The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-02-08


OF this nation ana boldly assert bat slavery,
as it exists in the Cntei State-, " Is Dsoraifg
s0siaHy aud D1iticgHy riBt{;" that instead
of being 'tllc c}asc OF curses 10 The prosper
ity of the nation, Il Was Il rich blessing, both
to the slavc and his master, and under proper
management, could BE- made conducive to the
development Of resources Of national strength
which could be brought out by no other
agency. But sir, even the master voice Of
Calhoun was raised at too late day to rene
DIV the evils Of former times Already had
the Southern people observed too long "a mas
terly inactivity" Now the demon Of fanati-
cism was ready to laugh at the shaking OF his
spear, and the mighty tide was now rolling
too high to be checked or stayed for a moment,
by his astonishing powers Of logic in debate.
1t is not then, Il matter Of surprise TO any
one that under such an exhibition OF senti-
ment by a large majority Of the leading men
of the nation, there should be a wide spread
conviction in the plblic mind against US upon
the subject Of slavery.
81. 4 second fsct which adduce in con-
nection with The foregoing, IS this: The re
lgious portion Of the citizens OF the United
States, at an early period Of the government,
were lei under belief that the institution of
slavery was founded in moral wrong, to enter
actively upon the i2lo'y work OF forming and
publishing by the DEGREES of their various &C.
clesiasticai judicatories, strong condennatory
testimony against this institution, peculiar to
the Southern portion Of the c0nlcdeTacy.
This testimony, denouncing the institution
as wrong, was put On record in their national
conventions 8s an embodiment of the senti-
mcnt Of the whole religious community The
resolutions and "tcstia975tsS' OF the various
ecclesiastical bodies, have by agitators in the
North, been claimed as an exponent affixed by
the teachings Of Holy Writ upon this subject
They have claimed, too, in support OF their
position, fact which honesty and frankncss
compel us to admit; and that IS, that even
men laEn and raised and educated III GIc
South, fflave ioi1e3 in giving sanction, by their
votes in church assemblies. sentiments which
bring with them moral degradation. They
have united with the Northern aboltionists
in asserting, in substance, that stakeholder
IS not fit 10 preach the gospel Of the Son Of
God; that STAKEHOLDER is unfit to belong to
the same christian family TO which belonged
the distinguished Apostle, who upon a certain
occasion told a runaway stare to 20 back to
his master and serve him.
They declare the doctrine Of the church to
be, ''that slavery as it exists in these States
is STUN upon the escutchcon Of the nation;
4 blot on our holy religion-utterly i9coH8tst-
cat with the dictates Of reason and humanity
AL that every phiianthropist patriot and
christian is under increasing obligation 10 use
! lis bost eadeayols to abolish slavery, not only
| IN the United States, but il possible, through
ont the world" These, sir. constitute to-day
the sentiments Of nine-tenths Of the RELIGIOUS
population Of the Northern States; and we
! lind by referring to the Statistics which indi-
| cate their Numerical strength that the yari-
| Gus religious denominations form large pro-
| portion Of the voters OF the free States They
! pretend 10 make Their acton upon this subject
/ = matter OF conscience. Their children are
! taught from lie cradle, to hate the system Of
| sigesFy, and to haze the stakeholder. They
! hear the wrongs OF your domcstcs discussed
/ more than anything else, from sabbath to
| sabbath, by Their pulpit orators. The masses
Of them never pretend to read, think, or argue
upon bat one SIDE Of the question, and that is
| the side which teaches that it is SIN against
| God TO hold property III the person of a ne
gro; " that slavery, as i exists in one half OF
| this conleleTacE, is not o8ly d sin against God,
| bnt IS Ike a blfgAting niliew upon national
strength and national prosperity, and that SO
| long as they are silent and inactiYlas members
OF the c0uiedegacy, in efforts to wipe out this
damning sin, they are partners in perpetual
| ing the chains OF Slavery in this Republic
| With views Ike these, under the promptinEs
Of fanatical zeal, they 20 TO the ba.lot-box and
there they roll up their maioEitie5 BY tens Of
thousands in every State against every man
! who darcs to take even 2 conservative position
/ in defence 0! Constitutional rights guaranteed
to the South. Lgt Us look tor one moment
at the case Of the Hon. Mr. Dickinson, Of New
! York one OF the tTuest men, in my Judgment
| that lives North OF Mason and Dixon's.Iiac, q
/ gentleman for whom l would rather vote fo1
| the Presidency than any other Northern
statesman The time has been when his IN
| fucncc in the council Of the nation was felt in
the government from North to South, and from
| East to West. But, sir, he has been shorn
of his political influence, and he has been
! hurled from political position; not because he
was the owner Of slaves; not because he was
| Il pzo-s'ayery man, as I and you ere; t.t SIM
! pl5 kzc1&so he claimed 70 be q national Kan,
and IS such, was willing TO dead Justice with
| an equal hand TO every secGon--thc South as
| well as the North. Now, all this is the result
otreligi0us iauaEcis.n, encouraged ard strength
cned By errors into which great men have
| fallen in former times, aaI also by the DEGREES
| OF eceie iastical iudicatories which lave as.
s,lmed to manufacture public sentiment for
| the masses, where lie The political power and
| strength Of the nation.
So. Again we see in the past history of this
party, denominated the Black Republican
! party, that its increase has been rapid and
| steady. That in 10 State OF the Union,
where they have once secured majority upon
the issue Of sla7c"y or no slavery with the
/ Cr -,
| people, have they again lost that maioritv-
| Every successive election but tells the tale Of
! an increased majority, and uU.oids the melaa-
choly fact that when this party gets the ascen-
dcncv in any given State, then that State is
doomed And if this be 4 correct rule by
which 10 argue, then the conclusion IS ineyi-
ta5e that when this party shall be able to rule
| in the executive, judicial and legislative de-
partmen.s Of this government, then the Union
is doomed Look FOR a moment at the States
OF New York, Maine New Hampshire, Con-
nectcgt and others. They used 10 give large
| majorities 10 the Democratic party as IA
tiouai party entering the contest upon nation
al issues. Where are they now? They are
hopeiessly gone. Where are Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, Vermont and others These
States were once accustomed to bring their
majorities to the support of the gallant old
Wing party, when she met her competitor
upon & national platform and made the battle
upon national issues. They too have been
swallowed up and have left them hardly the
yestige Of nationality so far as party organiza-
ton is concerned.
But ten years ago the Black Republican
party was supposed TO be very Insignificant
party; and in fact the time was when their
insigniticancy was urged as reason, upon the
floor of Congress, for the reception OF their
anti-sJ4uely memorials. Then it could not
carry even a single Northern State. Now it
is her boast that she can carry every State in
the North aud can get thousands upon thous-
ands OF votes even in some Of the Southern
States.
In view of these stubborn facts which look
us in the face upon the turn of every page Of
history fer the last twenty-five years, what
hope is there FOR what some call 'retRgniaq
sense Of justice" among the people Of the
North? Who does not see from the past. and
that is the rule by which to judge the future,
that all hope is gone That we have forced
upon us the dread alternative Of submittingto
the perpetual rule OF Black Republican dom
inaton, or assert for ourselves an independent
position in which we may possibly have some
quiet and peace Am l pointed to the
recent political action IN some Of the large
cities OF the North, and to the demonstra-
tons publicly made by immense aSsemblages
Of UHIoE-LovISG SOUTHERN sY3JPATHIZERs,
expressing holy horror and pious indi znation,
at the late outrage pcrpetrated upon the hon
or of tie South. in the invasion Of the soil Of
Virginia, the mother Of States, as an evidence
Of better times in the future ? 1t is 8 stuff
cieRt answer to all this, to state that it is high
ly probable those who composed these Union
meetings, taken together with all who approve
their action, make not . drop in the bucket"
when compared with the whole population
We, sir, get but one side of the question. We
have circulated among US only such papers as
may probably be under the influence of the
commercial interests OF Northern cities, and
may not communicate the whole truth con-
nected with the present agitation. l have it
upon reliable authority, from southern gen.
tleman who has just returned from visit to
the North, that they have there Indignation
meetings upon one side and their Union meet