Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-04-01


of things be clearly accepted by the people OF the
Confederate States as we believe would be
proved by vote upon the question OF adopting
the new Constitution, great step w1nld be taken
In vindicatIng the claim Of the new overnment
to acknowledgment at the hands Of their late
eonfederates in the Union"
Tss Republican SAYS Of the fllfbusteKing pro-
pens,,tes - ste Southern Confedersey, th.'t, de-
prived of the cGISr ofths power Of the old mon,
and "reduced IN tie Jseakness Of petty & on
feder.cv, thew viii find ..hessseivessnuooed via
out ceremony by English, "a '''" 'S.A"A
sdmirals"
How NOT TO DO TIT is amusing, II hcs fL
strucIive, to note the ever shifting arguments "'n
which the Disunion press Of Richmond ply 'ne
Virginia Convention, to screw that booy up "
the work Of passing an ordinance OF secessioA
Thefe appears to be nothing terrible that Is ho'
happen 70 the slavery n'erest Of the State unles'
the Convention consents promptly to bring the
Canada line down to the southern border Of Penn
syvania 10 increase taxation In Virginia ten fold,
TO deprive her citizens Of the liberty Of free speech
Of free press and the right to sit In Judgment al
che ballot box rpc the acts Of their rulers, &c,
&c. Thus, they evidently recognise no other in
terest worth a moments consideration In The
State, except that Of negro rropety-ncne what
ton, her manufacturing capacity, &c: ,-'ec seem
10 be unworthy of a second thought en- sheif part.
While our own belief is that her negro properly
interest il really Of less importance to her future
than any one Of the other great Interests we name
above we really perceive in her possible secession
far more danger to that, as explained In the Stdr
not long since than to any other OF her leading
industrial interests.
On that occasion we explained, past the posi-
bilty of the refntaton Of our reasoning, that the
secession of Virginia would be the instant signal
for the deportation South Of nearly all her negroes
who mig bit not manage to escape Into Pennsylvania
ere their owners could com plee their arrangements
either to carry them to the Southwest, or to sell
them for what they might bring in market giut'
ted far beyond the legitimate demand in conse-
quence Of the insecurity Of such property wrought
by the change. All the Union press of the State,
as well a. Of North Carolina, seethe conssq uence
of Virgnia's secession in this connection precisely
as we do; and, we are glad to be able to say, are
doing their best to open the eyes Of the owners Of
negro property in the State to the fact that Viz
ginia's secession will compel them, in self-de-
tense, either to abandon their lands, to sell of
their negroes that may not run away. The force
Of the argument Of the States Union press upon
this point has almost ompletely slenced the reply
Of the batteries Of the Virginia Disunion press.
Il
ing to Tighten their readers with the silly plea
that If Virginia does secede the seeded States
will prohibit their people from buying negroes as
heretofore from Virginia. The following brief
extract, from the Richmond Examiner Of Thurs
day, explains how they urge that argument
The NEGRO TRADE Much anxiety Is mani
Tested among the capitalists who are engaged in
the negro trade from this city, as TO the result OF
at Mechanics Hall This trade has, for num-
Der Of years, been the means of bringing to Rich
mOnd a large amount Of cash, upon which the
city and State reap rich harvest i'm ne way Of
tax. But IL is now seriously apprehended that this
enormous capital Is to be withdrawn rom our
midst. The cotton States, with whom this trade
has been chiefly carried on, have forbidden the
importation Of neg roes from any foreign State ~
Territory; and IL the cringing Submissionists OF
the Convention succeed in their designs Of keep
ing old Virginia in her present position, isolated
from and unfriendly to them, (the cotton states,
IL will be the death blow to this great and lead
Ing trade We invite the attention Of Messrs
them to examine it well before they vote to detach
this State from her customers. o.
How weak such arguments are, il evident in a
few facts, the truth Of which every man who
knows anything, will appreciate at single
glance.
LIST. The seeded States have not forbidden the
importation Of negroes from the border slave
holding States, the Examiner alleges.
I'd The seeded States, to prosper In any de
gree, must continue to import negroes; as they
cannot raise them. Up to this time the natura
increase Of their negroes (whea compared with
that Of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Ten
nessee and Kentucky, from which States the,
have drawn all their supplies,) has been almos
next to nothing. This truth is owing to the diff
ference in the two systems Of labor-farming and
planting. IL they are deprived Of markets In
which to renew their stock Of laborers, the sup
plies u cotton, rice and sugar they raise must de
crease rapidly.
Sd. They cannot possibly obtain negroes else
where, than from the border States.
The civilized world will take due care tina
they obtain none from beyond the ses; and tn
border slaveholding States will do at least thei
share to further the determination Of England
France, and this Government, that they shall no
reopen the African slave trade
They must therefore make up their mind grad
ually to abandon the production Of their staples
II undertaking to carry out their silly intiruatio,
(for they have passed no such law) that they will
resort to cutting of their market for the sale O
the surplus slaves Of the border States to force tn
latter into disunion.
4th. To essay any such policy will surely be t
make deserts Of their cultivated lands-to ruiz
their own people.
5th. Trying that experiment will result, beyon,
all question, In the speedy downfall of the Oil
garchy's usurped power.
The truth is, 50 long Us the seeded States con
tinue to require more negroes. they must, inevi
tably, get them from the border States Our onl,
fear in this connection is that the financial ant
industrial embafrassments which disunion is s,
rapidly multiplying upon them, will, not Ion.
hence, 30 impoverish them that they will no
have the means Of buying In the Richmond mar
ket. The Examiner knows well as we do tina
those embarrassments, and those embarrassment
only, hars already so LsSSsHsd The capacity of III
seeded States to buy, to decrease the mark.
value Of all Virginia's negro property at least .;
per centum. Nota single negro has been imported
into the seeded States from across the sea sine,
the fall in prices began; the fall is the result
wholly and only OF the change In the nnancia
condition and prospect of the buyers in the IA
South, growing out Of their secession troubles
1--WE are indebted to the publishers, III,
Hapers, through Taylor & Maury, for the fifth
volume Of Macaulay's History Of England, JUS
Issued by them. II was prepared from his re-
vised manuscript by his sister, Lady Trevelyan
and Is pub lished precisely az IL WAS Isf h,, ,h.