The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1861-03-29
The Motives.toIseccssiop.

Much rs the disruption OF the
United States has been discussed. /,
still seems to be little understood. -
If any ten English gentlemen were
asked whatmotives had led the South.
ern states to propose secession, it
would bea great chance 1.-TWO Of them
could tell. At first sight, it looks
unaccountablo that q third of the
people OF that country should break
OIL from the allegiance, simply &C.
cause President has been elected
whose principles differ from their
own. This seems still more strange
when we remember that he has
neither the will nor the power to Law
the lightest finger upon any part OF
their institutions. '
In the Southern states, social DO
sition almost entirely rests. not on
hiI;h, not even upon general wealth
but upon the possession OF slaves.-
The man who has not q niger al
his command ls looked upon with as
much contempt as the poor wretch
spoken OF by Juvenel, who could no,
call himself the owner even "uniuS
lacene." But, dcspised as the mean
whites are, they will not put them.
selves on the level with tho slaves
by engaging in manual labor. They
would rather live in penury than
work for their bread. Their golden
day dream is to have a niger Of
their own to walIop. Now hitherto
the Northern states in conjunction
with the breeding states, have been
able to keep in check this longing
for an influx of cheap slaves. In
the last two or three years, however
the whites Of the Southern states
have grown restless under this yoke.
and now their rGsoiutc determination
ia to open up trade in slaves with
Africa, and thus reduce the price ot
negroes. Nor is this only with the
view Of increasing their private
wealth and importance. Their idea
is that by converting new territories
with negroes they shall build up q
great Coniedcracy of slave states oc.
cupying the whole Southern portion
Of North America. This thirst for
an African slave trade has been the
chief motive that has Influenced I'll,
seccssioDists, and which make 4
compromise almost almost impos
sible. The Northern states would
be too glad to make any reasonable
and perhaps unreasonable conce
sions; but nothing. We believe, would
induce them to aoquiesce in legal
izing that atrocious traffic.
And yet one might have thought
that even the strong appetite Tor
gain would hardly have blinded the
white men of the Southern states t.
the great loss and the great risk
which they urc about to incur. t.
our minds the loss would seem 10 be-
enormous as lar to outweigh any
pecuniary gain. They would at
once cease to belong to one Of the
grentcst nations ol tho world, and
sink intomembers oi II comparatively
small state, with no history, no re
nown, no pr, ,stige. All tho trali.
tl"ns that gather round tn, great
North American people, and OF which
that people has been 50 pronI, would
cease to be theirs. But, ii patriotic
pride does not sway them, still W.
cannot hel p wondering ut their read
mess to incur the heavy taxation
which u separate Coniederacy must
entail. Ii will be necessary fol
them to maintain n fleet and al
army, unless they choose to be OK
posed to insults from their Norther,
neighbpr. The whole coast OF til,
civil administration, hitherto divided
between the North and South, viii
tall upon them. But more than al
this, there is the risk that, should
civil war break out, the negroes
might take part in it against theil
masters; and that in any case III,
neighborhood OF a free state, who's,
enmity TO slavery has been inllamed
by these discussions, will render in
subordination and dcscrtions IA,
more frequent among the slaves.
No event OF our day has heen hal
go wonderful as tho one bef re n,
Who, a p,iori, could have believec
that in the nineteenth century new
state should be organized, by tn,
grandaons Of Englshmen, solely on
the principle OF preserving and cx
tending system OF slavery! A
more ignoble basis ior great Con
fendracy it is impossible to conceive
nor IN the long run more precarious
! Tho permanent renunciation OF soun,
principles and natural laws must il
due time bring ruin. No grea
career can lie before the Southern
states, bound together solely by tn
tie OF having u working. class of ne
gro bondsmen. Assurdly it will b
tho Northern Coniederacy, based o.
the principle OF freedom, with
policy untainted by crime, with
free working class Of white men
that will be the one to go on an,
prosper and become the leader OF III,
New World. - London Saturda!
Reoieo.
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Washington Items.
The accounts OF the census mar
shals In the CnniadRrata atateA Lnyl