American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1862-12-05
VOICE OF CLAY IN 1899.
4 Warming Against AbDliti0niSts.

VOICE OF CLAY IN 1880.
4 Warming Against iboliti0nists.
Abolition should no longler be re-
garded as an imaginary danger. The
Aboli;ionists. let me suppose, succeed in
their present aim of uniting the inhabit-
ants of the free States as one man against
the inhabitants OF the slave States
Union on the one hand will beget Union
on the other. And this process of recip.
rocal consolidation will be attended with
all the violent prejudices, embittered
passions, and implacable animosities,
which ever degraded or deformed human
nature. A virtual dissolution of the
Union will have taken place, while the
forms of its existence remain. The most
valuable element of union, mutual kind
ness. the feelings of sympathy, the fra
ternal bonds which now happily unite US,
will have been extinguished forever
One section will stand in menacing and
hostile array against the other. The
collision ofopiniou will be quickly followed
by the clash of arms.
HIS PICTURE OF THE CONSEQUENCES.
| will not attempt to describe scenes
which now happily lie concealed from our
view. Abolitionists themselves would
contemplation of desolated fields, confla-
grated cities. murdered inhabitants. and
the overthrow of the fairest fabric Of
human government that ever rose to AMI
mate the hopes Of civilized man.
Nor should the Abolitionists fiatter
themselves that. if they can succeed in
their object of uniting the people of the
free States. they will enter the contest
with numerical superiority that must en-.
sure victory. All history and expert
ence proves the hazard and uncertainty
of war. And we are admonished by
Holy Writ, that the race is not TO the
swift, nor the battle to the strong.
THE CoNoUERER AND THE coNoERED.
But if they were to conquer. whom
would they conquer ? A foreign foe
one who had insulted our flag. invaded
our shores. and laid our country waste !?
No, sir, no. 1t would be contest with
out laurels. without glory-a self. a
suicidal conquest-a conquest of BROTH
ers over brothers, achieved by one over
another portion of the descendants of
common ancestors, who only pledging
their lives, their fortunes and their
sacred honor. had fought and bled.
side by side, in many hard battle on
land and ocean, severed our country
from the British crown. and established
our national independence.
HIS DEFENCE OF SOUTHERN ACTION
The inhabitants Of the slave States
49, bar
brethren with displaying too much RASH
ness and sensibility of the operations and
proceedings of Abolitionists. But before
they can be rightly judged. there should
be a reversal of conditions. Let me
suppose that the people of the slave
States were 10 form societies, subsidize
presses, make large pecuniary contribu
tons. send forth numerous missionaries
throughout their own borders, and enter
into Vaccinations TO burn the beautiful
capitals. destroy the productive manufac-
tories, and sink in the ocean the gallant
ships of the Northern States. Would
these ineendiary proceedings be regarded
as neighborly and friendly. and consist
ent with the fraternal sentiments which
should ever be cherished by one portion
Of the Union towards the other? Would
they excite no emotion Occasion no
manifestations of dissatisfaction, nor lead
to any acts of retaliatory violence ? But
the supposed case falls far short of the
actual one, in a most essential circum
stance. In no contingency could these
capitals. manufactures and ships rise in
rebellion and massacre the inhabitants Of
the Northern States.