Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-07-19
A letter fro1n agCountry Clergyman to SEN.
tor summer.

From the New York Times.
To Hon. CHARLES SusNER-Dear Sir presume
am indebted to the fact of my name being cler-
zeal list for the reception of document franked &C.
Sumner, 2 which, on opening, find to be copy Of
your late speech on slavery, in the Senate of the
United States. had previously read that speech in
the New York Times, which, as usual. gave an ex-
cellent report Before reading it, your name was in
my memory as an unjust sufferer; now cannot
think of You otherwise than as q man who has
nursed wrath four years. and at last taken his re
yenge l do not believe you have improved your
position added TO your personal comfort or ncreas
ed your influence.
Il is not, however, my intention now to treat your
speech with personalities It may or may not be of
importance to you TO know the opinion country
parson holds nor viii it. perhaps, interest you to
learn that he is New England man, with all his IA
tive love of liberty, and native admiration OF lear
less, free speech 1t further may not aHect one Oh
/ your intellect which must be above the weakness
| of accounting for mans views by his accidental
social or political surroundings. to say that have
no personal interest in the profits OF slavery, or at
least none, except such remote ones as necessarily
belong to citizen of acountry IN Wmch slavery ex-
| lists and acts as an element Of production
Ny only object now is to present one point which
| vour sneech wholly overlooks and which, to my
! 1lain reason vitiates the whole argument lour
title is 1.-The Barbarism of Slavery, and your sub
loot Is onv sThe Barbarism amid Slavery.n 1t is
not necessary to say c such mind as yours that be-
tween those two little words is difference OF mean
ing which wholly alters the aspect OF the question
Establish your point that Barbarsm is of Slavery
that is a natural consequence and necessary fruit Ct
it-and YOU have position, towards which the
ouiet muItitudes of honest and earnest men which
nnderle and sustain our body polite, would surely
if slowly come while their presence with you woulC
simply be the victory of your cause.
But sir, your speech does not touch this essentia
point 1t contains many shocking recitals, present
ed in artistic order argued with indisputable skill
stamped with eloquence, and sealed at the end o
paragraphs with ringing blows of-ear7eStaesS, you
friends would say passion, such as land ndb9
nitl your enemies. To what however, do all thes
-ecitals and their adjuncts amount? Simply to tn
fact that barbarism exists where Slavery IS IN on
} Southern States; not that it pervades this Who'll
community-Hot that it has grown up in thar CON
munty but only that cases of it can be found there
which are capable Of being wrought with telling 81
: feet into tales and speeches.
Who in this sense, ever thought of denying thi
fact? Who could expect anything else from the in
| portation of thousands of barbariansg Savages G
the lowest type were the ancestors of these slaves
and wat more natural than that they should retail
even vet some of their ancient traits? Who wonder
; or denies that they have imbued their master:
, children to some extent with their own character
) and are themselves suffering the consequences nov
those children grown. If you had multiple
, your instances a thousand-fold you would only a
last have shown not that the system of slavery a
existing in the Southern United States tends TO bar
barism, but simply that it has not yet succeeded
curing and eradicating the barbdrlsm which all GU
l ancestors Joined in importing.
e There are faults enough in Southern character
and sYils enough IN Southern society, but they d
8 not 50 manifestly preponderate on that side tina
r Northerners can all afford to be Nathans. Their
are others besides 0ctoroOns who succumb to tn
: powers Of social evil and live and die in shame
:, The Northern appOrtionment OF capital and labor
8 accompanied by Northern license OF opinion, &C
i upon personal liberty, honor, and purity, with
deadly pressure, that the mere formal assertion Q
individual freedom does not remove nor efiectuall
/ tighten | mention this comparison, not an al
gument that the social order of the North is bel
: ter than that of the South the contrary, it
evidently much to be preferred 1t is only for tn
e purpose of showing that evils exist everywhere
and it is Just as fair to charge those which skill
e full tale-weaver, or acute speech-maker Nigh
draw from Northern life to the essential principle
of Northern social order it is to assign barbarisI
e for an outgrOwth of Southern social order.
h Now, sir, if you care anything for the opinion {
that multitude which seldom speaks but is Away
t bearing up the pillars of our national fabric WHEEL
It indeed constitutes those pillars, which alone er
a during fame is inscribed; if you wish TO stan
forth in your generation, and be remembered b
posterity as a true statesman, then Danish passion
partnership, and revenge, and take this subject u
| next time upon its real merits. If you can shO'
that Southern slavery has made the descendants {
Africans worse barbarians than their ancestors, @
even worse than their contemporaries in their natv
y land then you may justly entItle such producto
= +" The Barbarism Of Slavery But now you smpl
s make mistake in logic, which is unworthy you
e genius and training and productive of good I
= yourself or your united native land.
e COUNTRY PARsoN.