y unnecessary. Small guards in our
cities, and occasional patrols in the country, insure us a repose and
security known no where else. You can not be ignorant that, excepting
the United States, there is no country in the world whose existing
government would not be overturned in a month, but for its standing
armies, maintained at an enormous and destructive cost to those whom
they are destined to overawe--so rampant and combative is the spirit of
discontent wherever nominal free labor prevails, with its extensive
privileges and its dismal servitude. Nor will it be long before the
"_free States_" of this Union will be compelled to introduce the same
expensive machinery, to preserve order among their "free and equal"
citizens. Already has Philadelphia organized a permanent battalion for
this purpose; New York, Boston and Cincinnati will soon follow her
example; and then the smaller towns and densely populated counties. The
intervention of their militia to repress violations of the peace is
becoming a daily affair. A strong government, after some of the old
fashions--though probably with a new name--sustained by the force of
armed mercenaries, is the ultimate destiny of the non-slaveholding
section of this confederacy, and one which may not be very distant.

It is a great mistake to suppose, as is generally done abroad, that in
case of war slavery would be a source of weakness. It did not weaken
Rome, nor Athens, nor Sparta, though their slaves were comparatively far
more numerous than ours, of the same color for the most part with
themselves, and large numbers of them familiar with the use of arms. I
have no apprehension that our slaves would seize such an opportunity to
revolt. The present generation of them, born among us, would never think
of such a thing at any time, unless instigated to it by others. Against
such instigations we are always on our guard. In time of war we should
be more watchful and better prepared to put down insurrections than at
any other periods. Should any foreign nation be so lost to every
sentiment of civilized humanity, as to attempt to erect among us the
standard of revolt, or to invade us with black troops, for the base and
barbarous purpose of stirring up servile war, their efforts would be
signally rebuked. Our slaves could not be easily seduced, nor would any
thing delight them more than to assist in stripping Cuffee of his
regimentals to put him in the cotton-field, which would be the fat