The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-04-17

Virginia and the Border Slave States
What Will They Dot

q tendeS G. towards easier rates.
Virginia and the Border Slave States-
What Will They Dot
In this appeal to arms. on the part of our
federal government to settle the question of
the integrity or dissolution of the Union, Vir-
ain's and the border slave States are placed in
~ sition exceedingly perplexing, delicate
and dangerous. Strongly attached to the
Union, ttey alse strongly sympathize with the
sece6ed States. If perfect safety, unity,
power and prosperity were apparent under the
flag of the Southern confederacy, the border
slave States would doubtless have joined it a
month ago; but they have been and are re-
strained by various misgivings, and prominent
among them is the fear of the consequences Of
the removal Of the fugitive slave frontier from
Canada to Mason and Dixon's line and the
Ohio river. What then, is to be the course Of
the border slave States in this crisis Of war?
What will tSey do?
In speaking of the border slave States, all
the Southern States which have not seeded
are generally meant 20 be included. But the
border slave States proper are limited to
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and
Missouri. Lying next south Of the three last
named States respectively are North Carolina,
Tennessee and Arkansas, SO that two tiers of
slave States still in the Union lie between
the North and the revolted States Of the
South. In the first tier, Delaware, with her
slave population reduced to fifteen hundred,
may henceforth, for all practical purposes,
be considered Northern State; Maryland is
evidently immovable; Missouri, from the i'm
mense accessions during the last ten years to
her free white labor, will stand fast with the
North; Kentucky has stronger affinities for Ohio
than for South Carolina; and Virginia, within
her own borders, runs some hazard in the act Of
secession, of a division into two States-a split
between the great slaveholdng, hill and plain
eastern section, and the comparatively nom
slaveholding western, mountain section. OF
the second tier of these so called border slave
States, North Carolina and Tennessee each, in
a popular election, have declared against seces-
sion, and Arkansas has postponed the question
till the month of August.
But the bombardment of Fort Sumter and
Mr. Lincoln's war proclamation overthrow the
der State movements were made. The argu-
ment is closed, negotiations are at an end, and
these border slave States, standing between
two hostile governments in state of actual
war, must now determine upon some definite
course of action. The initiative movement is
thrown upon Virginia. Her State Convention,
with large majority of quiet, Union and peace
loving conservative men among its members,
has for many weeks contrived to hold the i'm
petuous secessionists at bay; but driven at
length to the wall, what will be its uti-
matum? The Richmond Enquirer says that
after the war news was received from Fort
Sumter, the Convention, as in Committee OF the
Whole, proceeded at once by large MAORI
ty to adopt the proposition Of Mr.. Robert E.
Scott, substantially providing for the assem-
blage of national convention, through which,
of course, Virginia will be handed over to the
tender mercies of black republican majority,
and that eff anything will precipitate the true
men of Virginia into revolution, it will be the
miserable shutting of our State Convention"
Later advices say that secession is impending,
although convention Of all the border slave
States may be resorted to. Our impression is
that this expedent will be adopted; and we
think 1t probable that it will result in sort of
armed neutrality on the part Of the States con.
cerned, but without any restraints upon indi-
viduals disposed to aid or join the armies of
the Confederate States We are inclined to
this opinion from the fact that secession and
full co. operation with the Montgomery govern
ment would not only throw the brun. OF the
war upon Virginia and the border slave States,
in making them the field Of battle, but in bring
ing down the Canadian fugitive slave line
TO the borders of Virginia, she would
risk q grand stampede and demoraliza-
ton of her slaves, which might only
end with the destruction Of her two hun.
bred millions of cash involved in her slave
And so with Maryland, Kentucky
and Missouri. The Union is indispensable to
the safety of their slave property In this crisis
of civil war. Let Virginia secede, and let
General jefferson Davis establish his military
at Richmond, as it is said he ex-
poets to do, and, amidst the confusion of
armies within her borders.
Virginia will hazard the additional calamities
Of q ruinous Generalization of her negroes.
These considerations, we apprehend, will be
apt to limit the active operations Of this war TO
the seeded States They may be assisted by
thousands Of volunteers from Virginia and the
other border States; but while these States
themselves stand Oft they will escape the vast
ing fires Of war. Thus 1t Is probable that the
eccded States are destinedt to suffer enormously.
With their ports shut up by blockading squad
ons; with their cotton calture largely sus
'ended; with all their young and able bodied |
nen in their armies; with their financial re-