Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1831-02-11


On the bill rcp'jnr to Siay,s AL Free Neg.oes ,
Mr. LEWIS sald THat the principal objects OF The
bill were not intended unnecessarily to increase the
r9ors of the law existing III relation To this
fortunate portion OF oar population, but only 30 a
mend some OF its proyI ions, ia render them
form III their operation The lRw IL nov exists or
the statute book, provides, that free negroes. con
victed Vi having remained IA tins State mo.o than -
mon hS after their cmInCipd ion, shall be sold bit
the mode IN which the Jngmcn, OF he cpIrt Ia be
carried INTO execution, Is not prescribed Hence the
sheriff may b. the different modes OF conducting the
sale, render the law either operative, merely nu
ratOrytOr ms anre. if the sheriff wishes To eyair
the law, he may colusvely conduci'he sale. and b.
sham sale, the pGrSOn ordered 20 be sold - pur-
chased bY nominal master, and in point Of fact re-
mains free the -heTlll may not publish the time and
place of sale that he may virtually dispense with
the law-nr he may fraudulent ly conduct the ne in
order favor hrnsc or his friend IN the purchase-
and tic other baud he may c,Educt the sale as
throw the negro sold into the bands of tic negro
trader II the policy of the State requires that TN.
penalty should be enforced, nrcc saTy to amend
the law, so that is execution should operate alike
upon ali delruqtcutsi not leave It tho sheriff TO
favor offender, and deal vigorously with uno-
thcr. IN relation 10 the instruction Of slaves he
would rcnurk, that schools in winch free negroes
and slaves" were taught read and write, were for.
hidden uod'r certain penalties by tho law stands
present IL certainly the intention Of the lie.
gIsaturo TO prohibit the tuition OF negroes Both bond
and free, but by some carclGssncss wording the
statuC the instruction Of free negroes was not pro
hlbItcd unless when they were taught III the same
school with slaves The policy Of keeping slaves
in state Of ignorance however revolving to Our fee
ngs of humanity, (and he lct perhaps scnsitivcy
that subject, others who affect morc,) dieia
ted aud enforced by the necessity Ct tho All his
tory proved that Intelligence incompatible with
slavery Intelligence was the very life spring Of lib
crty, and will produce its natural effect, without re-
gard to complexion. If slavery itself, is tolerated it
is folly TO talk of the inhumaniy Of keeping slaves in
state Of ignorance. The lesser is merged IN the
greater evil Self preservation dictates The absolute
necessity of preventing tic education of this class of
populatOn-and If the safety Of the State depended
upon the prohibition of instruction among the slaves
it ought, oror TO h. withheld from free negroes,
because tho connec on ,rtwccn the two classes was
such, that the instruction OF the last, would be equally
fatal with the first The free, would communicate
their information 20 the slaves, aud the liberty which
thay had, would enable ;hcm TO circulate their iulOr,
nation to greater cXtcnt than slaves coull. while he
most deeply dcpured the existence of such state Of
things rendered this bin necessary, he felt his du.
~ 10 for it, IN order prevcRt greater mischics
ron THE WING.
The post and plank fences on tho James River Ca
nal cost he yccr,a originally, about % ooo ThCsc