The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1861-01-03

limited free trade, the ships Of other
nations would crowd the Southern ports,
bringing every article Of luxury or use
the South requires, and taking cotton In
return The wealth which now pours
into the North would be thus transfer
red to the South BY opening the slave
trade, labor could he obtained at far
cheaper rate than at present, and tho
production Of cotton increased 10 meet
the utmost demand The Southern tier
of States would thus become rich and
prosperous beyond all competition
Such is the picture which the advocates
Of disunion have drawn. The first re-
mark which such representations sug-
gost is, that all these advantages,are for
a class, and that % very small class of
the inhabitants of those States. The
benefits of disunion arc to accrue to tho
holders of slaves. But they constitute
a small minority Of the white population
Of those States. Is it fair or reasona-
BILE that a revolution should be effected
for the benefit of so small a minority of
the people? Has not class legislation
been ever regarded as one of the great
est evils of the nations Of Europo2 Are
not thousands of sufferers from such
legislation constantly hocking to this
country as to an asylum? And are We
TO introduce among ourselves this most
odious and unjust feature Of foreign
policy? But admitting that disun.on
would not only be advantageous to
Shareholders, Enthusiastically to the nom
slaveholding majority, is this a reason
for disunion which can present itself at
/ the bar of conscience? Can a contract
/ be rightfullv broken for money? The
/ people Of Pennsylvania, and of many
other Northern States, are fully con-
vinced that a high protecting tariff
would be greatly to their advantage;
that under such protection, with their
immense mineral resources. they would
soon become to this continent what
England has long been to Europe and
the whole world. tt has, however, new
Ter been suggested that this conviction
would afford any iustifable ground for
Ia dissolution Of the Union. The pros
perity Of the New England States was
utterly prostrated by the policy of the
, Government in the times Of the non-in-
tercourse and embargo laws. In those
, times, secession, as a means Of redress,
, was denounced as high treason. How,
then, can any Southern State justify a
disruption of the Union which was de-
clared to he perpetual, on the ground
that it would be profitable?
x y = = * y
The first great grievance Of the South
is the spirit language and conduct Of
the Abolitionsts of the North. 1t is a
, grievance to be hated and denounced,
to be held up as execrably wicked. 1t
is a grievance to have siavohOlding rep
5 resented as the greatest of crimes, to
have immediate emancipation insisted
e. upon as an imperative duty. The griev-
s ance consists partly i'm the injustice Of
. these Judgments Those thus condemn
{ ed and denounced feel that they are in
+. iured. Resentment is the unavoidable
y consequence Of unmerited condemna-
q ton. Mere moral dislpprobation Of the
system of Slavery would be no Just
c ground of complaint One Of the oblest
e and most philosophical speeches deliv.
p cred Of late uars on the floor Of Con.
p gress, was pronounced by a represent
S tive from Alabama, in which he took
e the ground that the mere disapproba
n ton of Slavery was a sufficient reason
C why the South could not remain united
{ with the North. But this is evidently
untenable. A man may have a toera
70 bic disapprobation of the system Of serf
q dom in Russia, of the church establish
T. ment in England, or of the law of pri
n mogoniturc, or Of an order of nobility
S and yet live as a pcaceable citizen OIL
d those countries.
D Loannnull on ThILI Pasal