Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-10-18

Partaker IN the inlqulty OF the design.
The evils, moral and political, with
which our fellow-citizens of the slave
states are afflicted, are not, let US ever
bear il in mind, OF their own creation !:
They were entailed upon them by the
ignorance or the avarice of their prede-
cessors, and permitted by the impoIiey
oil the British government, " hich depart
ed from Its own principles in its colonial
legislation. We now stand, in regard
to the state oil Illinois, in the place oil
those early settlers of the old states
from whom the curse of slavery has
been handed down to postcrity, and of
that government which countenanccd
its establishment. But there is differ
ence between our position and tbeirs-
In our favor, ii we act Justly, and to our
accumulated disgrace, If otherwise. A
century OF bitter experience has exposed
he denominations OF the practice 10 the
whole world and we cannot now, as
they might, avail ourselves of the plea
Of ignorance. In the presen, day,
where is the man who will stand up IN
defence OF the principle OF slavery
lnured to IT by education arid habit,
chained Ia their slaves as their slaves
are chained 10 them, there are mary
truly respectable persons who Weld To
il as mater of necessity, from which
they can see no way OF escape, and they
act as well as they can in their Circum-
stances. Under the shelter of their ex-
ar la ~ tapu h,, h.,
racter are iaborng to spread the evil
and they merit the eXecration Of all
mankind for lhe attempt, whether they
succeed or not.
the happiness OF Inc slave, whose
good fortuue has given him a benevolent
master, is brought forward in triumphant
comparison--not with the hdHhine88 Of
The treeman--but with his suilerngs
when under The scour5e of adversely !;
and we are to admit from this partial
and false view of the subject, that slave
ry is preferable to freedom The man
whose heart remains interrupted By the
possession OF absolute power, is an ho-
nor TO his kind. A society of such
men would have little need of the re-
straints OF law and government But
now rare is the virtue that is proof
against circumstances SO -dlsposing
and impellng to vice Ii raises its pos
SCISSOR greatly above the average of has
teliows--happy the slave, ii slave he
must be, who falls into such HANDS.
Man IS, however, at best, a frai' creature,
subject to caprice, and Liable to error
and imposition, and therefore not to be
trusted SO far: ne is, moreover, mortal,
aud has not the means of transmitting
his descendants. How must the hand OF
the good man tretubIe, and bis hear;
sink within him, when, al the close OF
lie, he is aooutto commit to tine power OF
son, The reverse OF himself, those de-
tenceess beings whom he has soothed
by his kindness into forgetfoIness Of
their bondage Thus is slavery thing
to be rejected even IN It's mIidest cha
racter.
Persons who do not defend the princ;.
pie OF slavery, have stated in defence
oi lis extension into new countries, tha,
diffusion OF the black popuia tlon is
mitigation of the evil Without OK
aiming this argument, | shall merely
observe, that, whatever may be lis value,
II does not apply to our case; Ii is not
the motive which operates on the advo
Gates for slavery in this state, and sup
posing il were the motive, as they have
no right 10 serve others at our expense,
it cannot be admitted as an apology for
he outrage they would nilict on their
feliow-citizens. In the next place, il
we admit that diffusion might, in a sup
posed case of crowded population, lessen
the immediate pressure, that case has
not yet been made out. Where slaves
are most numerous, believe, they are
also at the highes, price, and are not,
therefore, likely to be transferred to
country where they are of less value. In
the third place, the new states to the
south, with the addition of Missouri,
besides immense tracts of unc u ltivated
lands in Georgia, Kentucky, &c. afford
ample scope for the diffusion of slavery,
without breaking faith with the United
States, and the friends offreedom in Hi
nois, by admitting it here. Therefore
the argument, such as it is, has no rela-
lion to US. Yet, il the scheme of these
benevolent diffusers of slavery included
a plan for its gradual but certain and
efectual abolition, their proposals would
deserve attention. Their plan, on the
contrary, tends to its indefinite contnu-
ance, as well as extension. In the H.
centiousness of assertion, which seems