Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-02-08
VOLUME VIH.---NO. Al.
AMERICAN CRISIS.

The following is extracted from the Gtas.
go,u Courier, one of the best papers pub.
li,hed in Scotland. Would that the Lon-
don Tinns, and other English journals
were .4ualy as enlightened on the Ameri-
can crisis
On the other side Of the Atlantic, rs II
to fill up tie completeness of the impor-
tance Of events in 1860, we have the Uni
ted States threatened with disruption itself
on the slavery question, through the elec-
ton Of Mr.. Lincoln, a Republican or Anti
slavery man, to the Presidential chair, which
he assumes in March next. Dvesting the
question Of slavery Of special arguments as
consistent with the moral law, on which
much difference Of opinion exists, it must
be conceded by all unprciudiced politicians
that the Southern or slave States stand
superior to the Northern on this question.
Many persons suppose that the United
States arc body with a central govern
ment controlling all the States from Wash.
ington, the political capital. This is a
great mistake. Each State possesses sovcr-
eign and independent rights, has its own
Council or Parliament, its Own laws and.
taxes. The general Congress is entirely
voluntary, and no longer binding beyond
the will OF the separate provinces. In many
respects tho interests ef the Northern and
Southern States are Numerically opposite.
Their climates are also widely different.
The North is agricultural, and would bo
manufacturing. To foster manufactures
heavy import tariff is laid on, operating, lie
it marked, 10 an extent almost beyond be-
licf against the non-manufacturng Soutli-
ern States, who have thus in the last thirty
years been rnulctcd Of sum in shape ifm-
port duties positively amountfyeo some
thousands Of millions Of dollars.
Again without settling the question of
slavery in assembled Congress, unjust at
tempts have been made TO plunge the South
ern States into scrvilc war, rs witness the
uarpers Ferry raid. The Northern States
have no more right to do this than we
would have 10 interfere in the domestic
concerns, of France or belgium. The
Southern States, on the other hand, raising
Cotton, Rice, Sugar and Tobacco, desire free
trade with the rest Of the world, and vndi-
cate slavery as wise institution, by which
these valuable products can be raised by
African labor, alone equal to the heart of
the climate. There is much, therefore, in
the question which does not at once meet
the eye, and which cannot be answered by
every hailow declaimer against slavery.
The Southcrncrs are Of the best English
blood-arc, in many respects, a superior
race to the Northerners or Yankees-and,
high spirited as they are, will not, in our.
opinion, quietly rccede from their present
position. There remains but to be added
that this country would gain vastly by d.
rect trade with the South, while the fearful
caamities likely to arise from the cessation
Of even one years's supply of Cotton can
not he estimated. At this moment we have
only eleven to twelve weeks supply Of Cot
ton in Liverpool. As TO the possible re-
suits of actual strife, We may remind our
readers that the United States have only
1900 Federal troops in all the South, from
Maryland to New Orleans. The truth ap-
pears to be that the United States have
now reached such vast dimensions, iuvolv-
ing so great climatic, commercial and in
dustral differences, that longer connection
is hardly possible. II