Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-06-24
Is Slave Property Entitled to Protection
BY Congress in the Territories!

and part Of the Democracy at the North,
with Senator Douglas as their leader. in
terpreting the Nebraska bill to prescribe
total non-intervention by Congress with
slave property in the Territories, deny the
right Of the slave owner to appeal to
Congress for protection to his prop
erty, should the local authorities fail to give
the required security. And the Democra-
cy, even, we regret to say, here in the
South, are divided, to some extent; but not as
to the soundness and business Of the slave
owners claim to the same protection in the
Territories, for his peculiar property, as
others receive for theirs. Indeed. to deny
this, would, by fair and legitimate deduc-
ton, inevitably lead to the acknowledge
ment, which the abolitionists so ardently
desire, and which would in effect be to give
up every principle which we have been con-
tending for, viz that slaves are not prop
erty, for if slaves are property-as the Con-
stitution implicitly admits, and the Supreme
Court of the land positively proclaims then
its right to protection in the common terri
tories of the Union, cannot be doubled
This acknowledgment Southern men dare
not and will not make; but they argue that
the question is but an abstraction at best,
and that the harmony and success of the
Democratic party, requires us to compro-
mise with our brethren Of the North on an
issue that involves no principle or no sub
stantial cause FOR division. That the ques-
ton is mere abstraction we deny, for it
bears directly on the great slavery question,
and although it has become the currant cant
of the day to cry "raw head and bloody
bones" at the idea of disunion, and to pro-
claim slavery dead issue, and every ques-
ton connected with or bearing upon it an
abstraction, yet we all know that the cal
mighty niger" is the idea more vigorous
ly alive amongst us than any other-in fact
it is the question of the day, and anything
affecting him, as it affects his masters pock-
ct, cannot be struggled out of the coming
canvass as an abstraction.
To what will the compromise, or the con-
ceding of this question, lead? We must
admit, in the first place, as we have said
before, that slaves are not property in the
second place We must give up all idea OF
ever obtaining another foot of slave terrific
nv, for we know that the vast floating pop
ulation of the North and the many organ
lied abolition emigration societies, will fill
np the Territories and obtain possession OF
the Legislature almost as soon as the terri
torial government is formed, and in the
course Of tiime the Free States will obtain
such preponderance in the Union as to
have everything in their power; and can
the South, arguing from past experience,
expect anything else than that that power
will be used to the farthest extent? OF all
the issues which have ever divided the
country, we consider this the most impor-
tant, and therefore we are out ana out op-
posed to compromise. No,the Democracy,
in Convention assembled at Charleston,
must meet this question fairly and squarely.
The South has right, and she intends to
demand Of the Democratic party some sure
ty that her rights and interests will not be
compromised aud sacrificed (for in this in
stance the words are synonymous The
Southern people are deeply attached to De-
mocratic principles, but if the Democracy
allows itself to become the subservient tool
of abolitionism, then the South ought and
will abondon it. Between Democrat hold
ing the principle Of non-intervention for
projections understanding on platform
with plank to that effect in it-and Black
Republican, it would be hard for the South
to choose, and such Democrat, standing
on such platform, will not, cannot and
ought not to receive the support Of the
South.
Important Decision.