Weekly Trinity journal., 1861-02-02

ADMIT the right of secession, and suppose oil
the Southern States formed into a Republic.
What then? Will the great question of interest
to these same States be more certainly and secure
" settled? Will their citizens be better protect
ed in their slave property? Let us see.
At present the slave owner is protected, e rst,
by his State laws SECOND, by the laws Of the
United States. His State gives him the right 10
his slave, and nominaies the slave property-the
laws Of the United States acknowledge the valid
ty of his title acquired by the laws of his State,
and enforces his right of property in every State
of the Union. lie cannot use this property ac-
anired under a State law, in a neigbborng State
whose laws prohibit slavery, but by the very
letter of the Constitution, the free State is com
PEELED, upon proof and demand, to yield back the
slave TO his owner. Hence we say, at present,
the laws of the United States virtually enforce
the right Of property in slave, in every State
in the Union, We know that the opposition
heretofore made TO the execution of the Federal
laws to protect the stakeholder in his constitu
tional rights in the free States, is the argument
upon which the South base the cause Of her
grievances. But most Of these free States now
admit the unconsttutionality of their Personal
Liberty bills, and stand ready 10 repeal them.
The Sou th may have lost a few slaves every year,
through the means used by few of the higher
law fanatics in the North, but in most instances
the Federal laws have been executcd-the excep-
tions have by no means been the rule. When a
master recovers bis slave who has escaped into a
free State, it is merely a newspaper item but if
mob Of mad fanatics come to the rescue, and
carry his negroship off, despite the officers, and
in open violation of the law, whole columns are
devoted TO the details of the outrage, and thus
the Southerner is made to believe the exception
is the rule. But waivng all this, and taking the
Union just as it is, with its State and Federal
laws just as they arc, will the South be better
protected in her slave property, as separate
Republic than she is now2 We answer, no
As Union, the Northern States are the allies
of the Southern States bound to protect them
against foreign invasion, or domestic revolt
against their laws. In case of general insur-
rection among her slaves, the free States would
be bound to assist in putting it down. Does any
they are still in the Union, the free States would
not feel bound by every constitutional obliga-
tion, to render all necessary aid and protection
to her sister slave States? Then suppose she i'm
AGNES these Northern allies luke warm and only
forced by the Federal compact to protect and aid
her when required, where will she get any more
loving, faithful or powerful ones? All the en-
lightened and civilized governments of Europe
have long since DENOUNCED her peculiar insttu-
ton OF slavery, and entered into IA league for the
suppression of the slave ade--denouncing it as
piracy. Certainly she can make no alliance with
any civilized power, to help catch her runaway
negroes who may escape into any of the North
crn Western States and they will never enter
into treaty agreeing to yield them back into
bondage, after once reaching territory over which
their laws extend Mexico would, an ally, be
a burthen rather than an assistance. In fact, a
Southern Republic would be compelled to rely
solely upon her own powers to protect her slave
property against the national sentiment of every
government worthy of note in the world The
Dreudces in the Northern States against slavery,
Of which she now so bitterly complains when
freed from any constitutional obligations, would
undoubtedly assume a more practical form. AS
a separate and independent Government, the
Northern States would never acknowledge the
rights of a STAKEHOLDER, beyond the limits of The
Southern Republic an eternal border warfare
would necessarily follow, and the eventual de.
struction of one or the other of the Republics.
In the Union, the South has IA long. happy and
prosperous future-out of it, cont inued trouble,
anarchy and bloodshed. Let the bitter cup pass
from her, is the earnest prayer OF every loyal
American heart.