The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-05-31

can be an enduring peace between slavery
and freedom. Truces may be agreed up
on, but they will be like the compacts of
kings; made to be broken, whenever in,
tcrest, ambition, passion, or progress,
shall will it, Air lines may define rival
States, bat they can never bound conflict
ing sentiment. The vigorous and the
true will invade the sickly aud the false.
The light of the press, the mechanical
agencies and other productions Of highly
cultivated art, the green fields and pro-
fuse harvests o. scientific agriculture, the
widespread wings Of prosperous COM
merce, and the flooding wealth Of cease
less thrift, are not to be restricted by riv
er banks, or corner stoueS, or parallels of
latitude. These influences are forever
and ever at work. They are your zealots,
your fanatics, your traitors, your Aboli
tionists, eternaly preaching of the nobest
triumph of civilization, and impressing
their lessons upon the hearts Of the most
nconsiderate and wayward TLey ale
the inyincible antagonists Of ignorance,
incidence, sterility, aud poverty, and none
but the unwise or disingenuous should
attempt to deny it. When you can wall
them in, you can control the travels of
reason and the mightiest impulses cf hu,
manity. Then you may "bnd the infu-
ences of Pleiades and loose the bands of
Orion" Then you may bring forth
Mazzoroth in his season." and guide
Arcturus with his sons"
1t is not the handful of men planting
sedtion and warning openly against legal
institutions and Fundamental law, which
the States South fear, and against whose
acts they seek protection through expan
sion. 1t is the reflection from the whole
surface of the States North--their- intel
ligencc, skill, production, enterprise, and
prosperity, which threaten and disturb.
10 foster and encourage these is to aug
ment the danger Not to attempt to
counteract them would Indicate abandon
ment of the strusgle-the breaking down
of the Trojan bridge. [ see here the
cause Of all the agitation upon the slavery
question, in Congress and out of Con-
gress, for the last fifteen years. Herein
lies the secret Of the contests for the Ter
ritories, the violation Of covenants and
compromises and the appalling aggres-
sions upon the sovereign rights Of the
people The South seek the acquisition
and tenure Of the Territories; aud what
better agency, let me inquire, can they
employ to fortify themselves? Once sur
rounding US by a belt of States which
should regard our institutions as inimical
to theirs, we might well anticipate the
fate of the man in the Iron Shroud. With
the powers of the General Government
thus placed beyond our control, the walls
would constantly contract upon US until,
at last, we should be crushed by the
pressure; or, if left to survive, it would
be upon some rugged mountaln-top,
dwarted to the insignifcance Of San Ma
rino. Here [ point to tho cause and
source of that sectional antagonism which
must continue until either the North or
the South shall gain the ascendency.
Time will cast our country horoscope :;
but let us trust that it will remain her
good fortune to exercise a humaniZing
and outstanding sway over an injured
and distorted humanity. There is such
a thing as " manifest destiny" and the
destiny Of the South is perfectly manifest
to every one except themselves.
Sir, few footprints in the past point
out Enthusiastically tho direction in which
events have been hurrying US. The least
noticed Of these, at the time was the d2r-
ing resolve of party leaders to set aside
the expressed and known will Of the Dem
Ccratic voters in the selection Of Chief
Magistrate. As Mr.. Van Buren, was
cast off III this way, and without damage
to those engaged in the plot, it has never
since been considered unsafe for a dele
gated body to engage in u5urpation, or to
give to their edicts the force of obligation.
This is a great mischief, but by no means
the most grievous result of the act for
upon it may be charged one Of the great
est outrages, as [ conceive, our people
have ever been called upon to endure. |
aElude to the enactment Of the comprOm-
iSe measures of 1850, and the fruits they
have produced. BY the great body of the
then dominant party of the country, Mr..
Van Buren, had been virtually placed il
nomination for the Presidency; but be
cause he failed to see that necessity for
the immediate annexation of Texas which
was felt by others, delegates from Penn
sylYania, even, who had given written
pledges to sustain him, were among the
earliest to sacrifice their piighted faith
and the wishes Of those they presumed to
represent The contrivance was success
fuI, and the issue born. But. am glad
to know, the monster proceeded from no
northern womb; we did but act as mid