The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-01-11
A BITOF HISTORY.

f'Early Southern Anti-SlaVcry Seffti-
| ments," by Mr.. William +. Poole, for
merly Librarian Of tho Boston Athe-
noun. Mr.. Poole denies that the po-
litical anti-slavcry agitation was forced
upon the South by the North, and con-
tends that the ;anti-slavery movement
was spontaneous at tho South. ue de-
clares that oven rs late rs 1897, Of the
one hundred and thirty abolition socie-
ties in the United States, one hundred
and six were in the Southern sl;tvchoid-
ing States, and only four in New Eng
land and New York. He says that Of
| these societies eight wcrc in Virginia,
eleven i'll Maryland, two i'll Delaware,
eight i'll Kentucky, twcnty-tive in
Tennessee, and fifty in n orth Carolina,
| with an active membership in the lat
| ter State of three Thousand persons.
| We AFRO unable TO say where Mr.
Poole obtained his facts, or to answer
| for their correctness.
Wi,iic tho question Of \ nlerican ;alavc-
ry is forever dead, it is we'll that the his
| tory Of this agitation should bc properly
| understood. We all know that Mr.
Jefferson was opposed to tho institution,
and has loft his anti-slavcry sentiments
on record. We also know that many
persons of this day in the South coin
cidcd In those opinions. But neither he
nor they, nor the ssAbolition Societies,
Of which Mr.. Poole speaks, held the
violent opinions entertained by tho
New England school of nbolitionists.
The former did not acknowledge the
power of tho Federal Government over
tho subject. They regarded tho nc
Grocs as the property OF tho Southern
people, and held that the power of
emancipation was confined TO the State
in which slavery existed. Some who
regarded tho institution as an OWL, and
desired to get rid of it, yet held that
no Convention or Legislature could de-
prive the owner of his slave property
without his consent. Those III the
South, who favored emancipation were
for efftcting it gradually. If Northern
fanatics had not intcrfcrretl, the proba-
bllity is that many, if not all, of the
Southern States would have adoptcd
measures looking to gradual cmanci-
patton. Some Of the best, ablest and
most influential mon in Virginia were
in favor of such measures.
Northern, especially New England
abolition was a very different thing
The fanatics of that school denied that
slavery could lawfully exist, and wont
so FAR as to pronounce the constitution
and covenant with hell" They de-
mandcu the abolition OF slavery bv
Congress, and organized associations
to prevent the delivery of fugitive
slaves to their owners. They got up
what were called underground rail-
foadS, 1or the purpose of running Off
slaves from the South. They establish
cu newspapers, in which the slave
owners of the South were assaulted as
tyrants and brutcs, and in which the
slaves were inciteu to insurrcction
! This fury of the Northern abolitionists
| checked tho spread of the anti-slavcrv
movement in tho Southern States. and
| led to moro stringent laws than before
cNistcd--laws prompted by the ncccssi-
| ty of scifprotcction.
No one doubts that the late civil,
war grew ont Of tho slavery question
nor can any ono who reads HISTORY
Alright doubt that if the Northern r,-
natic5 had held their peace The South
crn people would, of their own accord
have satisfactorily solved the sl,vrrv
problem. Th"an fanatics arc respousi-
bic for the WHY. -Rirhup,X jJhjg.
II Is dc"idcd that any letter posted
with = stamp on il shall be forwarded
toitSdistination, and ifauficicnt hostage
has hcon paid, the balance shall be cot
lcctcd uponlciivcry.
Mr.. Edward a. Bradford, II leading
| member Of the New Orleans bar, and
| formerly law partner of }. l.. Bcnia-
| min, died in Paris on the twcnty-scc-