Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1832-05-10

eel the loss, II anY II IS; n posteTIty has nc
night 10 complain. IL complain Il would.
"Let il not be supposed that. because the
day OF hnal action IS postponed TO some fu-
ture ~period-say thirty years hepce-t that
therefore. the necessity for the removal oil
slavery Is DOT imminent apsi pressing. That
postponement is but the sacrifice which socie
~ Is disposed 20 make, To reconcile the slave
holder 10 his loss--and TO adapt the pursuits
OF the community to the change which must
necessarily easue Is not the slave holder
also disposed to make soGle sacrifice for the
benefit of society. and Of his coun,rye SIR,
emancipation upon the past Eati principles Is
gradual-is Just-is practicable No other
scheme ever has succeeded. and none other
can succeed IN Virginia. Ii is the only
scheme which to my mind promises the most
distant prospect OF relief Ii IS a plan, which
! am procd to say, has the saneuon OF high
and Illusirious authority.
Sir, 1t must be confessed. that although
the law does give 10 Us a right OF property II
the slave, Il is nevertheless a qualified and
greatly limited right II IS a right co-exien.
slve only, with the Hecessitg which makes
them slaves they were cast upon cur
shores at a period when we bad not the an
thority to exclude them bg legislative Prov
sion. The early statutes OF Virginia, bear
evidence OF the unceasing and persesettng
efforts which our ancestors made, TO save the
commonwealth from the diff ulties which
now embarrass il In all those efforts OF be
neVoience and patriotism, they were thwart-
ed by the memorable tyranny OF the British
government. SO that in i1I6, when we burst
the shae kses of colonial dependence and cree
ted ouf state INTO a free and independent re
public, we bad nearly two hundred and fifty
thousand slaves within the limits OF our ter
rltory 10 Lave emancipated them at once,
woul1 nave been an act OF ianatleism-of
ioliy-at madness Necessity compelled us
to continue them as slaves: that necessity a
lone J~ustiiies their present condition. yet as
men, as statesmen, as christians. we should
ever bear 1t In mind. that every consldera
ton OF justice, policy and humanity demand
OF US to extingu,sh that necessity as prompt,
iy as possible Ii is not a sufficient conpll-
ance with our high d~estinies to say they were
thrown upon our hands. and we are not re
sponsihle for their continuance smongst us,
No. sir. IL is our duty to release them from
their present degraded eondltion-aHd TO re
lieve the c%onotry Of their presence as prompt
~ and sufficiently as our wisdom can 'evlse
and our resources will permit We stand in
a relation towards them, not of absolute mas
tiers, but OF tiduciaries, entrusted with their
safe keeping until an appropriate opporinni
ty is presented OF discharsing ourselves Of
the unpleasant trust This. sir. is the nature
Of tbat property, which. according TO my con
struction OF our right we have 10 our slave
population "a construction which, | am sure,
sound policy sanctions philosophy will vindi
cate, and humanity must approve
[ftutk'aer's printed Speech. p 14-i9.
Again:
"Sir. shall we he told tina, the scest has no
cause for alarm; that the character and pur
suits OF our people present insuperable obsta
eles TO the existence OF an excessive lave DO
p~ulation amongst us? Sir, the suggestion is
false, 1t is contradicted hs the past history
Of that portion OF the stately uniform, OBJ
seFvation and experience The slave popu-
laiion has increased since 1890, in the coun
try the west oil the Blue Ridge, in a ratio 0
yer The whites, equal to its increase in any
other portion of Virginia. Ii has increased
IN a ratio alarming TO every western patriot.
In 1890 there was west of the Blue Ridge,
hut 1878 siaves-By the census Of 1880. il
appears that we have now 53,437. Ii has
thus nearly quadrupied in forty years II
snch is The result oil the ordinary sources vi
the increase of that population = exposed too
to continual drain as has been the case with
US, by expectation TO the southern markets
what, | pray you, will be the ratio OF It's in
crease, now that the southern markets arc
ei1sed-and the iloodgates Of an eastern re
dundancy are opened upon us! IL presents
a prospect too horrible 10 contemplate
Hid, p 10
We shall resume this subject.
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