Morning Star

SLAVERY.

The Slave Power.

Abolitionists have been charged with "building railroads upon moonshine," with "beating the air," with being "mere visionaries,"
etc., etc. What is that power upon which we war? and what are its resources? An answer to these questions will settle the question of "moonshine."

1st. Political power. Slaveholding voters, having one common interest, will of course unite their political power for the system of slavery. It is that by which they move and have their being—by which their passions and lusts find full play. This class, amounting perhaps to some 200,000, constitute the aristocracy of the South.

2. Labor by the free being disgraceful, and the slave labor becoming the great pecuniary basis of society; education being so limited, and the tendencies of slaveholding being such upon character, the slave interest comes to be the great, the paramount interest of the slave states. The ruling classes have one interest and one common sympathy. Slavery is the one great idea which fills the mind, and controls the ballot. Whig and Democratic parties, except as they can be made tributary to that, are laid aside as useless. Their party preferences are entirely subservient to their views of the demands of the 'peculiar institution.' Thus the whole rightful political power of the slave states is devoted to slavery-is itself slave power.

: .t.:

3. In addition to all this, by a most disastrous concession to southern braggadocia, the Constitution was made to allow a representation for three fifths of the slave population, in Congress, and consequently in the electoral college. This is about equal to 800,000 legal voters in the free states. It placed 25 representatives in Congress under the last apportionment, and has come to constitute nine per cent. of the federal power of the Union. This premium upon despotism, this bounty upon slaveholding, this reward for crushing the poor, being in the same hands, is wielded for one great end-slavery.

We have then the united power of one-half of these United States, and spreading over two-thirds of our territory, devoted to slavery -devoted to whipping, maiming, branding, shooting, working without pay, separating husbands and wives, parents and children, selling humanity at auction, striking down the right of two millions and a half of the people to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But this is not all. This immense power, through the policy with which it is wielded, is able to bring the political power of the North into alliance with itself. This is done by political partyism. That power fosters, and avails itself of party divisions of the free states, by holding a balance between them. Indeed it presents itself before the nation as a prize to be won, by the highest bidder.- These warring parties, in their strife for power, behold the proffered alliance-to win it is to triumph-to fail in the bond-is to sink.- Absolute fidelity and obedience are the only terms. The exigency is too pressing; under one sophistry and pretence or another they crouch-they bow down—the basest is crowned and assumes the government, with the overseer's lash above its head. And thus it is that the power of the government and of the nation becomes identified with the slave power. The entire nation is dragged from its high original, down to the foot of the slave power. and there has been robbed of its honor, its rights, its peace, and its wealth.

As evidence that the General Government of our country is little more than another name for the slave power, look at official facts respecting its offices since the adoption of the Constitution. The free states have about two-thirds of the free population.

Presidents-number of years.
Free States, 12.
Slave States, 41.

Every President from the slave states has served two terms, or eight years; while no northern President ever held the office but one term. Power to fill this office is always regarded a test of political strength.

Secretary of State.
Free States, 16.
Slave States, 37.

Attorney General.
Free States, 12.
Slave States, 41.

Secretary of Navy.
Free States, 15.
Slave States, 38.

Secretary of War.
Free States, 10.
Slave States, 23.

Secretary of the Treasury.
Free States, 40.
Slave States, 13.

Northern people understand dollars and cents, hence they are allowed to keep the public chest under the supervision of a slaveholding President.

Speaker of House of Representatives.
Free States, 15.
Slave States, 38.

This officer has the appointment of committees of the House, and through them a controlling influence over the action of Congress and the government. But this officer the free states have not been allowed for a whole generation.

Chief Justice of S. Court.
Free States, 12.
Slave States, 41.

Associate Justices.
Free States have had 10 in number.
Slave States 17

All appointments for many years to the Bench have been from the South.

Navy.-This right arm of the nation's strength is almost wholly in the hands of southern men.
The President of the U. S., Secretary of the Navy, Chief Clerk, President of Navy Commissioners. Colonel of Marine Corps, are all from Virginia. A very large proportion of the navy officers are slaveholders and sons of slaveholders, are born to command,' while most of the seamen are hardy northerners. who.it seems, are born to obey.

Of 97 Commanders, Massachusetts has 10,
Virginia 8, Maryland 14!
Of 828 Lieutenants, Mass. has 15, Va. 70.
Md. 3l. Dist. Columbia 16!
Of 103 passed Midshipmen, Mass. has 5,
Va. 11. Md. 7!
Of 807 Midshipmen, Mass. has 20, Va. 47
Md. 21!
Of 70 Surgeons, Mass. has 3!
Of 253 appointments made from March 4,
1841. to April 8, 1842, Va., Md., and Dist.
Columbia had 101!
Of 32 Midshipmen appointed the early part
of this year, every one of them are from slave
states.
Of all our foreign Ministers and Charge of
Affairs, the slave states have had 69, the free
states 45! and of 14 or 15 of the last appoint-
ments about 12 have been from slave states,
while the commerce of the country almost
wholly belongs to the north.
A large proportion of public officers which
the free states have been allowed, especially
of late years, consists of men 'sound to the
core'-the most obedient subjects of the slave
power. No others could think of an election.
And if the slave power controls to such an
extent the offices of the country-if it is thus
allowed to have the power, it will equally con-
trol legislation, as will be more fully shown
hereafter. It is but reasonable to suppose that
the influence of that power which sits supreme
in the land, would be seen moulding and di
recting all the plans and action of govern-
ment, at home and abroad; and that is the
fact.

2. The moral power of the country slavery
controls to an equal extent with its political.
Churches and ministers have generally em-
braced it in the bosom of their fellowship,
baptized and practically pronounced it inno-
cent. Slavery controls a large portion of the
presses, literary and theological seminaries,
and pulpits in the land. It has palsied mil-
lions of tongues, blinded and seared millions
of consciences and judgments. It sucks the
life-blood from millions of throbbing hearts.
gorges and revels upon immortality.

This is the terrible slave power. This is
the power which concentrates its awful weight
upon the bosom of the slave, compared with
which the Andes would be an atom.

And as to our country, this is not a friendly
power, as we have practically regarded it, bu
the power of a most malignant, inveterate.
eternal enemy-an enemy in its own nature
and in all its effects. Slavery and liberty are
antagonisms, and all this amount of power is
in the hands of a deadly enemy to liberty;-
an enemy in our bosom. All the fleets and
armies of christendom, our whole coast from
Maine to Georgia lined with hostile navies,
would not constitute an equal cause of alarm,
as the slave power in the heart of this Re-
public. And this is the power that must speed-
ily be broken, or both we and the slave, shall
share a common destiny. This the abolition-
ists have undertaken to do, and they earnestly
ask the co-operation of every lover of his
country and of his kind.-Liberty Standard.