“’But it is very clear that when a people are in a condition to establish and maintain another form of government, there is no sin in their turning themselves into a new condition.  In doing so, government, God’s ordinance, evolves itself under a new form, and provided it is, really, government, and not anarchy, no sin may have been committed by the insurrection, or revolution, as an act.  The result proved that government still existed, potentially, and was only changing its shape and adapting itself to the circumstances of the people.  If a man or body of men assert that things among them are ready for such new evolutions, and so undertake to bring them about, they do it at their peril, and failing, they are indictable for treason; they may be true patriots, they may be conscientious men; the sympathies of many good people may be with them, but they have sinned against the great law which protects mankind from anarchy.

“‘To apply this,’ said the Judge, ’to our subject,—­When the time comes that the blacks can truly say, “We are now your equals in all that is necessary to constitute a civil state, and we propose to take the government of this part of the country into our hands,” we should still make several objections, which would be valid.  The Constitutions of the States and of the United States must be changed before that can be done, and we will presume that this would involve a revolution.  Moreover, this country belongs to the Anglo-Saxon race, with which foreigners of kindred stocks have intermingled, and they and we object to the presence of a black race as possessors of some of the states of the Union, even if it were constitutional.  We do not propose to abandon our right and title to the soil, without a civil war, which would probably result in the extermination of one or the other party.  If you are able to leave us at pleasure, the proper way will be to do it peaceably, and on just principles, to be agreed upon between us.

“‘No such exigency as this,’ said the Judge, ’is possible.  It would be prevented or anticipated, and relief would be obtained while the necessity was on the increase and before it reached a solemn crisis.

“‘One of three ways will, in my opinion,’ said he, ’bring a solution to this problem of slavery.

“’One is, the insurrection of the slaves, the massacre of the whites, and the forcible seizure and possession of power by the blacks throughout the South.  This would be a scene such as the earth has never witnessed.  I have no fear that it can ever happen.  But,’ said he, addressing me, ’I presume that I know, Sir, how your people in the Free States, to a very considerable extent, think on this point.  I will speak, by-and-by, of the other two ways in which slavery may find its great result.  One, I say, is, by insurrection and then the extermination of the black race; for that would surely follow their temporary success if I can trust my apprehensions of the subject.’