Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-02-08

On the bal! rea'!ng to Siavas aod Fee Ncp-oes
MIR LEWIS said THAT the principal objects Of The
ball were not intended unnecessarily to increase tho
rIgors OF tue law existing in relation TO this un
fortunate portion of our population but only 10 A.
mend some OF Its proyl-iqns render them UNI,
form in theis operation THE law as it now exists on
the statute book provides, that free negroes. con
vIcted OF having remained i'll this State more than ID
months after their emancipation, shall be SOLD but
the mode IN which the judgmen. of The coIr is 20 be
carried INTO execution, is not prescribed Hence the
sherih may by the different modes OF conducting the
sale, render the law either operative or merely M
gatoryor ins ance, if the sheriff wishes to eyaJa
the law, he may coIusvcly conduct the sale, and BY
sham sale, the person ordered 10 be sold is pur-
chased by nominal master and in point of fact re-
mains free the sheriff may not publish the time and
place OF SALE SO that he may virtually dispense with
the Jw-or he may frauducntly conduct the sale in
order favor himself or his friend in the purchase
and on tie other hand ne may conduct the sale as
TO throw the negro sold into the hands of the negro
trader Ii the policy of the State requires TINT this
penalty should be enforced, it is to amend
the lazy, so that It's execution should operate alike
upon all delnquents; not leave it 10 the sheriff 10
favor, one offender and deal vigorously with uno-
therZ In relation to the Instruction of slaves he
woNd remark that schools in which "free negroes
and slaves were taught t. read and write were for
hidden under certain penalties by the law it stands
at present Il certainly The intention of the lie.
gisiature to prohibit the tuition OF negroes both bond
and free, but by some careessness IN wording the
statute, the instruction Of free negroes was not pro
hibited Unless when they taught in the same
school with slaves. q'he policy of keeping slaves
in state of ignorance however revolving to our fee
ings of humanity land he felt perhaps as senstivey
on that subject, others who affect more,) dica-
ted and enforced by the necessity &C the All his
tory proved that intelligence Incompatible with
slavery. Intelligence the very life spring Of lib
erty, and viii produce its natural effect without re-
gard to complexion. IF slavery ITSELF is tolerated, it
is folly TO talk Of the inbumaniy of keeping slaves in
a state of ignorance. The lesser is merged in the
greater evil Self preservation dictates the absolute
necessity of preventing the education of this class of
popuation-sndif the safety Of the State depended
upon the prohibition of Instruction among the slaves,
ought fortiori TO b. withheld from free negroes
because the connec: on tween the two classes
such that the instruction Of the last, would be equally
fatal with the first The free would communicate
their information to the slaves and the liberty which
thay had, would enable them to circulate their nfor
nation to greater extent than slaves could. While he
most deeply depored the existence Of such state of
things rendered this bin necessary, he felt it his du.
~ TO vote for it, in order TO prcveH greater miscbef
TIE