Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-01-15

| character All of these territories will come IN
to the Union near about the same time; and
while the North has the advantage over US now
of six Senators, that advantage must, in the or
binary course of events if the Union shall eur
vive, be grestly increased. Besides, the terri
tory of the slave States is generally large; the
territory of the free States generally small
Rhode Island is made equal to Missouri in the
senate; Connecticut is a counterpoise to Vir-
ginia Vermont with its wild fanaticism, Is an
offset to Georgia. the empire State of the South.
Can it be surprising that the people OF the
South should be restive and uneasy under such
circumstances2 In addition, candidate has
just been elected to the presidency, who gave
utterance to the following atrocious sentiments,
indicating his bitter hostility to the south and
her institutions: SIN my opinion, it (the slave
ry agitation) will not cease until q crisis shall
have been reached and passed. A house divi
ded against itself cannot stand. believe this
government cannot endure, permanently, half
slave and half free. do not expect the house
to fall but do expect it will cease to be divi-
ded. It viii become Al one thing, or all the
other. Either the opponents Of slavery win ar
lie mind at rest 10 the belief that it is in the
course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates
will push it forward until it shall become alike
lawful in all the States, old as well as new,
north as well as SOUTH" And again, he says !:
Il embrace, with pleasure, this opportunity of
declaring my disoppro6Gtion of that clause of
the constitution which denies to portion of the
colored people the right of suffrage"
When president is elected, entertaining and
boldly avowing such sentiments to this
moment they have never been retracted or quail
flied, have we not reason for alarm and resent
ment2
The Union is now disrupted; let the north
bear the blame. They have brought these sad
and deporable results upon the country, and the
candid and honest men of the world will hold
them responsible for the destruction of govern
ment that has challenged the admiration and
commanded the respect of the nations of the
earth. Before God and the world, they will be
held answerable for the calamity.
| They yet have the power to end the strife
and excitement, and restore confidence to the
country. Will they do it2 I await their res
ponse, but not without apprehension. Time,
thOwever, will soon furnish the answer. The
present state of things cannot continue long. A
change for the better or the worse must soon
come.
Can it be supposed that dissolution of the
Union can end 10 the formation of northern
and southern confederacy, embracing the States
and the territory on this side of the Rocky
consider it highly probable, that when dis
union shall come, we will have four organiza-
tions, Independent and distinct. The StBtes and
territories, on the Pacific, by reason of their
locality and isolation, will form one. The New
England States, with New York, ia consequence
OF their identity of opinions on the subject of
African slavery, and their other fanatical ideas
of the like kind, will constitute the second. The
border slave States, with Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Missouri, and the northwestern States
and territories will form the third. The Ohio
river, great highway, owned by Virginia, fur
nishes common bond of Union between seve.
raj OF them--the Missouri river, another great
highway, is bond of Union with others-and
as these make up the Mississippi, that great val
ley will sooner or later form a union with those
with whom they trade, and whose interests are
therefore common. For this organization,
New Orleans would be its chief CITY, 1t would
be tho exporting sAd importing city for the
States in existence, a4and those which may be
hereafter be formea ont of the immense unset
tied territory which it would possess Besides.
the unsold public lands would invite popula-
ton, and their sales would furnish the means
to defray governmental expenses, in part at
least Kentucky and the Northwestern terrific
ry originally formed part of the domain of
Virginia. This organization will keep her uni
constitute part of her territory. The cotton
States would form the fourth. All these con-
federacies being thus formed. although Louisia-
1 ma, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi might at
6rst attach themselves to the cotton state organ
ization, very short time would elapse before
they would find it to be their interest to connect
themselves with the border and northwestern
States. Their trade, their interests, their busi-
ness relations, are with those States, and all up
on the waters of the Mississippi and its tributa-
ries must necessarily be united. If Louisiana
remained in alliance with the cotton States, her
great city of New Orleans would have to COM
pete with Mobile and Charleston, for the export
and import trade, and the most she could hope
for, would be third of it.
Such an arrangement would be followed by a
struggle for the key of the gulf Pensacola y and
the third organization would have it, cost what
it might in treasure and blood 1t would be too
important an acquisition to give up to the cotton
State confederacy, without desperate struggle
These are my speculatioDs as to the results that
are to follow dissolution of the Union These
results are bad enough, but may be much worse
1t is not given to US to read the future We
may, however, speculate about it.
! When the Union was formed, it was not ex-
pected or believed that the domestic institutions
of the States should be alike. The institutions
OF Maine and Louisiana were never intended tc
be the same. The people of each were invested
with full power to determine whether slavery
should exist, and the former decided against the
institution; the latter decided in its favor-as
each had the undoubted right to do. In the list
OF grievances against the north, it is somewhat
remarkable, that in our own state SO little has
been said in regard to the conduct of the gov
ernors of Iowa and Ohio, in refusing to surren.
der fugtives from justice who participated in
the Harper's Ferry raid. They were regularly
indicted; the governors of those States were ap
Piled to in due form to deliver them np the ap
pllcation was refused and our people, instead
OF taking stand, and making an issue upon
this practical question, seem inclined to ignore
1t, and unite in the complaints of the cotton
States. The complaints of those States are
rather against the financial and commercial pol
ICY of the federal government, than any action
or want of action on the subject of slavery
The slave owners of Virginia have suffered seri
ously the wrongs inflicted upon us by the con-
duct of these executives, have been great still
we have heard but little complaint in our own
State. The grievances complained Of mainly.
are those which the cotton States plead as a
justification for their action. Would it not he
well for US to redress the wrongs our own peo-
pie have suffered, before we undertake To re-
dress the wrongs of others, who have suffered
much less, so far as slavery is concerned. than
we have done2 Our action should he basod
upon the wrongs done to our own people.
The proposition for the call of State eonven.
fynr, fNI I,fa~ IL