Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-07-19


tire acqiescrnce in the EXTREMIST doctrine,
of slave property, il IA well knos,n Et
alluded to by Mr.. Clay in his speech on iht
compromises cf 1850. that aay man who
habtuaIly traiiics in his property is held IN
the same iufamy at Richmond aud New Or
leans that he would bs at Philadelphia 2;
Cincinnati. 'f''h' "
While South Carolipa, assigning the
cause OF secession, confines herself to the
state laws for obstruciing the surrender Of
iugitives. in other quarters, by the press. IN
the manifestoes and debates on The sabiect
2f secession. ard in the official papers sf
the new conf, deracy, the general conduct
OF the North in respect 70 slavery, Is put
forward as the insiifying, nay the COMPEL.
ing cause of the revolution. This suhret
still more than that Of the tariff, is too tri,a
for discussion, with the hope Of saying any
thin, new on The general question. ] will
but submit n few considerations 10 show tha
great injustice which is done 10 the North.
by repr' sen'ing her as the agsressor in Ihis
sectional warfare. ''"''
Tue southern theory assumes that, at the
time of the adoption of the consl tuition, tho
same antagonism prevailed as now between
the North and South. on the general subiect
OF slavery; that although it existed ia
some extent in all the states but one Of the
Union, It was feeble and declining inter-
est at the North and mainly seated at the
south that the soil and climate OF the
North were soon found TO be uppropTiious
TO slave labor, while the reverse was tise
case at the South; that,ihc northern states,
m consequence, fom interested moliyes.
abolished slavery, sold their slaves 10 tho
South, and that then, although The existence
OF slavery was recognized and its protection
guaranteed by the constitution, as soon as
the northern states had acquired CONTROL
ing voice in congress. a persistent and or
ganized system of hostile measures against
the rights of the owners of slaves in tho
states, was inaugarated and grad
ually extended, in violation If the compro-
misses OF the constitution, as well as of tho
honor and good faith tacitly pledged to the
South, by the manner in which the North
disposed of her slaves. 80"
Such in substance is the statement of Mr.
Davis in his late message, and he then pro-
'eeds, seemingly as if rehearsjng the acts
33f this northern majority in congress, to re-
er TO the anti-slavery measures Of the atato
legislatures, TO the resolutions Of abolition
societies, to the passionate appeals Of the
'arty press, and TO the acts Of lawless indi-
'iduals, during the progress of this unhap,
~ agitation. - ''F'
rHE SOUTH FORMERLY OPPOSED TO sLA-
VERY.
Now this entire view Of the subject, with
whatever boldness it is affirmed, and with
whatever persistency it is repeated, is des-
itute of foundation. 1t is demonstrablv at
war with the truth of history, and is Contra
ticted by facts known to those now on the
stage or which are matters of recent record.
AT the time of the adoption Of the consti.
tuition and long afterward there was, gener-
ally speaking, no SECTIONAL difference of
opinion between the the North and South
on the subject of slavery. 1t was in both
parts OF the country regarded, in The es-
'aoiisied formula OF the day, as "a social,
political and moral evil" The general feel
ing IN favor of universal liberty ana r1I6
rights OF man, wrought into fervor in fhe
progress of the revolution. naturally strength
med the an'i-slavery feeling througiout
ilc Union. n is the .sostA MAs'eA has ssacs
haasged, not Ae AorsH. The theory Or
hange in the northern mind, growing ont
{ a discovery made soon after 1889, that
ur soil and climate were unpropitious to
avery. Gas if the soil and climate then
ere different from what they had always
een,) and a consequent sale to the south 81
e slaves of the north, is purely mythical;
groundIess in fact as it is absurd in state
ent. have often asked for the evidence
this last allegation, and ! have never
und an individual who even attempted to
owe it. But however this may be, the
nth at that time regarded slavery as a1
II. though necessary one, and habitually
oxen of in that light. Its continued ex-
ence was supposed to depend on keeping
} the African slave trade and south "a
III as north, Virginis as well % Massa-
usetts, passed laws to prohibit the traffic;
~ were, however, before the revoluiiap
toed by the royal governors. One Is
e first acts of the continental congress-,
animously subscribed by its members'
IS an agreement neither to import nct
rchase any slave imported after the first
y of December, l7T4. In the declara-
n of independence, as originally drafted
Mr.. Jefferson, both slavery and the slave
de were denounced in the most uncom-
'mising language. In 1777 the trsssio
$ forbidden in Virginia by state Law, 10
'ger subject TO the veto of royal cover.
rs. In 1854, an ordinance was reported
Mr.. Jefferson to the old congress, pro-
ling that after 1900 there should be no
very in any territory, ceeded or to be
sded to the United States. The ordinance
led at that time to be enacted, but the
ne prohibition formed part by general
lsent of the ordinance of 1887 for the
,anizatioE OF the northwestern territory.
his notes on Virginia published in that
sr, Dir. Jefferson depicted ths evils of
very IN terms Of fearful import. In the
ne year the constitution was framed. I.
osnized the existence of slavery. but ths
rd was carefully excluded from the in
imcnt, and congress was authorized to
ish the trallic in twenty years. In 1896
. st. George Tucker, Jaw professor in
liam and Mary college in Virginia, pub.
ed treatise, entitled Proposal cof tic
dual abolition of slavery, dedicated to
general assembly of the people of vir-
a. In the preface to the essay. he
AXIS Of the abolition Of slavery in this
.r,aot 80 al.