The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-01-04
The London Times on DisuniOn-.
The Fault of Old England and
New England Acknowledged.

From the London Times Dec S.
The feelings which now divide the United
States into antagonists far more bitter than
those of diverse languages and races are
themselves facts which cannot be reasoned
away, and they have Irresistible bearing on
the practice OF slavery; must tend to tighten
the grasp of the saveowner, on the one
hand; and on the other, to provoke the
fanaticism and the ingenuity of the abolition
list. The Southern States see in this election
pledge OF further and still more unscrupu>
lous efforts for the rescue and emancipation
of the negro.
The very language of the southern states
breathes personal apprehension and defiance
1t is vain to dispute the danger, but at least
it may b. met with reason. As the south
ern states certainly would not mend matters
by separation, and as the northern states
can do nothing, and have done nothing, to
mitigate the evils for which they profess so
much abhOrrence, all that can be done is to
take mo ierate and rational view of the
subject. 10 both the northern and southern
states, we beg to suggest what has happened
in this country. A few years ago, all Eng
land went crying mad over a story which
certainly was masterpiece of writing. The
first impression was that which the writer
intended--an unbounded horror of slavery
and Indignation against the slave master.
Never was eloquence better listened to
never had an argument fai:er play, for at
least 100000 British men and women
read or listened to the book in the silence of
their homes, and the fair advocate carried
the sympatbies spellbound to the last line
of the last page. What is now the result?
We are fair and reasoning people. We
have looked into the condition of the negro,
as described by the novelist. We have
'realized" the institution" We have ap-
pretended the greatness of the facts, and
ask ourselves, "What can be done?" We
have compared the evil with evils of our
own, and reflected with what difficulty we
get over-if we do get over-our own social
mischiefs and scandals. There is no use in
violent language, we say to ourselves; what
is to be done? That is the question. We
have, too, been made aware, and have had
it brought home to our conscience, that we
consume largely slave grown cotton, and
sugar, and Coffee and that the very paper
on which a million copies of Uncle Toms
Cabin were spread over this country was
made from slave produce.
Returning thus to our senses, to our
reason, and to our conscience, we have come
to take much quieter view of the "domes-
tic institution" We feel for the slaves,
but we also feel for their masters, and we
have satisfied ourselves that it does no good
to the former to abuse the latter. We are
aware, too, that slavery is British bequest
to the States. All these considerations ap.
ply quite as much, and more nearly by sew
eral degrees, to the Northern States. May
not this quarrel give way to calm, in which
the real difficulties of the question will be
met and quietly answered? 1t is too true
that the commerce of the United States is
almost, if not quite, as much committed TO
slavery as its agriculture. For what would
New York be without slavery? But, what,
alas! would Liverpool and Manchester
What this metropolis Cannot all the part
ners in this business put their heads togeth>
er, shake bands over the quarrel, and think
what can be done to mitigate what it is so
difficult to abolish? Perhaps we speak to
the deaf, but anything is better than divid.
ing State against State, house against house,
and servant against master in the most ris
ing nation in the world. .r..e.. .,a