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decadence　of　so　vast　a　population；　but　I　do　say　that　the　Southern　States　of　America　have　not　been　able　to　keep　pace　with　their　Northern　brethren；　that　they　have　fallen　behind　in　the　race；　and；　feeling　that　the　struggle　is　too　much　for　them；　have　therefore　resolved　to　part。　The　reasons　put　forward　by　the　South　for　secession　have　been　trifling　almost　beyond　conception。　　Northern　tariffs　have　been　the　first；　and　perhaps　foremost。　　Then　there　has　been　a　plea　that　the　national　exchequer　has　paid　certain　bounties　to　New　England　fishermen；　of　which　the　South　has　paid　its　share；　getting　no　part　of　such　bounty　in　return。　　There　is　also　a　complaint　as　to　the　navigation　lawsmeaning；　I　believe；　that　the　laws　of　the　States　increase　the　cost　of　coast　traffic　by　forbidding　foreign　vessels　to　engage　in　the　trade；　thereby　increasing　also　the　price　of　goods　and　confining　the　benefit　to　the　North；　which　carries　on　the　coasting　trade　of　the　country；　and　doing　only　injury　to　the　South；　which　has　none　of　it。　　Then　last；　but　not　least；　comes　that　grievance　as　to　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law。　　The　law　of　the　land　as　a　wholethe　law　of　the　nationrequires　the　rendition　from　free　States　of　all　fugitive　slaves。　　But　the　free　States　will　not　obey　this　law。　　They　even　pass　State　laws　in　opposition　to　it；　〃Catch　your　own　slaves；〃　they　say；　〃and　we　will　not　hinder　you；　at　any　rate　we　will　not　hinder　you　officially。　　Of　non…official　hinderance　you　must　take　your　chance。　But　we　absolutely　decline　to　employ　our　officers　to　catch　your　slaves。〃　　That　list　comprises；　as　I　take　it；　the　amount　of　Southern　official　grievances。　　Southern　people　will　tell　you　privately　of　others。　　They　will　say　that　they　cannot　sleep　happy　in　their　beds；　fearing　lest　insurrection　should　be　roused　among　their　slaves。　　They　will　tell　you　of　domestic　comfort　invaded　by　Northern　falsehood。　They　will　explain　to　you　how　false　has　been　Mrs。　Beecher　Stowe。　Ladies　will　fill　your　ears　and　your　hearts　too　with　tales　of　the　daily　efforts　they　make　for　the　comfort　of　their　〃people；〃　and　of　the　ruin　to　those　efforts　which　arises　from　the　malice　of　the　abolitionists。　　To　all　this　you　make　some　answer　with　your　tongue　that　is　hardly　truefor　in　such　a　matter　courtesy　forbids　the　plain　truth。　　But　your　heart　within　answers　truly；　〃Madam；　dear　madam；　your　sorrow　is　great；　but　that　sorrow　is　the　necessary　result　of　your　position。〃　As　to　those　official　reasons；　in　what　fewest　words　I　can　use　I　will　endeavor　to　show　that　they　come　to　nothing。　　The　tariffand　a　monstrous　tariff　it　then　waswas　the　ground　put　forward　by　South　Carolina　for　secession　when　General　Jackson　was　President　and　Mr。　Calhoun　was　the　hero　of　the　South。　　Calhoun　bound　himself　and　his　State　to　take　certain　steps　toward　secession　at　a　certain　day　if　that　tariff　were　not　abolished。　　The　tariff　was　so　absurd　that　Jackson　and　his　government　were　forced　to　abandon　itwould　have　abandoned　it　without　any　threat　from　Calhoun；　but　under　that　threat　it　was　necessary　that　Calhoun　should　be　defied。　　General　Jackson　proposed　a　compromise　tariff；　which　was　odious　to　Calhounnot　on　its　own　behalf；　for　it　yielded　nearly　all　that　was　asked；　but　as　being　subversive　of　his　desire　for　secession。　　The　President；　however；　not　only　insisted　on　his　compromise；　but　declared　his　purpose　of　preventing　its　passage　into　law　unless　Calhoun　himself；　as　Senator；　would　vote　for　it。　　And　he　also　declared　his　purpose　not；　we　may　presume；　officiallyof　hanging　Calhoun；　if　he　took　that　step　toward　secession　which　he　had　bound　himself　to　take　in　the　event　of　the　tariff　not　being　repealed。　　As　a　result　of　all　this　Calhoun　voted　for　the　compromise；　and　secession　for　the　time　was　beaten　down。　　That　was　in　1832；　and　may　be　regarded　as　the　commencement　of　the　secession　movement。　　The　tariff　was　then　a　convenient　reason；　a　ground　to　be　assigned　with　a　color　of　justice　because　it　was　a　tariff　admitted　to　be　bad。　　But　the　tariff　has　been　modified　again　and　again　since　that；　and　the　tariff　existing　when　South　Carolina　seceded　in　1860　had　been　carried　by　votes　from　South　Carolina。　　The　absurd　Morrill　tariff　could　not　have　caused　secession；　for　it　was　passed；　without　a　struggle；　in　the　collapse　of　Congress　occasioned　by　secession。　The　bounty　to　fishermen　was　given　to　create　sailors；　so　that　a　marine　might　be　provided　for　the　nation。　　I　need　hardly　show　that　the　national　benefit　would　accrue　to　the　whole　nation　for　whose　protection　such　sailors　were　needed。　　Such　a　system　of　bounties　may　be　bad；　but　if　so；　it　was　bad　for　the　whole　nation。　　It　did　not　affect　South　Carolina　otherwise　than　it　affected　Illinois；　Pennsylvania；　or　even　New　York。　The　navigation　laws　may　also　have　been　bad。　　According　to　my　thinking　such　protective　laws　are　bad；　but　they　created　no　special　hardship　on　the　South。　　By　any　such　a　theory　of　complaint　all　sections　of　all　nations　have　ground　of　complaint　against　any　other　section　which　receives　special　protection　under　any　law。　　The　drinkers　of　beer　in　England　should　secede　because　they　pay　a　tax；　whereas　the　consumers　of　paper　pay　none。　　The　navigation　laws　of　the　States　are　no　doubt　injurious　to　the　mercantile　interests　of　the　States。　　I　at　least　have　no　doubt　on　the　subject。　　But　no　one　will　think　that　secession　is　justified　by　the　existence　of　a　law　of　questionable　expediency。　　Bad　laws　will　go　by　the　board　if　properly　handled　by　those　whom　they　pinch；　as　the　navigation　laws　went　by　the　board　with　us　in　England。　As　to　that　Fugitive　Slave　Law；　it　should　be　explained　that　the　grievance　has　not　arisen　from　the　loss　of　slaves。　　I　have　heard　it　stated　that　South　Carolina；　up　to　the　time　of　the　secession；　had　never　lost　a　slave　in　this　waythat　is；　by　Northern　opposition　to　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law；　and　that　the　total　number　of　slaves　escaping　successfully　into　the　Northern　States；　and　there　remaining　through　the　non…operation　of　this　law；　did　not　amount　to　five　in　the　year。　It　has　not　been　a　question　of　property；　but　of　feeling。　　It　has　been　a　political　point；　and　the　South　has　conceivedand　probably　conceived　trulythat　this　resolution　on　the　part　of　Northern　States　to　defy　the　law　with　reference　to　slaves；　even　though　in　itself　it　might　not　be　immediately　injurious　to　Southern　property；　was　an　insertion　of　the　narrow　end　of　the　wedge。　　It　was　an　action　taken　against　slaveryan　action　taken　by　men　of　the　North　against　their　fellow…countrymen　in　the　South。　　Under　such　circumstances；　the　sooner　such　countrymen　should　cease　to　be　their　fellows　the　better　it　would　be　for　them。　　That；　I　take　it；　was　the　argument　of　the　South；　or　at　any　rate　that　was　its　feeling。　I　have　said　that　the　reasons　given　for　secession　have　been　trifling；　and　among　them　have　so　estimated　this　matter　of　the　Fugitive　Slave　Law。　　I　mean　to　assert　that　the　ground　actually　put　forward　is　triflingthe　loss；　namely；　of　slaves　to　which　the　South　has　been　subjected。　　But　the　true　reason　pointed　at　in　thisthe　conviction；　namely；　that　the　North　would　not　leave　slavery　alone；　and　would　not　allow　it　to　remain　as　a　settled　institutionwas　by　no　means　trifling。　　It　has　been　this　conviction　on　the　part　of　the　South　that　the　North　would　not　live　in　amity　with　slaverywould　continue　to　fight　it　under　this　banner　or　under　that；　would　still　condemn　it　as　disgraceful　to　men　and　rebuke　it　as　impious　before　Godwhich　has　produced　rebellion　and　civil　war；　and　will　ultimately　produce　that　division　for　which　the　South　is　fighting　and　against　which　the　North　is　fighting；　and　which；　when　accomplished；　will　give　the　North　new　wings；　and　will　leave　the　South　without　political　greatness　or　commercial　success。　Under　such　circumstances　I　cannot　think　that　rebellion　on　the　part　of　the　South　was　justified　by　wrongs　endured；　or　made　reasonable　by　the　prospect　of　wrongs　to　be　inflicted。　　It　is　disagreeable；　that　having　to　live　with　a　wife　who　is　always　rebuking　one　for　some　special　fault；　but　the　outside　world　will　not　grant　a　divorce　on　that　account；　especially　if　the　outside　world　is　well　aware　that　the　fault　so　rebuked　is　of　daily　occurrence。　　〃If　you　do　not　choose　to　be　called　a　drunkard　by　your　wife；〃　the　outside　world　will　say；　〃it　will　be　well　that　you　should　cease　to　drink。〃　　Ah！　but　that　habit　of　drinking；　when　once　acquired；　cannot　easily　be　laid　aside。　　The　brain　will　not　work；　the　organs　of　the　body　will　not　perform　their　functions；　the　blood　will　not　run。　　The　drunkard　must　drink　till　he　dies。　　All　that　may　be　a　good　ground　for　divorce；　the　outside　world　will　say；　but　the　plea　should　be　put　in　by　the　sober　wife；　not　by　the　intemperate　husband。　　But　what　if　the　husband　takes　himself　off　without　any　divorce；　and　takes　with　him　also　his　wife's　property；　her　earnings；　that　on　which　he　has　lived　and　his　children？　　It　may　be　a　good　bargain　still　for　her；　the　outside　world　will　say；　but　she；　if　she　be　a　woman　of　spirit；　will　not　willingly　put　up　with　such　wrongs。　　The　South　has　been　the　husband　drunk　with　slavery；　and　the　North　has　been　the　ill…used　wife。　Rebellion；　as　I　have　said；　is　often　justifiable　but　it　is；　I　think；　never　justifiable　on　the　part　of　a　paid　servant　of　that　government　against　which　it　is　raised。　　We　must；　at　any　rate；　feel　that　this　is　true　of　men　in　high　placesas　regards　those　men　to　whom　by　reason　of　their　offices　it　should　specially　belong