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PROOF OF THE DESIGNED OPENING OF THE TRADE. 65

South for remaining in the Union. Its editor, Mr. J. D. B. De Bow, Superintendent of the Census Bureau under President Pierce, and many of his correspondents, wrote in favor of the project. Almost every number had something upon it. We can only give a specimen of this literature. The first citation is found in the number for November, 1857, in an article advocating a "Central Southern University," to educate young men in the political views peculiar to the South; and as a reason for showing its necessity, the writer thus speaks of American and European views of slavery and the slave-trade:

These fifteen hireling States, together with all the rest of North America, except the slaveholding States mentioned, and more than onehalf of South America, reinforced and sustained by England, France, and most of the other nations of Europe, have openly declared themselves against American slavery, and may be said to be engaged in a crusade against our domestic institutions. The African slave-trade has been denounced as piracy, not only by several European powers, but by the United States. From the beginning of the present century up to this time, the influence of the Government has been against the South;* and for fifteen years this Government has kept a fleet on the African coast for the express purpose, acting in conjunction with England and France, of suppressing the traffic in slaves, and for preventing their importation into America. And at least three-fourths of the expense of maintaining this fleet have been paid by the South. * * * The difficulty between the South and the North can never arrive at a peaceable settlement. The supreme and ultimate arbiter in the dispute now pending between them must be the sword. To that complexion it must come at last.

The foregoing is mild compared with what follows from the number for December of the same year. The article is upon the "Wealth of the North and the South: the

* And yet, from the facts, and the testimony of the rebel Vice-President, it appears that the Government was controlled by "the South" and its Northern “allies," sixty-four out of seventy-two years from its origin. Chapter L

This is shown in

Slave-Trade and the Union." Speaking of the North, the

writer says:

Her industrious and enterprising population, her commercial, manufacturing, and mechanical skill, her fine harbors, her fisheries, and her Union with and vicinity to the South, are the true sources of her prosperity. A revival of the African slave-trade at the South, would furnish her with cheaper raw materials, cheaper provisions, and extend and improve the market for her commerce, merchandise, and manufactures. This is probably the only measure that can save the Union. It will meet with some opposition from a FEW inconsiderate Southern slaveholders, because it will lessen the price of slaves and of slave products. But it will greatly increase the price of Southern lands, half of which are now lying waste and useless for want of labor,* whilst Christendom is almost starving from the deficiency of Southern products. Such a step would give political security to the South, because it would identify still more closely the interest of ALL SECTIONS in upholding and increasing Slavery. Texas would speedily be settled, and Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Maryland, with slaves at two hundred dollars around, would bring all their now vacant lands into successful cultivation. It is most probable that New York, Pennsylvania, and the whole Northwest, WOULD ALSO BECOME SLAVEHOLDING with slaves at two hundred dollars. EVENTS ARE TENDING THIS WAY. * ** * It is our true interest to secure and preserve the monopoly of cotton production, and we can effect this only by the renewal of the slave-trade. It is highly creditable to the much abused "extremists of the South," that they, with a few exceptions, and their press, are the most prominent advocates of the revival of the slave-trade, which in a pecuniary way most of them think injurious to themselves. But they are patriots, and ready to make great sacrifices to preserve peace and Union. Is it possible to conceive that THE NORTH will not, when it surveys the whole ground in controversy, ADVOCATE THE RENEWAL OF THE OLD SLAVE-TRADE as a measure of humanity, as well to the idle, savage, pagan negroes, as to the starving, laboring whites of Europe and the North? * All sections have confidence in the present Administration, but let it go out

* * *

* *

What, then, we would ask Dr. Baird and others who agree with him, could the South do with the Territories, except to introduce slaves from Africa, if "half" of the "Southern lands" in 1857 were lying waste and useless for want of labor?" Nothing, clearly, unless on his principle they wished to promote emancipation" by "dispersion."

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PROOF OF THE DESIGNED OPENING OF THE TRADE. 67

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of power-and then the deluge." Mr. Buchanan will be the "last of the Presidents," unless abolition is arrested in its course, and some measure, some line of policy adopted, which shall plainly and obviously make the extension of Slavery the interest of the North. * * * An exasperated South will blow the Union to shivers, if hordes of Northern immigrants continue to seize upon and monopolize the whole of that territory, which she, the South, chiefly acquired, despite of much North. ern opposition. The revival of the African slave-trade, the reduction in the price of negroes, and the increase of their numbers, will enable us successfully to CONTEND IN THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW TERRITORIES with the vast emigration from the North. NOTHING ELSE CAN. IT IS THE ONLY MEASURE THAT CAN PRESERVE THE UNION. * * * Let her (the North) examine the subject calmly, historically, religiously, morally, statistically, and philosophically, and she will find the proposed procedure quite as humane as profitable. If this does not satisfy her, calculate the costs and consequences of disunion, for it has come to thisEITHER A RENEWAL OF THE SLAVE-TRADE, OR DISUNION. There can be no drawn battle between abolition, and slavery and the slave-trade. Truth will prevail. One or the other must conquer. God defend the right.

We give but one more specimen, taken from the same periodical, De Bow's Review for May, 1859:

How often have we been told from our legislative halls, that Congress has no power or jurisdiction over slavery, as it exists in the United States-that each one of the States is sovereign, and competent to manage its own internal affairs. How comes it then, we ask, that Congress has, for so many years, legislated, and entered on her rolls, laws expressly prohibiting the slave-trade, and entering into compact with foreign nations with force of arms to suppress it? * * * Where is the propriety or fitness or evenness in action, to send a United States Marshal to aid in the recapture of a runaway slave in any of the miscalled free States, and at the same time having a fleet on the African coast to intercept and suppress it altogether? If any one can solve this riddle, why then we confess he is more shrewd than we are, and most cheerfully resign to him the palm of victory in discrimination. Was not the seizure and capture and confiscation of the brig Echo, a direct preventive of the people of a certain latitude from the use of that kind of laborers only, and property suitable to their climate,

*

soil, and production? *

* Ever since the time that Congress first

took action to suppress the slave-trade, AT THAT CRISIS AND MOMENT

WERE SOWN THE SEEDS OF DISUNION

THE CAUSE FULLY DEVELOPED.

We now see the ultimate purposes sought to be accomplished by the rebel leaders. We are now ready to draw the grand conclusion as to the cause of the rebellion. We are able, somewhat, to approach to an adequate conception of the enormity of that wickedness, to perpetrate which, through treason, fraud, war, and carnage, ministers of the Gospel and Christian Churches, with others,—as we shall see further on in these pages,-gave their personal and official influence at an early stage in this drama of blood, and in some instances took the lead in counsel and action, and have been its most ardent supporters to the present hour. We see the special end to be reached by an overthrow of the Government of the United States, and the building up of another nation in its stead, upon such a "corner-stone" as no other nation, according to Mr. Stephens, ever rested upon "in the history of the world."

The project was grand. The means were appropriate. The conception was worthy of the greatest intellects and the largest hearts. We seriously doubt whether any other people but "our Southren brethren" could have compassed it. It was not merely to perpetuate a system of human bondage which was the scorn of the whole Christian world outside of the immediate region in which it was upheld; not merely to preserve for themselves and transmit to their children the status of slavery as it existed among them; but it was to inaugurate and consummate a great system of Slavery Propagandism, and that not merely upon the virgin soil of the Territories; these modern

THE CAUSE FULLY DEVELOPED.

69

Apostles were to carry their missionary enterprise into the Free States; "New York, Pennsylvania, and the whole Northwest," were among the first benighted regions that were to be visited; and "with slaves at two hundred dollars" a head, every farmer could become a gentleman of leisure, with an abundance of laborers to till his grounds. To realize these glowing visions of wealth and the otium cum dignitate, the slave-marts of Africa were to be again thrown wide open, and "all sections" were to go in for "the revival of the slave-trade." Dr. Thornwell and other leading clergymen would approve of the traffic, and defend it in the Religious Reviews, as De Bow had long done in his Commercial Review, if it could only be divested of some of its repugnant adjuncts; and for the sake of enlisting their vigorous pens this could easily be done, or at least easily promised.

And why should not all hands at once join in this, and all become rich together ?-and why should we not, too, "as a measure of humanity," when appealed to "calmly, historically, religiously, morally, statistically, and philosophically ?" And, above all, we are appealed to patriotically. If we do not join in this grand religious and political regeneration of our country and the rest of mankind," an exasperated South will blow the Union to shivers" and set up for themselves; "for it has come to this—either a renewal of the slave-trade, or disunion." But they do not wish to do so bad a thing-oh, no! "They are patriots, and ready to make great sacrifices to preserve peace and Union!"

As, then, the "renewal of the old slave-trade" is the "only measure that can preserve the Union," the responsibility of its preservation is upon the North. Why will she not step forward and sign the bond? Who can hesitate when such interests are in the trembling balance?—

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