Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-01-07

4
Sear,h.s
| Yet do vow not perceive the work is IN
complete, aud that This evil, at fest impos.
ed against your viii. is now voluntarily
kept up, disgrace to yonr principles, s,ld
a blot upon the annals of your country!
How long then wifi you, deloded with
ialse notions of imaginary wealth, be con.
tented TO anguish under the facilitating
ionnence OF this execrable policy? Why
longer hesitate to give the last finishing
stroke to the noble structure which you
have reared upon the gothic ruins of mo-
narchy, and which has cost, in It's accom-
] Phshment, such an ocean Of your choicest
blood and such world Of treasure 10,
citizens pf Virginia, suffer no, this evil TO
| continue among you--banish from your
iapd this remnant of despotism. Do you
not perceive that instead of being benefit
ed, you are actually impoverished by this
in'quitons possession View your towns,
your villages, the state of the arts and
| sciences among you-your commerce,
| manufactures and your improvements in
| agricuiture--compare your situation with
/ mat OF your sister states in the north and
east-there these things seem 10 llourish
with an uneyamp.ed degree of viror--
here every thing feeble and .;eneryated,
| wears the sictdy countsnance of misery
and wretchedness.
II person accustomed 10 see men aa
only In conformity with the simple die
'ates OF reason, was 20 be told that there
was nation whose government and the
principles they protessed were the fresst
on earth ; ard that generally speaking. 4,
.he regulation of their political concerns,
'hsy appeared 10 be guided by the wisest
| poi'cy, out who, notwithstanding, retained
large portion of The human race in bon.
Gage whom they not only enploy.d 10
la0or on their fans and and AT the ru,ler
arts. but even as dome sites abou, thcir per.
I'sons@;hat these slaves, generally idle snd
addicted TO all kinds Of vice, entertain
fooieo aversion to their masters, take no
interest 10 their welfre and having no in.
cucement to labor (being rendered inca.
Poole OF acquiring properly are obliged
10 DC dr'Ven to every thug they do and
treated with considerable. degree of RI.
gor--tha; no,hine was more visjbI; than
'he pefniciens effects Of dis system-i,u
pohtic es unJust, en- their tempers, man.
"e's' mo'aisi and in rendering theirwho,e
hVes, one continued series OF inon;etude.
Sexat'on aud sppoiDlment--tba,s 50 far
rom adding aay thing 10 their wealth. i
ac'ua''y served 10 iinpoyefish them. by
preventing, ~ great measure, the mi
grafton thiiher, OF such foreigners as NAV
justly be ranked among the most useful
members OF society. 10 wit: farmers. me-
| CHANCES and labo: ers,f whist two Thirds of
their lands lie waste and uncultiyated.
welding TO profit and bearing no Dronor.
'ion Ia value 10 lands of equal quality in
| other coun;ries-tliat their fields. general.
~ Cultivated in the most wretched man.
nsr' seldom afford more than scsnty SUBJ
s'stence TO their miserable owners. and
not "nireQreHlly, even bring them in debt
That neither their persons nor nroper,v
are ever secure from the DANCER of inter.
Fuption and the peace of their country,
Kept continually AT hazsrd-ti,at all these
things are seen and known, and yet so far
rom attempting any thing for their relief,
| 'hey not only remained perfectly careless
OF consequences, but some, even set
| high value upon this pernicious property.
~ say, let such man rs this, be sssur.
ed OF these facis, and then let ne ask,
what kind OF opinion would be be likely to
entertain of this people Ye, is not all
this and worse, the condition of The infa.
luased inhabiients Of such OF the free and
independent states of enlightened Ameri-
ca as tolerate this outrage of human
rights
1T there is any person who doubts that
we are impoverished by the holding of
slaves, and wishes TO have demonstration
OF the iact, let him set down and make a
lair calculation of the present value of his
lands and slaves and see VIVA; they will, a.
mount to--then, upon suppnsition that
Change OF circumstances had taken place,
and, instead of pack of idle, vicious
slaves to plague and torment hiHl all his
! days, his lands. oversprsad with honest s.
industrious tenants, were all cut down and
thrown into the highest state Of cultivati-
on, bearing price e1usito what lands of
| similar quality are worth in other coun-
tries, or even in the nothern and eastern
states, where there are no slaves let him
compare the present amount of both, with
what his lands, alone, wonId then be worth,
and he woold no longer have any reason
to doubt the truth OF the assertion saving