Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-08-10
"Not Ripple upon the Surface"

Thus speaks the Hon. Alexander H. Ste
phens, in his Fourth of July address:
sin national point of view, our progress
has been great. Vast territories have been
added to our limits. Our trade, our COM
merce, our manufactures, our exports and
imports have been more than trebled. His
tory furnishes no equal to it in the annals Of
nations. All those great sectional questions
which 80 furioasly in their turn agitated the
public mind, foreboding disaster, and which,
from my connection with them, caused me to
remain SO long 1t the post you assigned ne,
have been amicably and satisfactorily adjusted,
without the sacrifice of sny principle or the
loss of any essential right. at this time
there is not ripple upon the surface. The
country was never in profouuder quiet, or
the people, from one extent to the other, in
more perfect enjoyment of the blessings Of
peace and prosperity secured by these insti-
tutions for which we should feel no less CRATE
fui than proud. Its at such time, and with
these views of its condition, that I cease all
active connection with its affairs"
This is somewhat different from the stereo-
typed bowling about the "greet black cloud"
that is alleged to be gathering upon the
Northern horizon, which is to be burst upon
US in an avalanche of fury, and at which we
arc expected to be duly frightened. When
we decline to exhibit any tremors at the re-
quest of our special alarmists and prophets of
evil, we are set down as exceedingly incredu-
lous, blind 10 what the future portends, and
that we belong to the class of those who cry
Peace, peace, when there is no peace"
The sectional presses in the South are exceed
l.eay1-!--l. nF .I,,,nAir rho -~-tst,pagant and
ridiculous rawlings Of moonstruck madmen in
the North, and parading them before the
public as specimens Of the generally prevail
| ing ideas there. They are especially delighted,
as confrmatory of their views, when they
can pick up an extreme extract fpm Mr.:
Seward, and appear to take it for granted
that what Mr.. Seward says is law and gospel
in that part of the country; that Mr.. Seward
has but to put forth ianatical sentiment,
upon it as obediently as a flock of sheep
would follow their shepherd. The late non.
sensical idea of Mr.. Seward that negroes in
Boston and New Orleans must necessarily in
the end have the same civil status, because
living under the same General Government,
has been extensively published. in the South,
as comprising in reality the principle of the
platform Of the whole North and West.
We have been told, with great flourish of
trumpets and manifestations of alarm, that
Seward, the great wizard of abolition, is
mastering his hosts preparatory to final
and desperate onslaught upon the South, and
the Tribulation Trepids" have been dread
fully scared, and e1horted to shoulder armsn
at once and march into Sardinia to conquer
peace, in advance of the crisis. If Seward
ever sees these amusing jeremiads, and if he
has the least cschinatory elements in him, lie
must almost split his sides as the nervous ex-
citelnents which his adros deInagogue sppesls
produce among the Peter Simples, and the
affected agitation amorg the demagogues, Of
the South. What beautiful picture these
sectional presses give the wcrld of the conf
dence of the Southern people in themselves,
and of their ability to take caro- of and defend
themselves against aggressions, should any be
attempted-New Orleans Bulletin.