Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-01-12

! Importation Ol saves NOuii ShS SlIoiiiC'li power
to the South; and to the South, therefore. tlii~
legislation is aY injury. Bat. admit that TO
neither is thcr$ SUCH reqnisItion, and still
these acts are Of ilroparabie wrong and injury.
They are wrong in that they arc the cens,lrc Of
the Government, of which Wesaro al equal
party; and IN injury in the fact that they arc Il
brand upon our institution. Thc spread Of
sLsrcfy may be wrong, and therefore tho Mis-.
souri, Compromise; but SlarerT itseT aust Dc
agrong, when the ships and scamenof Cur coun-
try arc kept upon the seas TO preclude the
means to its formation. BY ntdexterty can
we dodge the logical accuracy of this c1nca-
sion. We may show as We canahow, that this
union of unequal races is right ;thatit exhibits
the best form of society the world has ever
seen; that it exhibits order and thc securities of
order; that il has raised the SAVAGE to an agcn-
cy in civilization; that it has given the ruling
race higher point to start from, in its reach to
nober ohiects-still the mind will follow the
wrong otis results; STILL if theTrade be piracy
the slave is. pluntlcr; if it be. as'crime to take
him, it is u crime to keep him ;ttand sense and
reason tell us that we abandon, slavery when
we admit wrong in the means 20 its formation.
Why, then, shall we not deina,d the repeal Of
these restrictions? Is it that itayill precipi.ae
an issue? That is the one thing perhaps the
most Icvoutly to be wished for. !! The contest is
impending and inevitable, uncsswc shall escape
it in submission. The Northshas seventeen
States and sixteen million people: the South has
fifteen States, and but ten million people. The
North has thus the power of legislation, aud she
has shown that she will use it. She has used it
already to the limits Of endurance; she euter.
tains petitions 10 abolish slavery; she has put
restrictions on the slave tradef she has fixed
limits to Inc spread of slavery ;sshc has ruhibi.
ted the trade in slaves within The limits uG the
Capitol; she has made an elf1rt TO grasp the
helm OF government; she IS 1harshalliag her
forces for another grasp il 1860; she proscribes
the men who will nat literally carry out her evil
clicts and thus, there is revealed already the
power and purpose OF oppression. But it is
more important still, that there is Of that aggres-
sion the necessity. The procliyitics of power
are certain and resistless, it runs, to oppression
as naturally and necessarily as; waters ilow or
sparks fly upwards. No logic, nopolicy, no feel.
ing, can avert it. It's leaders, so.callcd arc rs
powercss to control it, as the reafls the current
upon which they float. tits true, they may Sre
the precipicc and may recn'l ;l'!n The verge, but
only to he iramplad by tRn n.ass that plungcs
alter; and we must stem t!'ea current, cr wG
must erect political barriers ;;gtiast it. II, thea,
it is our purpose to preserve tie .iorluEc' and
the form Of that society all Eternal Providence
has committed to our kceping, .thc issue Is inc
vtablc, and wise and prudent fplen must own,
The Sou"er it is made the hett4r The power
and patronage Of the tGovcrnmRpt are already
III the hands Of our gitagonisIsss;.ld every hours
44..ls= glr;s:ss. ! - .a -. Lssars .way
from lis the nerve and spirit OF 'Fsisa'cc.. :
Then why not now demand rcHalY Is it for
tie reason that it is not policy I'd import more
slaves? II 50, we will not impGl them. The
several Southern States c:ln deciE. that question
nt themselves. It Texas, with her broad do.
nan may want them, she may h,lnii tham if
we may not want them, we may exclude them;
it is ~; now p2!icy To admit ihentrodurlinn Of
free !lrgri;s. aad wc i"w rXciajc them wiIout
an act ol Congress. So. also, could we cXcl:nln
the slave. Is it that il wuald nj lie ri@ht to h.
port them? If so, ar We not shle IN restrain
ourselves? Mist we have ai;l Of Congress to
keep Us from The wrong? Is tina. Congress more
wiSc, mora prudent, lnOrt viriialls, than our
selves? ID they know better til.n W. do what
is honest and becoming? And are We willing
to confess, not only that o,r sltes are plumber,
and that they come to lis through piracE, but.
that such is u;:s state of hclplcsalcss and lryra-
,latiOn, il it were not for The General Govern
ment, VIC would rush again, with inchfiaic aiac.
rity, to the criminal indulgcnce? But s;.r that
no southern State may wanl thun, or may ever
want them .-say cvcu tia! it my BE- wrong TO
import ihcii-lmt yet is it O.! Extreme imi,1r.
tinuc that We should he supreme upon this qucS-
ton. The power assumed hy ne General Gov
crnmcnt to lagisac upon this Subject il supreme
above the States, wl he us Supreme. ut some
other time, 10 force them in, ;ls is now to keep
them out and will any-say th4t it is safe, and
right, tn be upon both questions: at the mercy OF
the General Government; thai wlca The South
shall bc reduced to the condition Of conquered
province: when niau!iaess ard Independence
Shall have left MS; when l;!nratlre and fashion
Shall have followed to the Moth; When there
will be no hope Of political power from q further
importation Of slaves: no assurance that We
shall have the physical ability to control them,
to our own security and order, That then il will
not nc Of interest 10 tho North tn force them in,
and that then il will not Ea Of the very iasI in,
por;ance 10 the South 10 keep licm out. Itthis
be- So il is nos time for the South to determine
whether she will he SUI jnriS upon this vital sab
jccl, and if not prepared tohud our institution
strike for Independence.
Is il for the reason that iln North will not
Yield TO onr demand? This is not to be assumed.
1t is true The North will not allow the South II
road to power il she can help it. Bat it must
be remembered that the existence of The North
depends upon the Union. Her every interest is
parasitic. Her cities are dependent Oh the
South for custom. lie, factories nrc dependent
on the South for u markut. They would have
our trade ami custom npun their own terms; but
they must have thcm; without them, their fac
tories will fail, and New York would beshrivcrl
NJ, to the dimensions of Il common town. il The
South were independent, they could uut have
them; the South would trade direct To foreign
countries; upon foreign E.lrics she would exact
no higher duties than on Elbrics from The North.
If The factories of lhc North can barely sIanl
now, when protected by m average imposL dnty
Of twenty-five per cent? they coulI not tIcn
stand unl,r such comlmtiIion and tho stake,
therefore. is one Of cXialcncn, which the North
can never risk on such q venture The North
would preserve dominion, but it is Imperative
upon her to preserve the Unon. The madness
o the North increases, and the time may come
when considerations of interest even will not
control her action; but it has not come yet-and
now hcliave there is not demand to bn made
by the South, no matter how cxravagant which,
il made as the condition Of this Union, would
not be accepted by the North.
But say that it is so. Say that, though we
rcrudiatc restrictions on the slave trade, and dc.
nand the repeal of them, the North snail not
assent to it. Then IN issue will'harc been made,
and if not conceded it is possible the SouLhmay
he fired to the inLrcp:dity Of acting for herself
upon the subject. But if not, he will at least
have put herself right upon the record. She
will have averted the rcproaeh of being 81 party
to the censurc of her own Institutions con-
curing in her own conde&t tnation--of meanly
practising what she docs not dare TO prcach-ol
hnl,Iiuv in thr world n sentiment which iu tho