The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-03-29

Characteristics ~ southerners
Southern soIdiery-. Politics
and When the Uuion can be Re-
l. constructed. 81 -
| Correspondence Of Pioneer and Democrat.
| M tE NEW ORLEANS, March II, 1861.
| The winter is gone. The trees are nearly
all dressed in green. We have had pretty
fair weather during the pasttwo weeks, but
for the previous three months, or SO, it was,
take it all in all, positively disagreeable.
would rather enjoy winter in Minnesota,
than suffer through the nasty, damp, foggy,
rainy, windy, miserable weather of winter
\ in New Orleans. If it is good thing to
leave the South and visit the Northern
States and Europe during the summer, as
is the custom of those who have the means
to do so, judge, by reason of my expert
ence here and in the Northwest, that it
would be an excellent change, not only as
to the health of body, but as to the animal
spirits-the enjoyment of existence-if they
would leave here also during the winter and
pass that season in the North.
astonish the people here by telling the
truth about Minnesota, her soil and climate,
her productions, her resources, her progress,
&c. The greater portion of these extreme
Southern or Gulf States would not be in
habited to any great extent by white peo>
pie were it not for the staples. The for
tunes that can be secured by the cultivation
OF cotton, sugar and rice induce them to
risk their lives; and if they had not the
slaves to work for them, very great por-
ton of the Southern Confederacy O would
soon become bowling wilderness.
The men born here, although they may
be the descendants of large, robust north
erners, are small, spare, fat breasted, nerve.
tangled and tallow. faced. The physical
structure seems to degenerate,-the nerves,
brain and passions becoming more active,
and wearing out sooner than the more
northern born. If the climate has such an
effect upon the white race in one generation,
the southern born, in two or three, will be-
come an insignificant and contemplate
race. Nothing but continual pouring in
from more healthful climes, will give charac-
ter and position to the Southern Confeder-
acy, if it should be continued beyond its
provisional existence. To the general sur.
prise, it has been very difficult to get sui.
ficient number OF men of ability, who were
born in the Cotton States, to hold and to be
trusted in the offices of the new government
they are trying to establish. Among those
now in Office, are Free State men, Border
Slave STATE men, and even foreign born
persons. The vain-glorious JEFF. DAVIS is
not to the manor born.
The eolliers that see here paradipg the
stree 10, IS they are doing almost continually
nigh and day, getting the people used to
them, and thus preparing the way for a
military despotism, are not what you would
call fine bodies of men. They will not bear
well in comparison, as regards muscle and
drill, with the "cornstalk militia" of q
Northern village, or Northern or Western
political clubs during the last campaign.
Nevertheless, do not belive the North
could coerce or subjugate the Southern
people, if they unite, and they will be united
if war in any shape, or upon any pretext is
made by this Black Republican Admins
tration, upon any portion of them. There
seems to me, from my present Southern
standpoint, to be but one way that the
union of all the States can be again ce.
mented and continued. The LINCOLN Ad-
ministration must quickly bring about the
holding of National Convention to amend
the Constitution, and in the meantime, pre-
serve the peace with the seeded States,
even if to do so the Southern fortresses have
to be abandoned. The conservative
Free States and Border Slave States
in Convention, it is to be hoped, will
have strength sufficient to propose an amend.
ment to the Constitution, so that the rights
of the Southern States will be acknowl-
edged and guaranteed therein. Then, and
not till then, there will arise Union party
in the Cotton States, that will Immediately
drive these disunionists from their places,
and the people will vote themselves back
into the Union by an immense majority.
But the people will not act until Justice is
extended them. II their rights are not
guaranteed, they will, every man of them,
stand firm and defend to the bitter end those
they have aHo,0ed to carry forward this
disunion scheme-this peculiar, treasona-
BILE mode of demanding and enforcing
their claims to equal and constitutional
rights. II the Constitution is so amended
as to satisfy the Border Slave States, then
the Cotton States must accept it. If JEFF.
DAVIS, and those managing this abortion of
government, attempt to hold on to the
positions the people here have merely al
lowed them to take for the purpose of bring
ing about an adjustment, and a better un-
derstandiDg, then there may be some fight
ing and some hanging, but it will all be
done here, at home, among themselves, and
will only take place when the people, with
their rights guaranteed, rise up to put down
this "Southern Confederacy," if its mana.
gers should attempt to prevent them from