St. Mary's beacon., 1859-04-07
SELECTED MISCELLANY.
From the WI-hinyion UnioH.
Decay Of Abclitionism in New England
llnsrnX MaKcn L. lHhg

Dear IFoth"T'-i have real vour speech
of the 2lst uit, a. livcrcd ia the House Of
Representatives. II l.as points # consIdera-
ble sm.rtncss, AMI viii bc praised by your
r,.Y:tsais ~ very clever cifprt; but ! set
no other effect that it pr~i.lEe hut to IT.
r,Iate the S"uth anil alI'nAtc one section Of
a.: Euou sii!! IN re- from the other. Have
we MT a, the N.Elh stimulated our own
=.lfnghte,nsucs. III contrast with the siGs
oi the Smth. quite up &, or ocyund the
healthy p.;,,? Would il uni b. well for
u f,r y time. o. luDk more 1t our own
failing and at the virtues ui our brethren at
the South 7
You speak OF tie change nf tine and scn-
tmcrI tha. has taken place during the last
twenty-five years IN tue su5ect II slavery
| plead GUILTY to the truth &c this charge.
i was one uG the dreams uf my carly lite,
that tie couG;irn vi mankind nj ,;ht be
greatly improved ty su'l!cn political changes.
The CRY of tho save came g. my youthful
ear, waited 10y ihr eloquent breath Of eye
witnesses, frum Virginia and New Jersey.
Almost every man at the South. a; that time.
Alfnittc! that slavery was an evil. moral, So
cial aud p.liticai; the horrors Of the middle
passage, the barbarian crueliirS Of Jamaica
came to Us acT,SS tho Ulcan; NIlbcrtnrce and
ClarksOa had arqu.rul a worldwide fame
by their singular devotion 70 the abolition
Of the slave tra'le; the assault was snOn
made upon slavery itsclf in the British West
Indies. aad the first ui August, 1898, was
entered n the calendar ~ ole Of the holy
days Of the year.
Campbell pan;cl the wild chicftain on
his native plain, 80 noble. $" free. 50 hap
py-caugli. channel. dn1me'l. suffering, till
iae hurri:anc- in the West Indies were cum
fnissioned to aVensc his wrongs. The piair.-
tive CowpcT wcpt cut hiS compassion in the
touching lines, ! would hot have slave f'r
ell the goll tha. inews bought and soil have
ever earned; sud these tones Of suffering. Of
compassion. Of pity, wcrr echoed by every
harp, and rcechUcd by urat,r and preacher,
till the whole atmosphere Of New England
was vocal with the cries Uf the slave. !
have done my full share Of l.; but greater
men have betn mistaken. aud have in Iiper
years been compelled :, revise aud revoke
She opinions at earlier days. Burke once
was cnrapturrd with the voice Of liberty, as
she cried f.pm acrrNs the channel: but ia
the full strength of his ,nanhaOd. lie was
compelled % dcau.nce the crimes committed
in hrr name. Sir James MIlntoch wrote his
"VIndiciar GAliicIr;" bur was compelled, hy
= longer experience and wider observation.
to cancel the opinions "f carly lfc by those
of maturcT years; ] am compelled 60 cancl
many things tl.s' have said un the suhjcc,
Of slavery, aud substitute fnr the opinions OF
riper age. might have once SAID what, or
nearly what, YOU have said in your late speech
In Congress; though think should have
left ort those purtious which scrre no other
enc than simply % irr;tate. without con
Vincing. Blu: MY convictions at the present
time are. nft ouly that the shareholders have
q complete vindcatiun Of their rrescn: posi-.
tion, but they are entitled TO be lookcd upon
- bencfactors to the couarry and o. the hu-
man race
The only ground on which can claim
shS:: patience and fUrbearancc toward US
meidling with their affairs, aud iJr abusing
them as much IS VIC have, and as some still
continue to do. is this: They gave Us the false
premises on which we reasoned correctly to
false conclusions; they gave away their case
by eoncrSsiun; frr il slavery be sin, a wrong,
or Al evil, TO fair mind can resist the conclu-
sion that efforts ought % be made rs soon as
possible to Do il away. This philosophy, that
slavery is wrups; spraEg up in Virginia. and
~as adopted and encouraged in nearly all the
slave States: and tie seed was thence, in
eUunexion with The correct aud grand prirci-
Piles Of human government. scattered wide
oves the free States they have had their
growth, ard now it y i.ot n little difficult
60 pull them up; but they shall take the wheat
with then also.
The South are impregnable. The cunstitu-
ton protects them. the Hible protects them,
and sae experience Of mankind protects them
OssF fathers male 4 covenant with their faith
ers. They came into the Unirn with their
African slaves On terms of equality with US,
and with all the rights ana privileges that We
ean cIairn under the same instrument They
would make Go coycnaEi except on terms Of
equality. We accepted th.se terms; &c could
get no better to-day; and yet we should be
glad 10 make it, if it were not made, OF to
renew it, il tTOken, aud un the slime eundi-
tions we now have The South claim the
night tS - into nsw territory. and try the
new land with their slaves. till the territory
becomes = sovereign State, and then bow down
60 is will, as before all other snvereigns. /
This Is = JUS; and equitable claim. Funded on
hir interpretation u the constitution. Slave |
~ sAnula b permitted g. fow b! natural |