The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1860-01-20

ne 10 poI prepared 10 say IL Is not a NOR al,
social, and political evil
Sir, after tke utteranco ofsuch sentiment
coming from the South, I feel it my duty
to say here that I not only look up.
op it as a moral, social, and political
blessing and good; blessing to the black
man; blessing to the white man it imp
proves the condition Of the one and ele-
Yates the tone of the other it is an insti-
tuition which has been transmitted to us by
our ancestors, one which we intended to
preserve, and one which we aoiN preserve
in tho Union or out of it against all the
power which you can bring to bear against
us, peaceable, or we will perish in the at
tempt. Like the honorable gentleman
from Tennessee, (Mr. Nelson,) 4 own few
slaves, and, as my friend behind me, (Mr.
keit') suggests, wish I had more. They
have mainly been Inherited from my an
cestors, and, so far from declaring that 4
am not ashamed to say it here, am proud
TO say here own them At this moment,
whilst I am here attending to the duties
confded to me by my constituents, my
family at homo are protected by a faithful
and honest slave, entrusted with firearms
for that purpose. 1t is my pride and boast
that live in State where such property is
held, and that am a slave holder.
And, let me say here to the indorscrs of
the Helper compendium, that when you
count upon the non-slavcho!ders Of tue
South to overturn that institution, you
! reckon without your host. saw it stated,
but Il few days ago, that in one Of the Nir-
gnia companies in service at llarrers Fer
ry, out of some one hundred, there were,
a, ,cor3ing to my recollection, only five
| shareholders. In one Of t!Ie cuunties in
the district Of the honorable member from
Virginia, (Mr. Martiu.) when the news Of
the IlarperS Ferry invasion reached the
county scat, meeting was held of only two
hundred, and one hundred and fitiy.two OF
| the two hundred volunteered their services
should they be needed. l ask him how
many of those one hundred and fitly-two
were slave holders?
Mr.. Martin, of Virginia. Five.
Mr.. Bonham. Only FIVE out of one hun
dred and fiftytwo sir the non shareholders
Of the South who do not themselves own
slaves have friends and relatives, perhaps,
who do. Besides, they know they have
tie constitutional right to own them when
they may inherit, or acquire the means to
purchase them. They have the intelligence
too 10 understand that right and the cour-
age to maintain it. And when you come
TO excite scrvile insurrection, or to force us
back into the Union, these non shareholders
, in common with their brethren, in the
language of an honorable member Of this
House, once in the Senate, will welcome
your myrmidons "with bloody hands TO
hospitable graves Your sentiment OF
negro equality they repudate with scorn.
They know their own ri gh's, and need not
your. assistance to comprehend them.
Mr.. Clerk, have dwelt longer on these
points than intended when rose. I have
but word more to say. I was pleased
with the eloquent zeal Of the honorable
member from Tennessee when in the oon-
clusion Of his optning speech, he delivered
his patriotic sentiments, the burden of which
was the Union, although our emotions OF
patriotism embrace somewhat different OBJ
jects. His seen to embrace more exclusive
ly the Union-"lhe mountains, hills, val.
leys, and streams" of the whole country
He says:
1--WE love onr country; We love Its mountains its
hills, its valleys, and its streams
And .again:
"But above all, Itrust, we love this glorious I'm.
ion.'
eve love this glorious
Union. repeat s~
also might lovo the Constitution and
the Union, as they came from our fathers,
if the rights of the South could lie secured
under them. But the conviction that this
cannot be done has been forced upon me
BY the continued exactions and encroach-
ments Of an unscrupulous majority. And
although when our common country needs
the services Of aliher citizens against out
side pressure, can adopt the sentiment of
the gallant Lawrence when he aaid stMv
country! may she always be right; but
right or wrong, my country ? Still first,
and before the North, the Fast, and the
West, ! love the snuny South, with all her
cherished institutions and her principles.
Bot the divergence isFgreater still. S5My pa
triotism, begins with the cradle in. which ny
infant limbs were rocked. with the cottage
in whichI first learned to lisp my mothers
name. First, last. and all ,he. time, it leads
me to render my, homage aid allegiance to