The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1860-02-01


the division Of the Union upon the slave line,
and the necessary breaking out of fierce and
lnterminable war along frontier extending
from the Atlantic Ocean to the western Dor.
ders OF Missouri, no man can fpresee state
or case when peace can ever be preserved
along that frontier as well as it can he in the
Union, and every man can see that any fu
ture union Of the divided portion. of the
Coniederacy, if any union shalt ever be pos.
sible, must be upon the very terms that now
exist. The inevitable effect of the recent
events at Harper's Ferry, taken altogether,
must be to give degree Of security to the
whole slave frontier Within the onion which
no part Of it can ever have out Of The Union;
and the handful of white men and negroes
whose follies and crimes were consummated
there would probably be the last, as they
were the first, to try such an attempt. The
whole case ought to be, to every rejecting
man, demonstration Of the inestimabIe
value OF the Union, both as il sets bounds TO
the passions OF men, and as il enables us to
punish crime by due course of law, instead
Of by private or public war.
Kentucky is through choice slave State.
When forming her first constitution in 1892,
when forming her second constitution in
1898, and when forming her present consti-
tuition in 1850, the whole subject was care.
fully considered BY her people, and each
time decided in the same manner; and il Is
probable that at the present time there is
less disposition amongst her people to make
any change on that subject than at any for
mer period. Two facts Of great importance
must not, however, be overlooked. The first
is, that no considerable portion Of the people
, Of Kentucky have ever held extreme views
in favor OF slavery, while very large pro-
portion OF the people have tolerated without
preierrng Il, and, while the common opinion
Of the people has always been that the rea.
tive growth of the white over the black race
would be greater and greater continually,
and at some future, perhaps distant period,
slavery would become an insignificant ee-
ment in the condition OF the State. The Sc.
cond tact is, that Kentucky has all along
been exposed, along frontier Of seven hun.
dred miles of river border, to greater evils
and losses than all the slave States which
have no free frontier put together vet she
has never Tor moment manifested any sense
nt alarm or insecurity - made use of any
threats, eiamor. or abuse, or entertained a
single thought of secession. She has uni,
fOrmly acted with calmness, moderation, and
+ dignlty; her citizens have uniformly relied
upon the laws for redress against such as law
cnlld reach. and against the awless prompt.
+ Il redressed themselves, leaving TO those who
did not approve her ways to amend their
own, or choose their own remedy against her.
Undoubtedly she has had great cause to be
dissatisfied; undoubtedly her people are the
last in the world to put up with either in.
juries or insults undoubtedly she would be
prompt to take up arms against any odds,
when she thought no hope was left but in
arms; and undoubtedly whoever puts her to
that extremity will see good reason to regret
haYing done 50. What assert IS, that, for
all thar has come and gone, she sees no rca-
son for the ruin Of the country. none for the
dissolution Of the Unioa, none for the seces.
sion ot any State by revolution or otherwise,
none for allowing herself to Be forced into 4
position fatal TO her By the fanatieism Of \
potion of the people Of the North and the
passions Of portion Of the South.
T OF the fifteen slave States lif Delaware
can properly be so considered) the eleven
which lie further south than Kentucky have,
as members Of The Federal Union, a thousand
times less cause of complaint than she has,
anil will not encounter the tlousandth part
Of her peril il the UniHn is dissolved. ltis
MARYLAND, Virginia, Kentucky, aud Missouri
ih1t have borne all the lOss and ANNOYANCE,
and are TO bear all the impending peril. Ii
i 10 these four States, therefore, that the
decision Of the national aspects Of these i'm.
pending perils emphatieally appertains, so
far as that decision appertains to the SLAVE
&f8fN aF Ill . aNI NtaN Nefa atI
eruus impulse ought to prompt the people Of
the other eleven slave States to furbear what.
eter course of action u disapproyed by these
iulr border States. And these four great
States are bound by the highest considera-
tions. both d patriotism and Of interest, 10
throw their united weight against all sudden,
r1.l, and unconstitutional action on The part
ot the slave States; and, il the worst comes.
10 secure for themselves position compati.
bic at once with their honor, heir freedom,
ald their safety. Ia ike manner the border
Tee States, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, ought to remem.
Der that their borders are as much exposed
as ours, and that maltitudes Of considep.
tuns. besides numerical force, enter into all
warfare. and, ahnye all. into border war. SO
that nn them, with reference 10 the numer.
ous free States. behind them. rest the duty
aud the. right Of deciding the national aspect
IT the subject o. slavery on the free side Of
the line. just as il rests with the border slave
States on the other side. Il NAV be conf.
IDENTIFY asserted that posterity will hold these
six border free States and these four border
slave States responsible for the fate Of this
nation al the present crisis; and they will
deserve its lasting contempt if. with their
central position across the Republic, and
their irresistible force. they permit the eoun.
iry TO be ruined and disgrsccI. and them.
selves thrown into position o. endless mu.
inai hostility, along common frontier Of
hlteen hundred miles. And for what reason +.
aud fur whose benefit
/ Nv what blinlnc.s and By what violence