Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-12-19
Extracts from Mr.. Floyd's Letter.

mond Enquirer on the state Of the country, from
which we make the following extracts These ex-
tracts contain views well worthy the consideration
OF the people Of this State as well of Virginia:
The South should remember that in dissolving
the Union she annihilates mighty army of true,
unselfsh and devoted friends at the North, who
battle forever for the constitutional rights Of the
slave States. Without this great and efficient aid
the power of abolition fanaticism would be un-
broken and unchecked--would indeed "surround
the South with wall of fire." 1t would do more.
New England would consort with Old England in
devising means by which the cruel and inhuman
philanthropy practised in the West India Islands
should be repeated here. That religious zeal which
turned away from all rational hope of progress in
Christian faith half million of Africans to the saw
ageism OF fetish worship, and converted the fairest
islands OF the sea into desert and waste; that
English justice which seized upon thousand mil
lions OF her subjects property and vaunted herself
before the world for having paid one-tenth of its
value-would find surely and speedily ample room,
in conjunction with New England abolitionisn, for
the practice of her pharisaical virtues amidst the
fields of Virginia and Louisiana. If the hate Of
New England abolitionists to the South sleepless
and malignant-if they hope by fraud and indirec
ton, by agitation and theft to harass the South, and
to impair the security and value of her slave pro-
perty-all combined would, in my belief be Justice
orable hate and majestic fanaticism of England d.
rected against the slavery of dismembered Union
and feared and hated commercial rival.
Twenty five years more Of union and harmony
will concentrate the controlling commercial power
Of the world in the waters of New York. Then the
decline OF England becomes certain as that
of Alexandria and Venice, and for the same cause.
Instead of the first, she becomes third rate Euro
pean power. But let dsunion take place-let civil
war and dlscord distract this country, and England
we'll knows that the ships of the North must rot at
their wharves, and the busy hum of their manufac-
tories must cease forever. Then, indeed. would
England feel again that she mistress of the
without rival secure in commerce that no power
could ever shake.
1T is fatal error to suppose that the interest of
England aoouM prompt her to foster the planting
interests Of the South.-From the Prince consort
who sat silently by and witnessed the deliberate
insult of an American Minister by British peer
before the congregated intelligence of all Christen-
dom, simply because slavery existed in the United
States down to the wretched cockney himself, forty
times the slave to suffering and circumstances beyond
what any negro is to law-there is not an English
man who does not in his heart abhor slavery if he
does not also abhor the country where it exists
England will have margin enough to supply her
wants for cotton, even with large diminution OF
our present production if the demand of the North
for it is cut off it would be by disunon and civil
war; But England safe in her commercial ascend
ancy, does not always follow that line of policy
which others might think conducive to her interest
She sacrifices much and largely to crafty hatred
to vindcate bluhder or cater to a sentiment
Without caring much about the opinions Of Others
she values very highly her own, and with laudable
desire to appear righteous in her own eyes. perpe-
trates any act of cruelty or oppression under the
pious pretence of evangeiizing and civilizing the
heathen reforming the heresies of the Christian
She ravages China because they unwlngly bruta-
lie their nation by eating opium She desolates
India because that benighted people are averse to
rendering up their independence and their rupees in
exchange for Bibles and crushing military despot-
ism. But it is not the Mongol of Tartar race alone
that experience the tender mercies Of England in
enforcing the blessings Of liberty and the saving
grace of the Thirty nine Articles. 1t is in vain that
Ireland points to the illusrious pages of history
| English history-enacted by her sons. 1t is in
vain that the most renowned periods of her Sena-
torial fame have drawn their peculiar lustre from
the genius of Ireland that the topmost rounds of
her military celebrity have been reached under the
leadership of the same race; neither of these con-
sidcrations, all combined have been able to save
that unfortunate nation from perpetual inipale-
ment compared with which the worst forms of
| African slavery are mercy and blessing. few
years ago, only few years ago. England, with her
mighty resources, with that empire upon which the
sun in his daily course it is boosted never ceases
to shine, stood calm spectator from her own hap
by shores and looked with Christian complacency
across the Irish Channel at the torture of their
people writing in the agony of starvation; mil.
lion of whom, it is computed, died from famine and
its accompanying diseases. During this period,
English philanthropy found emssaries and means
enough to despatch to America for the purpose Of
stirring up the spirit of abolitionism to overthrow
the Union, and incite the negro to nsurrecton.
The shrieks of furnishing mutitudes of her own
subjects have never pierced the heart of England
like the fanced wrongs Of the African race in the
cotton fields of the South, though it may be truly
asserted that slave has died of starvation on
| our continent
The South can never count upon the friendship o.
England or upon her liberation of evils, not hel
own. Once within the reach of her power, she will
fix upon us forever the very badge Of nferiority
which we are now ready to destroy the Union te
escape; and will foster our products so far, and sc
far only as may be absolutely necessary to supply
her wants. England would insist upon making
good her record upon the slavery question. To
sacrifice the interests of class even to starve &c
death few hundred thousand of her subjects the
laudable task, would constitute very small obstacle
to her policy.
But with all these consequences attending the
measure of disunion and mutitudinous others,
which readily occur to every mind, no option is left
now but either to choose to encounter them or It
| secure tnOSe guarantees winch must stop az oucs
and forever the aggressi0ns and agitation to which
the North has been so long addicted, the subject
of slavery. With proper guarantees Of this sort
sohich could be gioen By amendments to the constitu
tion, zoe may go in happy and cordial Union
made so from a mutually Of pecuniary interests
and consciousness which union will give US Of pow
er to maintain all our rights and command the res
pect of the werld.
am of opinion that the Legislature of Virginia
should Immediately call convention Of the people
of the State, with view of referring all these mo
mentous questions to the abitrament Of convention
of all the States, such provided for in the fed
eral constitution. and that in the meantime, Vir
ginia should use all her influence to calm the exas
perated feelings of the country, and to prevent,
possible, hostile collision in any quarter, or frou
any cause"
az We are not disposed to engage in contro
versy with the Editor Of the Fayetteville Carolinian