The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-02-03

truth IN this miserable excuse Tor ume-serFlng
complasance, it is just the reverse of truth /;
and the real strength and mainstay of Slavery
is the criminal Indifference of Northern men to
the wickedness and barbarism of the system.
|. If every Northern heart honestly desired the
abolition of Slavery, and if every Northern
press, pulpit, and rostrum, faithfully reflected
this sentiment, Slavery could not last five years.
The unanimous voice of free and intelligent
people would carry with it an irresistible moral
weight and influence to every hearth-stone
south of Mason and Dixons line
: The stereotyped assertion that emancipation
has been retarded by Northern agitation, is
equally shallow and silly. We have shown that
agitation necessarily flows from freedom of
speech and of the press. To imagine the abb
sence of agitation is to imagine the absence of
freedom, or of common human sympathies and
intelligence. But independent of this view of
agitation, as thing inevitable under the cir
cumstances, whether it be good or evil, we main
tain that no great institution-such as Slavery,
Aristoeracy, or Monarchy-was ever subverted
and superseded by different order of things
in word, by Liberty and Republicanism-with-
out agitation within and without. No matter
where the agitation commences, reaction and
follow. The great issues at stake will not be
surrendered on either side until every resource
I of argument, of passion, Of power, has been
exhausted. Who SO idle as to suppose that the
comments of the English and American press
can retard emancipation in Russia, or civil
freedom in France, Italy, and Germany Who,
Indeed, can doubt that the outside discussions
exert powerful influence upon the fate of
those despotisms, in fastening their doom? We
kknow the despots think so, from the pains they
take TO exclude liberal newspapers from their
idominions; and we know that the Slave Oil
garchy take the same view of the outside Anti
Slavery discussions, by the tyrannical and un
constitutional means they use to prevent the cir
iculation of Anti-Slavery newspapers.
II The only serious effort which has ever been
made in the South in favor of emancipation,
kprior TO the pending one in Missouri, originated
On the Virginia Legislature in 1912. 1t was
caused by the Southampton Instruction. The
question of Slavery was discussed with ability
and boldness for some weeks, in the Legislature
and. by the leading journals. But its effect was
merely to arouse the genuine negro-breeding in
terest, and TO convince the world of its invincibe
power over the Virginia mind The towns were
generally in favor Of emancipation; and they
were seconded by gentlemen of education and
humanity in all parts of the State; but the great
body of the Shareholders were not to be reached
by the elevated considerations which address
themselves to patriots and phlanthropists.
They saw no immediate necessity for giving up
a. system which had its actual advantages to
them, for fear Of remote consequences, or for
the hope of contingent benefits and glories to
the State. So they reasoned, and SO men al
ways will reason. They assembled in public
meetings, therefore, and denounced the discus
sions at Richmond as fanatical and incendi-
ary," and, to borrow phrase from Mr.. Caleb
Cushing, they crushed out Aboitionism " in
double quick time.
Slavery will never be abolished until the
Shareholders, or a majority-ef them, are out
voted by their non-slaveholding neighbors. The
mum policy recommended by the Times would
not accomplish the result in thousand years.
1t originated with those who are interested in
keeping up the statu quo, and is repudiated by
DiXons line