Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-30

and the fierce flash of contest shall play fearfdry
around us, where, in this dread day of our destiny
IN this dark hour of peril, will be Nirgna's boosted
daughters? Where, them will be the western states?
Where the "grcat valley of the Mississippi" They
may, perchance, be ranged against her. Yes, sir,
they may be her enemies. They may be return
ing-not to greet her with filial affection, but to
wreak bloody vengeance upon her. What then,
would be the value of gentiemen's idle boast
ing. They would dissipate into ''thin air." They
would be what they now are, and what all housings
always are, an impotent regiment of high sound
ing words, not worth the paper necessary to write
them on. Why have our citizens fled from the COM
monwealth in such numbers? Why have they Sc
vered those ties which binds the heart of the
land of their athersa Why have her daughters left
the tombs of their mothers undewed by their tears
to bo possessed by the wild briar and thistle? Her
sons are not wanting in patrotsm--her daughters
arc not wanting in those tender sympathics which
do honor to the sex, and tomanllind II is owing to
the deep, the danining curse of slavery. The
ployment of slave-labor has impoverished our lands
cramped our resources, and driven off popula-
ton. The rich have gone i'm search of better
iieid Tor profitable enterprise, the industrious poor
IN search OF employmcnt; aud some, because they
did not wish to leave their children in land that
affords so poor pledge for future security
If one, who was totally ignorant of what slave
was, had heard the gentleman from Brunswick mr.
Gholson,l he would have inevitably concluded that
the gentleman and his constituents, eat slaves
Strange it may sound he would have thought right;
for they do eat them Yes sir eat them. Although
1t is not literally true because they do not consume
them blood and bones, yet according to the laws of
political economy, they do eat them. The slave is
soid the money, or price, then represents the slave;
that money is laid with the drover for beef and
pork-thc beef and pork is eutcn-and thus ind-
recty, the slave is consumed This is the case, not
only in Brunswick, but through the whole slave
holding country.
However the employment of slave labor might
be defended, gentlemen would not could not, Justify
the traffic in human beings. High minded men
ought to dsdan to hold their fellow creatures as ar
tices of traflicdisregar all the ties of blood
and notwithstanding asunder all those sympathes
dear to man-divding husbands and wives, parents
and children, as they would cut aslnder piece of
cotton cloth They have hearts and feelings like
other men. How many broken heart-how many
Rachel mourns because her house is left unto her
desoate. The time has come when these feelings
could not be suppressed-the day would come when
they could not be resisted Slavery was and had
long been offensive TO the moral feelings of large
portion of the community. Their lips had been
sealed; but their minds had been unfettercd-many
had thought, and thought deeply on the subject.
This, sir, is christian community.
They read in their Bibles edo unto all men as YOU
would have them do unto you"-and this golden rule
and slavery are hard TO reconcile. Gentlemen nav
perhaps curl the lip of at such considerations:
but such feeling existed in Virginia-somc might
call them prejudces-but whether they were lust
feelings or false preudices-they would operatc-
and operate powerinlly and wise and prudent men
would give them due consideration i'm any decision
they should come to- as to the policy or mpolicy of
acting upon this subject. There was one thing he
had omitted-It has been said, that it was a libel
against the state to say that slavery was Injurious
to the morals ola community. He did not mean TO saw
that the population of Virginia was generally char
acterized by immorality-far from it; but he would
say that slavery always had, and always must pro-
duce great amount of ideness and vice. Where
labor is confined principally to slaves false odium is
attached to it-many, who would otherwise be in
dustrous and aborious, were indsposed to labor
for fear it would bring them down to the level of
the slave. He knew that such an idea was n msta-
ken one, yet it had its effect If a man had few
slaves, it was hard to get his children to work
They sec the son of a neighbor (who, perhaps,
owns fifty an hundred slaves while 'I,oi- f,s'ie,
might have tiIan two or three) playing the
gentleman, and taking his pleasure, they desire To do
so too-thus Discrimination to labor arises and in
dolencc and profgacy, too often finish the picture
From all these reasons he thought every consider
alton OF policy and humanity, called upon Virginia
to act. TO take some efficient measures TO drain
oil tins fllthy stream, which otherwise will become
siagnant by the closing up of its accustomed out
lets, and spread leprosy and death throughout the
whole land.
His object not adopt rash course.-nott to
pursue course, as had been supposed by some
who opposed abolition, that would involve dsrup-
ton OF the good order of society lie did not pro-
pose 10 adopt system of general emanciDaton-
He only desired TO lay the foundation, by disposng
of those whom their masters should voluntarily
give up, for the total eradication of odious slavery
from the good Old Dominion.
For such refuge and home could be found i'm
l.ibern. But gentlemen have said that Libe-
ria could not contain the black population of Vr-
ginia. How many, Mr. Speaker, would .Jrmesto,c,
have contained when it was first settled by our
hardy ancestors? Let gentlemen compare that "day
of small things" with the present time-and they
might answer their objections. As that colo
ny increased in numbers it would increase in re-
sources-its limits would be extended and terrific
ry enough and to spare would be obtained Gen
tlemen had argued as if they supposed we desire to
lit UP the blacks masSe, and set them down In
lhbera. such course of argument was unfair
and if he did not believe the gentlemen incapable
of such course, he should say they were purely
All cdptdRdUm UulgUS-inended TO misead the public
mind, and artuly TO arouse the preudces of society
so that odum might attach to all who desired an
alteration ill our affairs. Such was the effect if
they produced any effect that their arguments were
calculated to produce. lie felt warranted i'm the
belief, from what he knew of the moral feeling of
the community, and from information he had upon
the subject, that if appropriation of money were
made to send off such would be given up it
would be promptly met.
He thought it the duty of the legislature TO
do thus much-to take this first step i'm the great
and good cause; and announce to the world the
determination of Virginia to eradicate the evils of
slavery within her borders
gentleman from Norlok-a man of high char
acter and intelligence, agent of the Colonization
Society without fee orreward, other than that of an
approving conscience who was fully informed upon