Year: 1860

These are important questions. The truth IS, when we are friendly we are blind to faults, and when unfriendly blind to virtues, but consistency should forbid our warning on what we had defended, sim ply because relations had changed, unless some new light had been shed upon the questions.

 The next question Is the thirty fifth par allel railroad. Col. Hindman attempted. while Tn the western part of the State, to make capital for himself to the disadvant- age of our Senators in Congress on this question, and alleged they were opposed to this and in favor of the thirty second route. lie touched the question first at Dover, in Pope county, and grew stronger as he approached the great starting point. What are the facts? There are two routes north and two south of us, each having more actual strength than the thirty route on the floor of Congress- Hence. notwithstanding the strong reasons in favor of this route, 1t is necessary to pursue the line of policy which will ultimately give to this route the greatest public strength, to which end the Senators have steadily worked and have thought it the best policy to wage no unnecessary war with other routes. So as when the question is finally settled we can gain strength from other routes so soon as their chances for success are despaired of This policy has secured the overland mail and wagon road on or.near this parallel, which are consid- cred sure forerunners of the great enterprise. Notwithstanding their effective action in this behalf, the effort has been. made time and again, to make the people of the west believe they are betrayed, and their interest disregarded by their Senators in Congress.

 As for myself, 1 have not on earth an interest unidentified with this route, which with the strong reasons in its behalf would make me its strong supporter But I am too good friend to the route to make un- necessary enemies, simply to evince my zeal. Nor do think it necessary to war on men who have proved their friendship to the route, as above shown by their acts. Col Hindman deals some heavy blows 10 Judge Sebastian, because of his answer to the interrogatories addressed him on the subject of this route, by members of the last legislature. His reply was right, be- cause there was no principle involved and, of course, whatever was the wish of ma jjority of the people as expressed to him by the legislature was his duty and pleasure. Aside from the potent fact the questions were gotten up with view of aiding in his defeat, and no matter what his answer was he would not have received the support of his querists.

 The only remaining questions are the re- opening the African slave trade, and Col. Hindman's position thereon. The Colonel stated at Clarksville, in Johnson county, he was in favor of re-opening the African slave trade, because he desired negroes should be cheaper in order that every white man could own negro. If this utopan theory could be realized, it certainly would be an end attained "dcyoutly to be wish ed" but, If the trade was re- opened, and the price of negroes reduced to four hun dred dollars for negro men, when poor man could buy one. rich man could buy twenty. If enough could be imported to enable every man in the south to own q negro, the result would be the relation of what was feared by the southeIn-rights party in eighteen hundred and fifty; that is, the territory now occupied by slavery would be overw orked, and 1t would destroy itself. At the period spoken of, the southern rights party thought there were too many slaves and the theory of the abolitionists was to confne slavery to its present limits, and thereby work its destruction-for thus denying the southerner the privilege of emigTatng to California and New Mexico with their property, and thereby, the south an outlet" for her slaves, secession was advocated, as the only mode of self-preser. vation. Others take the position they are opposed to the re-openiug of the trade, but desire the law making it piracy to i'm port slave to be repealed. The penalty ought certainly not be objected to, if the prohibition is sanctioned. What would be the result of this repeal! It would only invite law violators. But they may say some other penalty as severe could be adopted, only dropping the term "piracy," as retiecting on slavery in the States and the slave trade between the States. In this connection, l will answer question pro- pounded me by the editor of the Old Line Democrat some weeks since, that is, what Is the difference in morals between import ing a negro from Mississippi or from Afri- ca? As an abstract question, there is no difference, nor do 1 object to the repeal of the law on moral grounds-for 1 think slavery moral and religious. The negro was intended by God to be the slave of the white race. l object to the repeal of the law, because, in my opinion, it would be bad policy to crowd further country al- ready without an outlet for her surplus slaves. l object to the agitation of the question on this account, and because it is nonsense to suppose the law could be re- pealed, when even not one southern State IS Tn favor of it, far less a northern State

 where the majority in both ends of the capitol hail from. l object to its agitation

 becarse 1t creates false impression in the northern States greatly to the disadvantage of the only national men in that section of the contederacy, by enabling aboltionists to point to the democrats with whom they are atflllating, as desiring to destroy what the southern States had principally procur- ed to be passed in the first instance. It may be said every southerner should advo- cate what he considered right, whether it be polite or not. This will not do, par tlcularly where the south is to lose so much as by the agitation of this question at this time, and, for the other reason, that the public mind north, is certainly undergoing change on this question. Men are found in the north who take stronger grounds of argument on the slavery question than was assumed twenty years ago in the south.- The agitation of this question would have tendency to stop this reaction in our favor, and put the public mind on the back track: therefore, unless it is designed to denation- alise the democratic party, to defeat every democratic conservative in the Congress of the United States, to give both ends of the capital over to abolition rulers, with chief magistrate of their own kidney to execute their behests, and finally lead to dissolu- tion of the Union It would be nonsense to agltate the re-opening of the slave trade even were the south in favor of it, because it could not be attained, and worse to agitate the re-