Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-04-03
BOW THE KNEE.

of the American people by the Hon. A. h.
Stephens, of Georgia, now Vice President OF
the Confederate States. and the master mind
of that Heptarchy. In order that the reader
NAV have bis views set forth in his own lam
guage, we take the following extract from his
speech at Savannah, on the 21st instant
ssThe new Constitution has put to rest,
forerer, all the agitafipg questions relating to
our peculiar institution African Slavery as it
exists amongst us-the proper status of the
negro in our form of civilization. This was
the immediate cause of the late rupture and
present revolution. JEFFERSON, in his fore
cast, had anticipated this, as the sroet upon
,rhich the old Union uoutds split.' He ,ras right.
What was conjecture with him is now a realized
fact. But whether he fully comprehended the
great truth upon which that rock stood and
stands NAV be doubted. The preraiiing ideas
entertained by him and most the leading states
men at the time of the formation of The old Con
stiution ,rcre that the eHsiaremenf of the -4fri-
can ,ras n riofatioa Of the ta,cs Of nature; that
If ,Uas wrong in principle, socially, morally and
politically. 1t was an evil they knew not well
how to deal with, but the general opinion OF
the men of that day, was that somehow 9TH
er, in the order OF Providence, the institution
would be evanescent and pass away. This
idea, though not incorporated in the Consti-
tuition, was the prevailing idea at the time.
The Constitution, ii is true, secured every es-
sential guaranty to the institution while il
should last, and hence argument be
Justly used against the constitutional guaran-
tees thus secured, because of the common SEN
timent of the day. Those ideas, however. ,rere
fundamentally ,crong. They rested upon the
assumption of the equality of races. This
was error. 1t was sandy foundation, and
the idea of Government built upon it. when
the storm came and the wind blew, it Jfeil.'
Our new Government is founded upon ex-
actiy the opposite idea; its foundations are
LID Sh..1
ruth, that the negro is not equal to the white
man. That Slavery,-su bordinaton to the su-
perior race, is his natural and normal cond-
.ion. (Applause.1 This, our new Govern
ment, is the first. in the history of the world,
based upon this great ply ysical, philosophical
and moral truth. -
IT is not our object says, the Pittsburg Ga
sefte, at present to combat these monstrous
doctrines, or rather assumptions, which are
admitted to be at varience with the earlier
doctrines of the Republic, and which we all
know to be at war with the general moral
sense of Christendom, and with all our ideas
of Justice and humanity. What we wish to
do is to warn our people of danger which is
looming up in the dark and stormy future.
This speech is a platform upon which the ad-
vocates of slavery intend to make stand,
and upon which they hope to prevail. Up to
the time of the vote upon the question of Sc
cession in Georgia, Mr.. Stephens was regarded
as the leader of the Union party but when
the ordinance of Secession passed, he put his
name to it, aud has ever since been leading
man in the Secession movement. Some hoped
that his object was to play that mad drama
out, and then, when popular reaction should
take place, lead his State back into the Union.
But We now see that his views are far more
radical than was at first supposed, and that he
is Iaboring, not SO much 10 subvert the gov
ernment as to change its principles. There is
evidence of the existence of great coRspira-
cy to found new government s.upon exactly
the opposite idea" entertained by the trainers
of the present government. To effect this the
| majority of the American people to be
persuaded to adopt that "opposite idea" All
the slave States are presumed TO be ready for
that now. To give that idea practical force
| all they have to do is TO discard the old Con-
stitution and adopt the new. This, it is CAL
| culated, will restore unity and peace to the
slave States, and throw the war into the free
States. The Union will then be broken into
two great divisions. The democratic party
will then be resuscitated, and to it will be
given the work of reconstruction, npon demo-
cratic principles, which, for a long time, have
| been nothing more nor less than such as
Southern politicians dictated. The doctrines
which have been maintained by the leaders
and presses OF that party are in strict accord
ance with those of the new Montgomery Con-
stitution, and the teachings of Stephens, as
above quoted. Already have many of them
declared the new Constitution to be an i'm
provement upon the old, and that their party
in the North are sin perfect agreement'' with
the secessionists. 1t is expected that thou
sands who deprecate and dread civil war will
gladly adopt this peace measure that others
who cannot bear the idea of dismemberment
| of the Union will eagerly barter away the
principle involved for the hope of reunion :;
and last, but not least, that the mercantile
4 Il
serve to them he trade of the South. Thus
do they hope to drive the line northward and
| northward, capturing State after State, until
| the whole, or at least the greater part, shall
be absorbed. Then, SO far as human powers
of resistance can go, slavery will be supreme,
and the government based upon what Stephens
calls ssthe great, physical philosophical and
moral truth, that negroes were made to be
slaves, and that the ideas held on this subject
by the fathers of the Republic, severe funda-
mentally wrong" Look at the onbination
of interests and prejudices arrayed against us
on this all-mportani question, and you will
see that the hardest struggle we ever engaged
in is probably just before US. Mr.. Seward
was mistaken when he said, s'The battle of
Freedom is fought and won."
SPECIE IN THE SoUrH.-The Savannah peo-
pie are bothered for specie. The Netcs thus
complains "Our merchants complain of the
hardship of having to pay per cent premium
for gold with which to pay duties on their i'm
ports. BY a tabular statement published in
the New York papers, it appears that upward
of $4,000, 900 in specie has been received in
this country from England within the last
| three months. Now, it is fair to set down at
least two-thirds of the amount of specie to the
account of the cotton exported from the South
to England. If this specie is in return for our
cotton, will any one inform why large
portion of it does not find its way South