Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-12-25
GRIEVANCES OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The South Carolina disuuionists have pre-
taking to destroy the Union. We pint it in
another place, and hope our readers will give
it careful attention. The most obvious thing
to say of it is, that if the state of South Caro-
lima had actually any serious grievance to
complain of, those who speak for her would
not confine themselves so much to general
statements and vague specifications, nor make
charges that are either unreasonable or un.
true; and they certainly would not allow
themselves to talk as if the inevitable tenden-
CIV of civilization were ian aggression of the
north" They do not speak the truth when
they say Fifteen northern states have de.
liberately refused for years to fulfill their con-
stitutional obligation" Nothing can be far.
Their from the truth. Only South Carolina and
some OF her associates have made such refusal
in any particular The true reasons for seces-
sonsm are not told in that document. They
would not bear telling in any grave appeal to
the public. The thoughts and impulses that
give movement to the reasonable proceedings
in South Carolina are shown more accurately
in the following paragraph from the Charles
ton Mercury -
"Our interest in Africa is exceedingly small
almost wholly limited TO our recognition OF
it as grand mart, whence we should draw
fifty thousand poor barbarians annually, who,
with good muscles and limbs, have not yet
properly learned how % use them, and who,
in their present condition, are quite useless to
themselves and to the rest of the world We
should like to divide some halt million of
these poor monkey people among the rice and
cotton planters between the Ashley and Sa-
vannah, half a million more among the rice
planters between Cooper River and Cape
Fear and million more among the cotton
planters along the Pedee, the Santee, the Eds
TO and Savannah rivers where the poor ne
groes, rescued from cannibalism, might be
taught to earn their bread by honest labor, be-
come decent christians, forget cannibalism,
and appreciate the beauties of the cotton
field"
A cotton confederaoy under despotic gov.
eminent, with democracy communicated,
free speech suppressed, and the African slave
trade re-opened, it is to secure these things
that the leading extremists in South Carolina
plot treason, but they are not manly enough
to say SO frankly. The following assertion
which we quote from their statement OF griev-
ances, deserves some attention =
"In many of these states fugitives held to
service and to labor have been claimed, but
in none OF them has the state government complied
with the stipulation on this subject made in
the constitution"
This is very singular charge to be made
by the men who demand a rigid enforcement
of the congressional fugitive slave law. That
law takes out OF the hands of the states the
business OF delivering up fugitives from SER
vice, and places it wholly in the hands of
of the federal government. 1t is held to be
notification" or something worse, for state
to enact any law on the subject, or to touch
the matter in any way. Under these circum-
stances, what can be more unreasonable than
to complain that no Estate government" deliv
ers up fugitives from service No state gov
eminent is asked or allowed to do SO. No
slave state comes TO any free state asking its
government to deliver up fugtives. from ser
vice. They come after fugitives from justice !;
but, when runaway slave is to be hunted,
they make it national affair and send the
government at Washington "a proceeding
which has led TO nothing but confusion and
bitterness. Repeal that vindictive act of con-
gress called fugitive slave law, and leave
this matter where the federal constitution
placed it; then if the free states do not deliver
up fugitives from service, "on demand" or in
some other way meet honestly that require.
ment of the constitution, there may be reason
for such complaint At present it is very
dishonest