Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-25

falling In every other mode of oonquering, ser
ousy irung the South should resort this basest and
most cowardy Of all, convinced, are that IL will
prove not less aborve than their other efforts. Is fall
ure however, would not relieve them of the dnmnable
inquty Of the attempt shield them against the
of mankind and the eIecration of history. In their g
of the true character Of Southern slavery the
fanatics of the North cherish absurd and
delusion and destined 10 terrible disappointment
whenever they attempt to put in execution their
steal theories The happy and costented condition of
the slave and his attachment to his home his master
and hs masters family facts which the aboonsts
cannot or will not understand but these securities for
the preservation Of peace order and subordnson
well understood by every familiar with Southern
society.
Admitting, however, for arguments sake, that Il were
otherwise it would not be in the power Of these least
dangerous of human beings to give their masters any
rious annoyance much ess to afford the enemy any ma.
teral assistance Ignorant Of the art Of reading and
writing and subjected constantly to vgant supervision
there could be extensive among them with
out arms and without the capacity to them If they
were placed in their hands and without the remotest con.
ception of military discipline strategy, an army of
Southern negroes supposng that could be collected
Would be nothing more than impotent and defence
less horde of imbeces which might be scattered as
silly as a flock Of pigeons. Not one slave in thousand
ever fred gun or handled sword and tits well
known that they look upon all such deadly weapons with
feelings of awe and terror. The idea of formidable mil
tary operations by such creatures is too superavey III
dculous to deserve q moments consideration. We
migh is true have to dep!ors occasionally massacre,
of the Southampton fashion, but these local outbreaks
would DO suppressed as soon as attempted, and the
prompt and exemplary punishment, that would follow,
would frigbteu all badly disposed slaves back into their
old habits Of obedience and subordination.
The ease with which dominant maintains It's
cendapcy over serve population, and holds It in SUBJ
lection has often been remarked The celebrated Re-
publios of antiquity, Athens and Rome, savehod
irg States Ia Athens the number Of slaves greatly
predominaed that Of ctz ms and yet the former
we're always held in the most complete sutecton both
10 peace and war; and we do not learn from the Greek
historian that they gave their masters any trouble
even In times of invasion. The slave population OF
Rome was also immense, and Roman slavery possessed
many harsh and cruel features unknown to the nsu.
ton ss IL exists among u.s. and the motives to revolt
wers consequently, much stronger with them than with
ours Moreover the slaves of Rome were Of the white
race, some Of them highly educated and skilled In the
use of and the military art Servile insurrections
were Of rare and always unsuccessful in the
Roman Republic. For hundred years. that ancient
and renowned commonwealth wagei almost uninter
rupttd warfare with surrounding nations and during this
period her territory repeatedly ravaged by her
mics up to the very walls Of the city; but rscoec.
ton of Roman history furnishes with instance Of
rising Of the slave population, under such nvt
| ing circumstances Let those who now seek to avail
themselves Of the save population of the Confederate
States for hostile purposes consider how It that
with the internal element OF weakness and selfdesruc.
on as they consider slavery to be- the slareholdng
commonwealth Of Rome rose amid the perpetual din Of
arms to such height of power and grandeur trampled
under foot all the hostile nations of the EARTH and
ed the most gigantic empire that the world has ever
/ seen
Bul we need not rely exclusively examples drawn
from ancient history to prove that slavery Is
of danger weakness to State when invaded by
foe. Our history furnishes proof opposite
10 our purpose. Daring Revolutionary war, the
save States Of the South invaded by Great Britain
Do We read Of any black armies ayng to the support
of the nvaders9 Do we read Of instructions and
sacress Not at all. Ga that great and perous
sion the South stood firm and invncble, and proved
itself Just as capable CT resisting foreign aggression
the North. As il was then, so it is now. There
physical and moral mpossbities tina. stand in the way
Of the slaves becoming source Of dargsr. They may
bs stolen from along the border by the thieves and
oensries who in against u.s. but that is all the
harm that be DONE The whole discussion therefore,
which ia now agiating and dividing the Yankees and
Tories is about impractical matter. 1t only to
exhibit the onmus of the fanatics but we needed
thing Of the sort to convince that they inspired
and nstigated by the Devil.
i e -