The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-07-20
For the Mississippian
The African Slave Trade.
NUMBER N.


NUMBER III.
Mr.. EDITOR M Secretary. Thompson in
his speech atsRaleigh, said in reference to the
slave trade, that ssathe era for practical ques-
tons seems to have passed. This may be
characterized as the era Of exciting specula-
tive politics. Practical questions no longer
excite-no longer produce sensation specn
latire theories have taken their place, and We
are called upon to take our position upon
them" The speculative questions here refer
red to is that of the involuntary servitude of
the African.
1t is in view of this Speculative question"
that the leading politicianof the North" Ped
dler of sentiment and patent law" announced,
an irrepressible conflict, to exist, between the
institutions of the North and the South. Mr..
Seward holds the involuntary servitude of the
African to be wrong OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES is to
say-wrong in morals, wrong in philosophy.
Another speculative question: says Mr..
Thompson has arisen sin an opposite direc-
tion." 'In my own State another class OF
restless reformers has started movement
which demands the re-opening of the foreign
slave trade" The basis of the action of this
party is the precise opposite of that of Mr..
Seward, viz that speculatively the inyolunta-
ry servitude of the African is right in morals
right in PHILOSOPHY theoretically right.
The speculative question involved in the is
sue between the two opposing parties, is none
other.than that of the philosophical propriety
of the involuntary enslayement of the, Afri-
can, for if it were to be decided that it was
lkoFaIly o. pniiosoph icaffy wrong % sugJecr
the African to slavery, then Mr.. Stewards
philosophy would be the practice of the eoun-
try /; and if on the other hand, it were au-
thoritatively to be decided the other way, all
opposition theoretically to re-opening the trade
in Africans, would, at once, be discontinued,
and the practice of it follow as a consequence
"For one. says Mr.. Thompson, Il shall OPP
pose the re-opening Of the foreign slave trade
in the Union or out of it, and when that moves
ment is made, which fear not, you may run
up the stars and stripes. ] will rally under
that flag"
That 1.-THE stars and stripes" as emblema-
teal of the constitutional frame of Govern
ment under which we live. is, in ats language,
if not in its spirit, in favor of the speculative
philosophy of Mr.. Seward, Mr.. Thompson
will have no difficulty in establishing. The
language Of the Declaration of independence
when it insists generally onthe natural equal
ity of man--and the clause in, the Constitu-
ton prohibitory of the continued subsection
of the African to slavery, can have for their
basis no other speculative philosophy than that
the involuntary servitude of the African is re-
pugTant tothe science of morals. The policy
of it is practical merely. Speculatively to OPP
pose the African slave trade is to oppose it on
other grounds than those that are of a practi-
| cal character. Practical questions are ques-
tons of economy-of interest-of dollars and
cents. Entertaining the conviction, as i do,
that slavery is speculatively right in morals,
/ oppose, therefore, as a-consequence-the ma
tural equality of men-oppose all arguments
against the slave trade that are of theoretical
or speculative character, We're Mr.. Thomp-
son, or any other Southern man, to oppose the
introduction of more Africans-that is to say,
oppose the involuntary enslavement here of
more Africans from their native country, upon
any other grounds than those that are of a
speculative character-in other workshop
pose it on grounds of economy ron mere prac-
teal issues, should not consider my morality
OF honesty, as stakeholder, thereby impeach-
ed. But when they oppose it, as Mr.. Seward
does, on grounds purely theoretical, abstract
speculative -philosophical-the as neces-
sary consequence have to defend my person.
al honor, my christian integrity, the soundness
of my moral principles.
To say, therefore, that the African slave
trade is as speculative question, the proper
subject of condemnation, you at once thereby
theoretically impeach the personal integrity of
every STAKEHOLDER, and to theoretically impeach
their personal integrity, is to declare the slave
trade to be public robbery, to be piracy.
If were to admit the natural equality of
man-if were to admit the foreign slave
trade to be equivalent in theory to robbery on
land, l would thereby be committed to the
theoretical or speculative condemnation of the
Involuntary servitude of the African race-I
would follow Mr.. Thompson.
Mr. Thompson, therefore, in appealing to
the stars and stripes as his egis of protection,
against the speculative philosophy of the for
eign slave trade, must, without farther expla-
nation be regarded as sanctioning the philoso-
ply that undermines our rights to their .Joun-
dation and imperils our personal integrity.
deny both the natural equality of man
and the piratical character of the enslavement
of Africans.
With respect to slavery there are but two
questions that of morals and that of inter-
est-thatlof philosophy and that of policy
that of speculation and that of practice-that
of theory and that of dollars.
Mr.. Douglas, in his New Orleans speech,
gave us the platform of speculative principIes
entertained by the opposers of the institution
of slavery. They appealed in the first in
stance, said he, to the same authority referred
to by Mr. Thompson-that is-to the palladi-
| UNI of our Iibertes--the Declaration of our
Indenendepce-and arouad that tho ;,vol,n-
tarv serv;tude Of the 4 f,icon y.s o,,,osod 70
the PHILOSOPHY therein. l sneculat;valv ..,,obt-
that IS to sav-to the doctr;ne that s all mon
are born entitled to equal social rights They
saw. if that philosophy be true the involuntary
servitude of Africans is speculatiyely wrong,
or wrong in principle, and say, they s.rally un-
der Tint aaon
The time has now arrived wheH it has be
come irnperiously necessary for the peonle Of
the South to have clear and distinct views
touching the momentous o,,est;onn Of The In
voluntary seryitude Of the African race ,,. The
time has come when we must meet the o,,es.
ton sueculat;yely among ourselves Let the
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