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The Voice Of Another Governor

The Voice Of Another Governor image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
July
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Surely theNorth is taking her freedom! Why don't slavery advertise the runaway North, put her in prison, and sell her for the jail fees? It is time to wake from her supuieness; it will soon be too late. Governor Ellswortb, in his annual message to the Legislature of Conneciicut says: - "The southern politician is mistaken in the cardinal principie of his theory, 'ihat duiy on importa, is a duty on exports.' It is a tax chiefly on consumption; to some extent on foreign capital and labor. If indeed it be truc, that a duty on import3 is a tax on consumption, then the consumcr is most affected by the tariff, and not the southern planter. The South, in proporïion to its population. consumes less, very tnuch less, than the North, or the States of tree labor, both on account of climate, and the character of their laboring people.When the compromise act, so callee), was passet!, I well recollcct tlmt gentlemen from the planting States asserted on the floor of Congress, that in 1S42, when lUe act would take full effect, we should 3ee the planting States had been paying well nigh the whole of the national revenuc, as. they said, by the artful and clisguieed operation of duties on imports. - The time has hearly arrived, but the dis - covery bas not been made, while in the mean time both the North and tho South have been greatly impoverished. The policy of a proteclive tariff is so mtich afíected by consideraron?, growing out of anolher interest, ihai I trust I &luill not be accused of asperity towards the Suuth, or officious interference in their concerns, by expressing tho opinión thut iree labor throughout this nation, and especially the mauufucturing portions of il, is in'.erested in the numerous and powerful influences of elavery. But that 1 may not be misapprehendedjlet meob?ervc,that in the government, we should not depart from the Consliluiion of the United States, ihe supreme politica! law of the land, which we have sworn ancw, this day to observe and inaintuin. I would give to this bond of our glorious Union a hearty and vigorous support, in its several provisions, as the wisest and best compact which could at that time, or cnuld now, be obtained, But I feel no obligation to proceed at all beyond the Conslitution, to raster, perpetúate or cherish a system of slaveiy. 1 would in this matter observe good fuith towards sister States, becauee 1 hold faiih between States as inviolable as betweea man and man; while beyond this, concessions toslavery will not readily be made by those who look on it as a great wrong and a ruinous institution. I have said tjjat labor is affected generally by slavery. This is produced chiefly by the national pölicy and public measures to which it gives rise. It may be observed further, that few improvements by means of machinery and water power can be iniroduced in ïhose regions where labor finds i;s chief employment in raising cotton, tobáceo, and sugar; nor in time to come can slave labor derive much aid fiom those invenlionB which give immense faciliües to free labor, and multiply its power beyond computalion. Of the character and wants of free labor, and especial ly the policy which fosters manufactures, navigation, and the fisherieB, the planter has necessarily but litlle knowledge, and wiih iis peculiarities, little sympathy. Of this, however, we do not complain. Perhnps our view3 are erroneous. We wish only to say, that where slavery bears upon general interests, as in national afTairs, we may with propriety speak of its lendency, and firmly tnaintain our rights against its power.A cotninon and sucesslul bug-bear has heen, 'We will dissoslve the Union.' - Well, let thein do so. Who will suffer, Massaclniseila or Georgia? We may be wrong, but we have no patience with this mawkishness about the sacredness of the federal compact. The northern States have little to win by it; the South every desirable tliing which they possess 10 retain b3' it. Atany rute, we woukl rather have the Union dissolved thnn have it held logether by such bonds. We would preFef a well regulatcd democratie government in the norlh, with limiled dominion to the uniort of the whole country, with such a disorderly, riotous, tumulfuoue legislative assembly as was the House of Representatives in the bcginning of thesession ofl840 and the begmning ot the extra session of 1841. This s a growing fecling in Ncw-England. The nation must be governed by laws, and the representatives of the North must be placed on cquality with the representatives of he South, and from which they have been legraded, or the Union will be broken. We sha!l resume thia subject, probably, oefore the House of Representatives is roorganized. - Boston Times. Gov Seward, of New York, has' dcclind a reelection. Lieut. Gov. Bradish has )cen mentioned in some of the papers as suitable successor.