Year: 1861

not the only plausible argument addressed to
Virginians in favor of joining the secession OF
the Gulf States, is the suggestion that those
States will exclude Virginia slaves from their
markets, if Virginia adheres to Northern
political connection. This argument makes up
the pi,h and stress of Senator Hunters letter
of last December, urging his constituents to
follow the fortunes of the extreme South.


The subject is one which has many aspects.


If Virginia goes into the proposed Southern
Coufederacy, and il it be assumed that such
Confederacy becomes successfully established,
che would have, to the extent of her weight in
it, the means of preventing the revival Of the
African slave trade. But she would run the
risk Of being overruled by her impetuous, do0
ineering, and impracticable associates, and if
so overruled she would be without remedy.
The risk is great because the temptation of
getting negroes at Coast Of Guinea prices, in
stead of at Virginia prices, is great, and be-
cause, the reopening of the the African slave
trade seems to be essential to the schemes of
expansion which are looked to, to give weight
and security to the Southern Confederacy. II
the sugar and cotton lands of Mexico are to be
titled by slave labor, for the advantage Of the
present generation, it must be by slave labor
introduced from the old source Of supply.


Nor is it certain, that the Shareholders Of
Virginia, could WELD the entire weight of that
State in Southern Confederacy, against the
African slave trade. Virginia is full of men of
energy and restlessness, who own no negroes, and
who rush into schemes of opening Mexico and
Central America, and of building up their own
fortunes upon new lands and with cheap labor
Those men are there now, to be sure, but they
would be excited to a new activity, by the new
spirit of Southern Confederacy.


If, on the contrary, Virginia adheres to a
Northern connection, she can put "a quietus upon
the African slave trade, beyond peradventure,
by using to that end the maritime power Of q
Northern Coniederacy. Great Britain put an
end to the slave trade of Brazil ten years ago,
by the simple and natural process of a naval
police on the Brazilian coast. This cotton
State nation, which is talked Of will have po-
siton in the civilized world, assimilated to that
of the Barbary Powers, without the corsairs
which made those Powers formidable, but not
respectable. 1t will be dealt with without the
least ceremony, in this matter of the African
slave trade, and will get neither aid nor sympa.
thy from the European nations. 1t will be in
vain to talk about the law OF nations because
it only needs the assent of the United States to
change that law and make the slave trade pi.
racy. And, in addition to this, the law Of ma.
tions is only humbug, with which youngsters
in colleges and law schools are amused. Men
of sense know that there never was and never
can be any law for nations, because there can
be no law without lawgiver, and without PEN
altes. The practice of nations is to do what
their interests require to be done, within the
limits of their power; and there is never any
difficulty in finding authority in the books, where
the will and the means exist to do anything
The Monroe doctrine, Of itself, that this cont
nent is not to be colonized from the Old World,
is good enough warrant for eXtinguishng the
African slave trade. There will be no difficulty
about authorities, if Virginia remains in the
Northern Confederacy, and wants the African
slave trade put down. The Northern Confed-
eracy will be both able and willing to do what
Virginia will desire in that respect Authori.
ties will be found as plenty as blackberries.
When the British Ministry want anything in the
line Of the law Of nations, they always get it
from the Crown law officers, and we doubt not
that Mr.. Lincoln will be equally well served by
his Attorney General Bates. If not, he will fare
worse than Mr.. Buchanan has with Judge
Black.


Thus, then, in respect to the African slave
trade, Virginia runs the very considerable risk
of being overrued in Southern Con 'ederacy,
whereas, in the maritime power of Northern
Confederacy, she will have the certainty of put
ting it down.


And aside from the question of that trade,
there is not the slightest reason to suppose that
the Gulf States would refuse to receive negroes
from Virginia, if she shall determine to remain
connected with the North. They will be con.
trolled in that matter by their interest, as they
are now. They want labor and capital and
immigration, and it is idle to suppose that they
will refuse to receive Virginia planters coming
with their slaves, or will refuse to buy negroes
from negro traders. If, in an outbreak of pas.
sion, they should legislate against these things,
their laws could not be enforced. A six months
prohibition of the ingress of Virginia negroes
into the further South, would produce such a
disparity in their price, by raising it on the
Gulf and depressing it in Virginia, that they
would be smuggled from the poor market to
the good one, in spite of all laws. But it is
not Confederacy, which is to be especially
and pre.eminently slaveholding, and which ba.
ses its hopes Of importance upon such an ex.
panson of its system of slave labor as will give
it the substantial control of tropical products,
which will refuse to receive slaves, to CRAFTY