Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-02-12
From the n. Y, Evening Post.
A Hand Writing on the Wall.

~
few statistical calculations. Our govern |
ment, they are aware, is representative
government, in which the numerical ma
jority is not MS it might be in some of the
other nations, stationary as to place. IL is
constantly shifting it's centre of prepon-
derance, as the population of the country
grows on concentrates more rapidly in one
place than in another; and, consequently,
the representation in Congress is just as
constantly changing its aspects.
In the first Congress of 1887, for instance
the Southern States had so out of 60 mem
bers, or within five as many members as all
the New England and all the Middle Sta
tcs together; and in the Congress of 1903
they were but eleven short of an equality
with all the other States-the division be-
ing 70 for the North and 95 for the South.
AT the first of these cpochs, there was no
Western State to be represented at the
second, there were only two members but
twenty years later, in 1923 there were
eight Western States in the Union, with
representation of III members. The divs-
ion then stood-for the North 1874, and for
the South 80 showing an increase for the
North of 4 votes Again, after the ta-
king of the last census, or in 1858, the rep
rcsentatiye division was as follows; New
England 20; Middle States 63; Southern
States 61 /; and Western States S1-or, as
between the free and slayeholding States,
IA to 90. The majority of the free Sta
tes has grown to 81 members. But allow.
! ing that the same relative increase has been
maintained in the different parts of the
country since 1888, and that the same ap-
portionment ratio will be adhered to after
the census of nextyear, 1860, the difference
in the representation of the free and the
slave States will be still greater. There
/ will be then about 165 members from the
t North 10 abonf 70 }G ,esOp the Sorth; OF, in
/ tVA0" w "po"V ~ Ifon'> IL, ,lf,n- it}S- .D,.aes
other words, the free States v VIII posses Ss
more than double the number of the repre-
sentatives from the slave States.
Not avery agreeable exhibit this, wcshould
think, for a Lccompton or Southern Demo
crat to contemplate /! Ten years ago there
was but one freesoil member of the Senate;
five years ago there were five; and now
there are twenty while there arc on
Iy seven Northern Senators Democratic"
ofwhom two at least are a slender consola-
ton to the South. Considering these facts
we arc not surprised that the Democrats
have for some time past refused to follow
Mark Tapley's advice to be "jolly" or,
that they manifest such an eagerness to
bring Cuba, Central America, Mexico and
anything else into the Union, which may
possibly extend the area and thereby enlarge
the representation of slavery.
THE PENALTIES OF THE SLAVE TRADE.
The New York Times approves the sug
gestion of Mr.. Clay, of Kentucky, that the
penalties attached to the violation of the
slave trade, should be made mildcr. 1t
says that, unluckily, public sentiment does
not approve the penalty attached to piracy.
That it could not be carried into effect in
any Southern State, and that it has proved
equally impossible in New York or Boston.
1t adds:
"It is perfectly easy to prove that the
crime is atrocious, that it is attended with
all the incidents of piracy; that religion
and morality both place it in precisely the
category as piracy; and to crowd negroes
into the hold ola slave ship in such num-
/ Ders, and win such accommodations us
such receptacles ordinarily afford, renders
their captors guilty of the murder of those
! who die
!" 1t does not need very lcngthcned
train of reasoning or great display of log
ic to prove allthis; but it is impossible in
a free country, and with such form of
Government as ours, to draw acts of Con-
gress up as syllogisms. The only Govern
ment which can ever legislate logically is
n dcspotic Government. Where, iuries
form the only legal machinery for the pun
ishment of crime, the possibility of carry
ing law into execution calls for the con
sideration fits frumers just as much as It's
abstract propliety."
OPPOSITION TO YoUNo Mes. Every
body knows how common it is for old and
middle-aged men, totry to keep young men
from rising in the world by sncers at the
| lyouthfulncss ofthe aspirants -as even in
the case of Walpole, whose taunts against
Pitt so sighally failed to lcpress the latter
and served 10 "damn their author to ever
lasting fame No young man of talents,
but has had such enemies to encounter
men who seem to take a fendish DELIGHT,
and cherish certain malicious pleasure In
Eseekingto dcpress everything like genuine
enthusiasm aud the buoyant ambition OF
the bright boyor brilliant young. man.
This arises half from their malice, and
as much from sheer ignoranee of the ma.
ture aud temperament of genius. When
the climber upwards has gained place a.
Inong his peers, then it is that these niiser-
able fatterers crinee and fawn as baScly as
they fortferly maligned and riaiculetl him,
Eand would faim crowd out cf sight his cid
friends and staunoIl aiherents, In his groom