Smyrna times., 1863-01-15
The Condition of Southsn Institutions,

a
President Of the Charleston Democrat
convention, and the most prominent sun
porter of John {. Breckenridge. for tn
Presidency, in late speech. in New York
gives the following as his experience witt
the Institution of slavery as he found it il
New Orleans
W lth reference to the slavery question
hlS views had undergone radical chang,
during hlS residence at New Orleans. and
while entertaining no prejudices against his
old political associates, who found fault with
linn on that score. he would only say Ia
them, that if they had gone there with the
same sentiments that he felt. they wouId
nave come away with the same sentiments
that he felt. daughter. He thought he
might SAY that the principle members of his
stait' and the prominent officers of his rer-
ilhentS without any exceptions. went ont to
New Orleans IIunker Democrats Of th..
hunkerest sort, for it was but natural that
ne should draw around him those whose
views were similar to his own. and every
Individual OF thu number had come 70 rrc-
clScl! the same belief on the question of
slavery, AS he had put forth in his farewell
sddFess to the people of New Orleans
Inns change came about from seein,, What
All OF them saw, day by d4v. In this war
''e entire property of the South was bound
up m that institution. This WIS q we'll
know fact, probably but he did not become
iuuy aware OF it until he hal spent some
um9 ut New Orleans. The South had Sl63
u"o''"' oi taxable property in slaves. and
$I6j. .0oo.ooO III all other kinds of pronertv
And this was the cause whv the merchants
o. New Orleans had not remained loyal
1hey found themselves ruined--aU tL.;-
property being loaned upon planters notes
anu mortgages upon plantations and slaves
al which property is now reasonably worth
less. Again. he had learned what he d;d
not Know before, that this was not \ rebel
non non against Us but simply rebellion to
Pe'petIate power in the hands of taw
M4Teholdcrs. ut first lie hal not believed
l'Iat slavery was the cause Of The rebellion
nut a trlbutet It ia Davis, Sli,lcllanI .,brrs +
Who hal brought it about to make ,oI;ti,.aI
tr'umphs by which to regain their former /
ascendcncy.
Inc rebellion WAS against the humble and
the poorer classes, and there were in IL.
.oolth large numbers Of secret societies. deal
IN IN caOaIstlc sign, organized for the pur-
pose OF pcrpetuatlug the power of the rich
over the poor. 1t was feared that those
com non people would come into power
and that three or four Hundred tbnrso,i
men couid not hold against eight millions
Inc hrSt movement Of thee. men was to
make land the basis Of political power and
'hat wAs not enough, for land could not he
owned by many persons. Then they An
h"Xed land to slaves and divided the nro,,-
erty INTO movable and immovable.
lie vas not generally accused of be;no,
! mum amt 'r;an-at least not by his Southern
friends Laughter When he sax tho
= c'''r deIn"ralIzttion OF the people. resulting
from slavery, it struck him that il was nm
institution which should be thrust ont Of
the Union. lie had on reading Mrs.
Stoves bo"k-incJe Tom's CaJi.-brlicvoJ ;
II 70 De an over'lrawn. highly-wrought pie
.ure . Oh southern life, but he had seen with I
ms own eyes, and heard with his own evos I
lh"ry ngs which 90 beyond her book ~ I
n'lch as her book does beyond an ordinary :
'chooi-glrls novel. He related an instance ,
VI =. Lhe shocking decentralization of society AZ ;
New Orleans. There came into his offc.
: woman q wears Of age, perfectly white, /
~"o aSke hlm IN proper language if he !
ToAd y, put her IN one Of her fathers houses .
1"'r history was this: Her father had .,Iu- ,
cA''G her IN tho city Of New York until she {
was "t ;"een II and Is years Of ave and ,
taken her to one Of the mctropolitan hotels
where he kept her as his mistress Nnt +
e''''i'.8 I'll connection, and desiring to get t
away rom hln, she went to New Orleans 7
me followed her, but she refused to live q
"ltn nun, at which he whipped her in the /
l,I puoi'c street and made her marry a slav. I
:. quo VerWard resumed the unnatural roIs- | E
.'o"' gong To Cincinnati but waS bron,,h, >
p~fN ny ner husband or father with cbi,d v
Ce'ohglng to somebody. Her father And ;
rom the city at the time Of its occunst;on a
~ ule nlted States forces leavipo ba.. !, = | ;
state OF destltution. She wanted r. I;,.o :" =
'"s {" her fathers houses, but her stor,, Il
gay not credible, and he determined IN in a
'eIugate 1t. To his surprise, it was fornd 8
- oe well known, and testimony ofits trn,b l.
!: :: oosalned from A, Il and G. without
y kn"': notwithstanding this fact, wide r,
"a - Ta,,: w - u was, this man could be cleo 0
'Ja"e .'i'i'ila' IN the city of New Orleans n
Judge OF one OF III. Courts. -''''''' \ \
,etro one nee occasion one of his aids brought r
'Jioie MN young woman almost Whit q;
no 'l.d Deen brutally whipped and turned q,
-. VI tne house of her father. For tb;s !,
49, tne man had been made to nav a a
'e 's'' oi > 900 and give the woman a IL -
= I, emancipation. These were tha t;aJ - r = =
Inn yos %"'rn 81, mad been brought against d,
ent 90 W., ", no rlght-minded man could be- Il
ncoDd;tiop. ID @ Ur,eaSs Are; without returning an d.
he S roofs az az AHI slavery man, even though .
nd nd % tSa s'm :, tlle pouses were not taken off in
osed #sa upuon ex- eN
All the lower classes of the noo,, I'll
ICY, ,es Vt or'eans were loyal During the first "
s''es @s enios tosss entered u