The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-12
FREEDOM OF sPEEC.a IN THE SOUTH

fhEEDOM Oh oGEECed IN The SOU1h.
We should literally have no room for any
thing else, if we were to Publish all the details
of whippings, tarand-feaiherings, and hang
ings, for the utterance Of Anti-Slavery opinions
in the South, which the reals daily bring us.
The reign of terror in that section is marked
by atrocities in many cases equal to those which
desolated France seventy years ago. 1t is not
safe for Northern man T. travel through the
South at the present time, for either business
or pleasure. The drummers or travelling
agents of Northern nero Iants, who are re-
strained by the strongest considerations of pol
icy as well as personal safety from giving Of
fence, cannot escape suspicion, and several in
stances of their expulsion and i'll treatment
have occurred. Northern ,schoolmasters, ped
dlers, and preachers, have been subjected to
all manner of indignity aad persecution. and
we believe that very few Of hem are permitted
to remain on Southern soS In one instance,
stated by Southern newspaper, a preacher
was found by STAKEHOLDER preaching to his
slaves, and forthwith he m.de his negroes put
the man to death, dig his grave, and bury him
on the spot where he was found in the act of
preaching. In another instance, a planter
caused peddler from the North to be hanged
sir times by his negroes, merely in sport, on
suspicion of his being an abolitionist The
Rev. Daniel Worth has been held to bail at
Greensborough, North Carolina, on the charge
of circulating Helpers book, and of declaring
that he would not have John Brown hung
for thousand WORLDS" 1t has been suggested
that he expressed this sentiment, not from SYM
pathy with Brown in his invasion of Virginia,
but from an apprehension of its consequences
upon the peace of the country, OF his mo-
tives we know nothing but for these offences
he is to be tried in April, and it is believed
that he will be punished with fine, imprison
ment, and whipping. Further south, he would
be summarily put to death.
In Madison county, Kentucky, whole set
Element, embracing several families, and inclu-
ding that of the Rev. John G. Fee, have been
expelled, upon no specific charge of violating
the laws, but simply as punishment for ex.
pressing their opposition to Slavery.
An lrishman, stonecutter, employed at
Columbia, South Carolina, was recently whip
ped, by order of the vigilance committee, and
tarred and feathered, for saying thas slave
labor is injurious to and degrading to white
labor. BE was Democrat and uniformly
vsted the Democratic ticket but we presume
that the silk-stocking Democracy of the Pal
metto State have had his Democratic" prin.
ciples pretty we'll whipped out of him. To
add to his degradation, they caused negro to
do the whipping.
But we will not undertake to enumeFate the
cases. We only refer to them as specimens
of slaveholding Intolerance. These barbarities
proceed from fear. They indicate the senti-
ment of the Southern people in regard to the
stability and strength of Slavery, and leave no
doubt that, in spite of their professions of con-
6dence in it, they in fact feel it to be con-
tinual source of terror. Their fears make them
suspicious, cruel, and intolerant.
The Petersburg (Va.) Press is working itself
into new fever over Mr.. Caldwell, the Republi-
can member of the Virginia State Senate, who
signs the cali for the Chicago Convention. 1t
demands that he be expelled from his seat
forthwith.