Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-12-01

Now, when q line shall De drawn around the save
holding Republic which win exclude all other peo
pie from lawful counsel the subject Of slavery, is
there any prospect that agitation will cease. Viii
the advocates for any extreme proposition on the
subject Of slavery be quiet Has it not always been
Characteristic Of them to push their opinions regard
less Of opposition among the moderate Of their own
fellow citizens: If YOU stop short OF their views
and refuse to 90 with them in their full length you
are denounced immediately as unsound on slavery:
And now. sir, after the Southern Republic shall
be established will the advocate for opening the
slave trad, be quiet under the idea that the area oil
slavery will be then fixed while so many millions
of acres of cotton land still remain IN forest! WIN
he cease to agitate the question, even though tue
price of that great staple may be low, ana the sup
ply excessive so long as there shall be many men
without slaves? Will the slaveless laborer in the
South, taught that white men cannot labor in
Southern SUM- be content that our ports shall re-
maia closed against the importation of Africans and
so preserve the high prices Of slaves while one Tree
man among owns hundred, and hundred free
men among US own not one apiece Think you
that on the question Of opening this mine OF prom
ised wealth the two classes will not be arrayed in
opposition? The one to preserve the value OF ITS
property and the country from being African
lied and the other to become wealthy its neigh
Dor. though the country shall be Africanzed >
And do you doubt which Of the parties will carry
the day -? For remember that no small number of
the influential people of the South have been for
several years arguing that there is more sin f sin
there be at all in slavery in holding to bondage tu-
tored and civilized Africans than in reducing to
bondage in land of Christianity and civilization,
the untaught heather and rude barbarian. Avarice,
the love of incidence and the agraran's plea will
prevail against the wiser counses Of the few and
the pulpit even will become feryid under popular
favor, and reproduce the buried sermons Of bygone
centuries to support the popular sentiment
The question will De in midst and in full agi-
tation within two years after the formation OF
Southern Republic, if she be at peace with her
neighbor unless the fear of depOpulating Virginia
Maryland and Kentucky at once Of slaves-for these
States will never hold slaves when they get so low
IN price as to to be valuable estate well in
the South at home-or the fear of offending Eng
lsh alliance Ito which all diSunionistS look their
palladium in separaton) shall restrain the trade
These will be the only guards against the revival Of
a traffic as wicked as unwise-detested now and de-
tested then by every State north of South Carolina
and Alabama. Let us not shut our eyes to The pro-
bable consequences Of disunion Let us look around
and ahead. have no respect for the head or the
heart that would fire us to madness, and taking ad-
vantage of blindness lead to the prccipIce Of
danger where unaware of the next fatal step the
dark, would be precipitated to the bottom with
out any warning Of our danger. Such counsellor
be no friend Of the people, nor Of popular insti
tutionS He that would so delude the people by
cheating them into an irretrievable position of un
seen peril would drive them with the sword when
ever such means might be placed in his hands |
have asked those who favor dsunion for their divd
ing line and their scheme Of Government have
seldom received any other answer than, "Oh! we
can take care Of ourselves" On one occasion only
have | heard the outline Of a scheme Of peace and
safety. 1t is very simple and would be very eff
cient, If practicable 1t IS to have the dividing
border territory of one hundred miles width peo-
pied by pro-slavery men, without slave in it An
abolition element of vast power and activity intro
duced into slave State to slavery! Let not
the absurdity of the device provoke a smile but
rather encourage our hopes for everlasting Union
The scheme, fpracticable, may perhaps be equiv
alent for the present constitutional provision for the
surrender Of fugitive slaves.
But, seriously, ! think every man ought to look
this question Of disunion full in the face If it be
clear that severance will permanently improve our
condition as people; if after it can as peacefully
and efficiently shield our institutions against a
united, as now we can against dirided North; If
we shall then be as independent Of the powers OF
the earth and as able to secure ourselves against
their attacks as now if SHALL after inviting the
oppressed of other lands to seek an asylum here he
as able to give them the protection of citizenship
wherever the broad surface of the ocean or
land, they may be insulted or aggreved, as we are
now, then mighty impediments to diSunon are re-
moved. But If there is not absolute certainty that
shall be in this situation after that event. then
let every patriot turn quickly from the mad seduc-
ton, lest his country be precipitaed into imbecy
and dishonor, and her star fall to rise more
shall not stop to argue these propositions. They
carry with then their own conclusions, and the
madness which would affirm them has no cure but
the judgments of God. These will come in the very
day and freshness of the greatest folly and crime Of
the age.
Reared in the conviction that our form of govern
ment was perfect and the Union indispensable
to the common welfare and liberty of the whole
country, have imbibed as true as unquestionably
true, the sage teachings of Washington in the most
admirable of all political papers, the Farewell Adj
dress-that paper, which, however torn and beaten
in the storm OF disunion, will yet stand out of the
waters high above the deck alter the ship of State
is gone down to the bottom not indeed TO proclaim
TO his countrymen his paternal and solemn warnings
against disme:abered empire, but endless
monitor OF the endless woes to como. lie told you,
and me, and all his countrymen, ana he spoke for
this Gerry day, that the Union was of Immense
value"-"a main pillar in the edifice of our real
independence, the support Of our tranquility at
home, our peace abroad of our safety and our very
liberty" And he warned us "Mat from different
causes and from different quarters much pains
1cOud be taken, many articles employed TO reaken
in our minds the cOn1iction Of this truth" He
warned us that the " Union is the point in our po-
itcdt fortress against ohich the batteries of in
ternal and external enemies NiU be most constantly
and actirety Though often cOrertly and inSidiousl)
directed
During differents periods for thirty years past
certain men have filled the place designated by the
Father of his Country as its " internal enemies"
and they have been engaged with more or less con-
stancy and activity, sometimes boldly, Though
often covertly and nsdiously" in depreciating the
value Of the Union.
About thirty years ago, in opposition to the ex-
ercise of power used from the foundation of the
Government through almost every year of its exist
ence-a period of fifty years, a parcel of these in
erdI enemies proposed to dissolve the Union to rid
themselves OF the common duties imposed on i'm
ported goods. And now, those of them who survive
with the aid of fresh recruits, on another account
propose and insist on disunion if they cannot elect
to the Presidency man who will say that it is the
duty Of Congress 10 pass u STARE code for a Terri
tory, although it is admitted there is no need for
such code at this time; and it is apparent there