, but a
fair and unprejudiced review of the vari-
Gus measures that have agitated the
North and the South for the last ten
years and the effect they haze had upon both
sections Of the Union, both for and against
the South, have produced a complete
revolution in our sentiments, not because
any love for the Union has been revived
in our heart, but simply because our love
for the South has increased with years,
and we believe it would be to her interest
to change her policy entirely, and instead
of threatening secession or revolution
or demanding that Congress should pro-
tect slavery in the territories, or should
motor declaring that no Black Republi-
can President shall rule over the South:
or resolving that Douglas shall be beaten
if he is the nominee of the Charleston
Convention, or swearing to any other hos
tile measure-we say, if instead of all this,
she would declare that it was beneath her
dignity to discuss the question of slavery
hereafter with the Northern people-if
our members to Congress would be silent
on that question, instead of making
"Bumkum" speeches to "empty benches"
just for the purpose Of scattering them
among their constituents for their own
glorifcation-ifag agitation should altogeth-
er cease at the South, it would die out at
the North entirely, and such men as Will
son, Sumner, Chase and others, deprived,
of their political capital, would sink into
an obscurity so profound, "that the hand
of resurrection would never reach them"
Some people may say that, in taking
this position, we are inconsistent, but we
will reply in language Of the old adage,
that any fool can be consistent" We
will also say to such, that if they will lay
aside all their prejudices and study the
whole question calmly-its history all
we believe they will agree with us. Or,
if they will honor us by reading our fu-
ture articles on the subject flor we shall
not stop with this) they will, we doubt
not, do us the justice to admit that we
are influenced by what we believe to be
good reasons.
The truth is, when the Southern peo-
pie look around them and see that they
still enjoy their land and negroes-that
heaven has smiled propitiously upon and
blessed them-that the generous soil has
yielded heavy harvest and that their
produce has commanded for ten years,
higher and more regular prices than they
ever before, can any sane man believe
they will risk the blessings they enjoy,
for the purpose of encouraging measures
that may lead to civil war, because enthu-
siasts or demagogues tell them to grid on
their armor and fight against anticipated
evils, or in favor of string of distractions
SO contradictory and impracticable, that
it would puzzle the shrewdest metaphysi-
clan of the age to expound them?