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Show 464 The 1ifassaclwsetts Proposition for Abolishing l11e Sla1:e R epresentation. [AuousT, States was not considerable. The Southern States which was about to be let loose on the world, at a are ditferently siw:ued. They hold 2~ millions of time when all writings, all thoughts, all actions Slaves, valued at twelve hundred nul lions of dol- tiCCmed to h:n·e but one end, tl1e extirpation of aboJars. The emancipation of these slaves \\"tluld not ses, the propagation of virtue, the relief of the only involve great pecuniary sJcrifices, I.Hn canse people, tl1e establishment of freedom 1 lt is thus commotion and bloodshed. \\' hen increased dPn- that the mo.st terrible convulsions are ushered into sity of population shall ha\'C lowered wages, wheu the world: the night is serene, the sunset fair, the slaves become more improved and bctterquali- which precedes the fury of the tornado." fied to enjoy freedom, when they haxe gradually Nations, like individuals, are prone to strive after emigrated to a warmer and more congenial part of una113inable U!essings, and Uy flatteriug lhis prothis cur.tinent, emancipation may, and prnlmbly will pensity of the human heart, the :uuUitious and unensuc. In the mean titue, it will be rome the citi- principled have nften succeeded in raising storms zens of the non-slave-holding States to abstain whir.h tltey subsequenlly endea\'Cned in vain to from agitating the immediate abolitifln of slaven•. arre~l or control. Few were louder ad\'OCates of The continued discussion of this snhject will ter;d ltberty and equality than lloiJespierre. ]fwe judge to diminish the privile:;ws now allowed to the sl:Hcs, him by his words. he :lppears tu have Ueen a patbesides endangering the friendly relations of tbe r io t, but when judged by the unerring test of .'I.Ctions, f.lC\'eral States. 1he blood-thtrsty tyraut stands out in l)!lld relief. So far, the war waged ag:~.inst the institutions of The History of the French Revolution demonstrates the South has been nne of denunciation. \Vere ~he po\\'er which an inconside rahle numbe r of men the abolitionists to excite and conduct a crusade may acquire when acting in concert and fired by against the Smnhern States, it might he a bloody enthusiasm. Such a body will aeeomplish less by persecution, a!thouglt not tbe first undertaken hy argument and a•ldress than by intimidatinu. Tlte men professing ?real devotion and philanthrnpy. largt"r portion of the agitators who brought on the Godfrey of lloutllon and the Christian warriurs ne~·olution were destitute of' property, and loence murUcred forty thousand unresisting citizens at the more inclined to becotue recldess. The great mass storming of Jerusalem. Throwing aside their arms of the Parisia n popul ation had wi\'eS, c!ttldrcn and ~till streaming with blood, a.nd wading anlde deep s hops, and were frieuJiy to !!r3dual and nmderate Jn human gore, they went wuh n:1ked feet and un- reform, but they perr11 itteU themsel ves to !Je overCO\' P.red hE:ads to the Holy Srpulchre, and there of- a\\'ed and o,·erruled IJv the fanatical ad,·ocates of fer~ri their thanks ~o H eaven, and sung anthems in innnvation. The agi;atnrs gained strength and inpra~ se of the. Savw~:r u.f the \\' orld. In Spain. (],1euee from the apathy, the neutrality aud timidity durwg the retgn of 1• erdtnand and Isab t!lla, 10.000 of the rt~asses. Let sucl1 of the people of the free persons were burned ali\·e by the orders of the In · States as condt!mn the co11rse of the abolitionis ts, quisitinn, and 100,000 others subj ected to gross prnfit by the lcssotl which thnse memnrahle times indignities and .. unmerited puni sl,ment. Fifty thou - inculca;e. Let all wlH• are opposed HI iuterfcrence sand persons were destroyed in France at the m1s- with the in stit utions ,,f the Suuth remember, th :u sacre of St. Dartholun1ew. At a larer period, 11 hen npinions, when zealously prnpag-ated, rend to diffurcligioo was contemned and ridiculed, liberty ex- sion, and th.:t.t it is more easy to cmmtt>ract dantolled, aud hum<~n reason deified, more than a m!l- g-ernus doctrines when fir st prumul!!ated, th:~..n to lion of persons fell l'ictims to the fury of the French !J\'erthrow them when t!1ey h:H e oncP 11btained the Ile\'olutio.n. At different epochs, nations ha1•e laid asr·enrlanl'y. Great is the Tt'Spon,jiJ,Iir y 11 hi ,·h now as.ide therr reason and conscience, turned awa.v rf'Sts upoHl the m:-~jority of the pl'oplt> iuh:1 ' •itJn[.!: wrth scorn and contempt fl'om the salutary lessuns the fl-ee States. J .. et tiH'Trl rememhcr thaltlu~ a hoof experience, and surrendered theruseh·es to the !itiunist~ ha\'e inr>rea sed to a n11mher uot to he dts~ way of unbridled passions. \Vith n:llion!;, as with rrgarded, and acquired a power not to he despi.sed, tndi\'iduals, one deviation from rectitude prepa1es and that it is the duty of :dl nortl1ern patriots no the mind and heart for other sius and enormities. longer to submit in silence, nor indulge in neuThe propensities of our nature are not ea."ily re- traliry. nor yield to s lugg-ishness, but to arouse strained when once indulged, and hence the dan- themselves and counteract the dissemination of doc. ger of yielding too readily to the spirit of innova- trines, which, if made \·cry prevalem throughout tion. Kings ha\'e their courtiers, and the sover· the free States, will reudcr the Union "a rope of eign people have their~. Denng:ogues, fanatics, mil- sand" and involve lhe country in civil war and its itary ehieftains,-in short, all who intend mis:::hief conromitant e~·ils. The times require the develop- • and misrule, profess to be g-overned by none other ment and exercise of that latent patriotis m, which than the most liberal and philanthropic views. lt yet abides and abounds in the great m:~jority of was under the garh of philanthropy that. the spirit of Northern hearts. innovation became the exciting cause of I he French Perhaps the abolitionists are incapable of being Hevolution. "Who," said Segur, ''could ha1·e influenced by any argument which caniJe adJresst!d anticipated the terriltle flood of passions and crimes to their understandings, or any appeal which may 1845.] Tlte Massachusetts Proposition for Abolishing the Slave Representation. 465 be made to their Jove of country. Heretofore thC}' r.hange a reform. \Yilh such persons, theory is ha\'e treated with contempt and ridicule, all the every thing, and experience of no earthly utility, admonitions and all the reasoning urg-ed by the except as a fit topic for tl te ridicule of the young, Southern people, \\'hose interests, the abolitionists and the con\'Crsation of the aged. Some of these assert, h:tve warped their judgment and obscured reformers think it just as easy lo make a new Contheir perceptions. Such objections can not be urged stitutiou which will fit the body pnlitie, as it is for to weaken the force of auy views of this s ubject, the tailor to make a new coat to fit a dandy : and which may be presented to the abolitionists by the in some instances, there is not a very wide disother citizens of the free S tate s. Awakeuing from parity between the lasting of the coat and the Contheir lethargy, and animated by a true loyalty to s titution. ' Vhen e\'ils of magnitude really do exist, their country, let them untlerta.l\e and \'ig-nrously they should he remedied, if pmcticablc, and while prosecute the great and noble \\Ork of disabusing Constitutions should not be id olized, they should the minds of their Northern fellow-citizens. Let not be altered, until the experience and the calm them enlighten the abolitionists, in respee t to their and deliberate judgment of the people recommend constitutional ohlig-ations, the r·l1aracter and extent such a course. Had institutions are no ~ worse than of the po\\'ers confided to the Federal (Jo,·erument, perpetual fluctuations; they unhinge the public the reserved rights of the States, and tl1e disas- mind, and create disorder througltout the great trous consequences which most result from any in- fabric of society. There is no unmixed good in terference with the rights of Southern property. hum:.n institutions, aud we often find it better to Let these things be done faithfully and persever- "bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we ingly, and the clouds which are begirming to darkeu know not of." our political horizon will disperse, confidence will Existing institutions have the advantage of being be invigorat ed , harmony will be restored, and the tried; and being known, they can be justly appreUonds of tbe Union greatly strengthened. cia ted. As to new ones, we are left toeonjeeture, All the great and beneficial cltanges made by and can not tell, with certainty, 1\hether their l\'at.ure, are slo1dy developed; sudden Cl1anges are eftCcls will be beneficial or otherwise. Our hopes almost irn• ari:~..bly succeeded by violent and injurious may be re::1lized, or they may be doomed to disapshocks. 1L is doohtless tlte will of Pro\·idencc, pointmeut. --"FacilisdescCI1S11Sal·erni: Noctes atquetlii'S ["ltctalrljauua Diti<>; Sed re•·ocare gradum, !iUperuStJUC enulcrc ad auras, Hoc opus, hn.! laborc~SI." that nations should a(h•ance in civilization and happiness, and tltal tl1e power of the people should augtuent as society improves; hut all chauges destined to he salutary or perm:~..menl, most be gradual and made with due circumspection. The people 1\l. De Tocque\'ille, in his \~'o.rk on Ameri~an of different nations ha,·e often sul1"ered from the Democracy, expresses the opunon, that, dunng uncha.stened amltition of their rulel's, hut here where democratic ages, the ruling passion of men is the the popular will is so predominant, there is occa- !ol'e of the e.qua.lity of conditions •. The history of sionally danger that the people will do mischief by Ol~r c~untry.f~lfnlsh~'s many fac~s wh•.ch tend to su~gi\ ·ing too much l:~.titudc and indulgence 10 their tatn hts postlwn. Democrattc natJOns, (says tlus own passions. Tbe people do not always think ~)llilosophical writer,) a.re at all time.s fo.nd of equalcorrectly and act wisely. Lilw individuals, the rty, Uut there are .certalt~ epnchs at wluch tl~e pas-masses are .li~b!e to he i~11luence? and misled by ;~~n .th~j:e~nt't~;~1 ~0~ortht~~ ~we/~~~s t~li~:~e ~~:;e~:d:: error, fanatiCism, sudden tmpulsc, or love of power. Y ' ~ . h . k So sensihle of this were the Athenians, so much of ~hemseh·e~ to an exclusr,·e pas~wn, t ey ns did they distrust themsell'es, that they punished the therr dearest ltlter~sts: they ar.e deaf. Sh~w them indi\'idua! who proposed any thing against the estab- not free~ om escaping from thc1r gr~sp, wlule they lis hell and foudamentallaw. Unnecessary as this are loolung another way: they are bhnd-or, ~athe.r, precaution appears, it was probably productive of they c~n disc.~rn but one sole object to be destred 111 some good. There is great l·inue in st<Jbility: it the unJverse. Are .the p~oplc of.l\fassachu.s~tts is an ornament of individual character, and can willing, in their pursurt of t~rs equa~tty of condruon, nev~r bring Jislwnor upon a nation. The o~posite to e~hibit ;o thet \:.~rl~'sa:e~~:~r~tl:~1 ~~tt:: ~~~~ qualrty has long been deemed the opprobnum of of 1\I. De focqt e tl . 1 ' . o r epublican gu\·ernrnent. The desire of clmnge wis~ly, will they heed the w~rntng. nng. smce co~somctimcs degenerates int.o a feveri!h passion. \'eyed to them by Addison lll a Jew lmes of Ins Conventions have been called, and Constitutions Cato! framed, and before time had developed their defects :;.~~~t~:~~ttl~~:r~h~:~;!~r~h~s~~~ds of rellson; or merits, they have been supj.Jlanted by others sup- True fortitude 18 seen 10 great eJ~:plmt~ posed to accord beuer with "the march of mind" That justice warrant~. omU that "1~dom guides; and the latest fashiou. Many act, as though they All else is to••ering fr.:.m.y and disLntC\iou." knew, beyond all COJllrO\'ersy or Joubt,tltat innova- The time was when a noble patriotism anima led tion and improvement are synonymous, aud e1·cry the statesmen ami controlled the councils of Mas- VoL. Xl-59 |