The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1860-12-29
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exactly, :. it was kid Of general Gus
sedness.
We copy tho above from republican
paper 1t Sounds so much Ike one OF
Abe Lincolns stories, that we should not I
be surprised to learn that he vas the au-
thor of it. It's object is to cast ridlcuie
upon the secession movement IN the South,
on the familiar principle that Nero lid |
died while Rome WAS bvrning" Yet there |
is a sober truth concealed under the Hip
pant phraseology of the joke that the re-
publicans might we'll pause and seriously
reflect upon.
It is in some measure true that the peo
people Of the South, who for the last 90
years have been every day becoming mad
der and madden at the North, until finally
their rage overleaps all restraint, when
called upon to specify the particular acts
Of wrong and outrage which has wrought
them up to such fit of passion, find
difficulty to present them in definite ar
ray, and are almost compelled with the
man mentioned i'll tho Joke, instead OF
naming any particular crimes, to attribute
to the general cussedness" of the North:
or at least a large and now dominant por-
ton of the north.
Tho situation Of the South is like this.
They are an almost exclusively agriculsu-
raj people But their wealth, unlike that
Of the North, consists not in the number
Of broad acres they own, but in the Slaves
they own TO till their lands. Ground it
self is cheap, and a planter extends his
acres exactly in proportion as he is able
to purchase slaTes to work thorn. These
slaves are, therefore, to him all his wealth.
They are land, crops, horses cattle, sheep
poultry and everything, for without his
slaves he is helpless and can have none of,
these. No hired labor can take their
place-not that such labor would be more
expensive, but because of its uncertainty
and utter unavailability at the very crisis
when most needed Considerations like
he US somewhat 20 appreciate
- which the Southern
man chngs, therefore, to nIs 10 GO n-onert.
Wien the American Union was form.a
all the States held slaves, with one unim-
portant exception,) There was, therefore,
no prejudice in the public mind against
such property. Yet, as sorlo oi tie north
ern States had taken steps to lberate
their Slaves, and others might 10 50, the
southern States, realizing their different
Situation from the north and their entire
dependence on that species Of property,
jealousy insisted Oh such checks and
guards being inserted in the constitution,
as would leave them perfect and entire
control OF tho subject within their own
borders, and whether the northern States
all became free or not, their own equal
rights and standing in the Union should
not be prejudiccd by reason of their hold
ing slaves. This was choelfully conceded
by the north, and tie Union was launched
on her glorious career
For tho first thirty years of the exist
ence OF the Union this good understand.
ing WAS maintained on both sides with
but had no reproaches for Georgia for not
following her example Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts, Ne &c ada aid e ehG th ss own
good reasons without gratuitous and i'm
pertinent dictation or advice from any
quarter. Virginia, Maryland, and Ken
tucky had taken steps, each for herself, in
IL !.
would also have been free States The
fugitive slave law sanctioned by Washing
ton, was executed in friendly spirit, by
the officers of the free States themselves
profitable and are sorry you of the south
can't adopt it also. The south SAID we
congratulate you on your good fortune and
will chcoriully follow your example when
we can afford it. Thus all was peace and
good feeling, until, in about the year 1919,
the Devil, annoyed at seeing q people so
happy, landed somewhere down east in
the form of an angel OF light, and COM
OF his preaching was SO akin to the phari-
saical puritanisnl of that land, that il
spread like wild fire. Unfortunately, about
the same time, the old federal party had
gone to the wall, and its leaders were
looking about for now hobby to ride,
and the Devil gave them his ready made
1t ragged SO iierccly through the land that
when Missouri applied 20 be admitted into
the Union, majority Of the members of
Congress from tho north wero thoroughly
innoculated with the diabolical spirit, and
it was only by the genius aud eloqucnce,
and purity of such men as Macon, Clay.
and Monroe, that this happy Union was
then saved from falling a victim to the
arch demons cunning plan.
Defeated then, but not dismayed, this
Internal spirit has been assiduously at work
from that day to this Retaining its sane
timonious garb, it has been admitted into
two thirds of tho pulpits, Sunday schools,
and benevolent societies of the north, and
has polluted moro than half its family
affairs Insidiously it works like slow
poison, until it permeates moro or less the
whole northern heart. 1t manifests itself
seldom in gross, palbable outbreaks, but
keeps up perpetual stream Of petty, har-
rowing annoyances and impertinences,
every one of which is enough to disturb
the equanim;.y Of the most impazsive
man, but tho unbroken stream OF which. is
proof against the arnor OF tho sturdiest
saint in clristendom
You have seen q man dull, heavy good