Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-24


lcompleron--thc labor Of years is necessary to
give stability and beauty; bat, the work If de- |
structi"n ~ II o work ola moment. Errors in |
s'lencc may mislead without injuring the COM |
philosophers may wander harmt,ssly. |
~ ne maze. of mctaphys'c,, or fab: icase inre,i
,"s '"''ori~> ~ natural science, while mank ind
nntEue III Iuit their ord, a.y vucath,n.: but
ic "Ini"ns. Of tho l.cunlt,r, when lott he'd IN
u" H"rD ana ARMED with thr attributes Of law
'-"Ne 20 direct ami fen SO p-,nic;ous IT Il l.
nee on The peace anil happiness OF socc;y
eh,t They ought 4" b. m,.u:cly consid, red
y '"'r thcy are publicly proclaimed. He did no.
"rS 'h's d'scu,-ion: he regretted that y, liable
"au b"cn altered an the subject of abouion-but
ms agHsfcd this lionsr, and will az itptc tho
people III. utmost latitude Of debate had
-'rc'dy been tolerated, aud no benc!l co,ld now
accrue from he farbrnrancr of my mcm.,, tn
~Npfcss IN temperate 81 cu,S'' ate terms his scn !
om'e",s "1 the general question. If hc ,lnuy,
oh"r~ist hI- ips wou'd hN 'h.rin.t,cdlls seal IL;
ht NJ NJ. >nii h" it himself 1t liberty
10 '"y that he was o2po,>d % Livery as
prac''ra!"vil. particularly in Tim, part Of tho
country where h" wns best ac4ua,ntci-cxcu
'ss'y gsain growing r"ylcn-snd it all conc
'rd NTH HIM, the day mould ultimately com.
y hcn The evH would disappear. H.: Obi ted "a
slavery, not because it implies moral turpir sd-. ar
because r'i- Sin 10 be th. owner Of slave. Ii
BIZ a'sin, then let the c-nkure fail those xhu
'nt'oduc-d the cvi'. and have transmitted i,
tn their offspring. We suffer the consequence
! OF their trSnsy ress.~n. 1.-THE fathers have
satcn s,ur grapes, and the childf-n,' :rscth ar
set on edge" II is a law II our mature, i'm.
'nuiablc rs the will 81 Him who j.. the
Author .f nature. that the sin, tf the
iatic are visited upon the children. lsnt Why
| e"r>,se only our colsnial ancestors England.
,.""o fastened upon u. the ncisrohs traffic. who
fr'lrcied cycry solicitation Tor reJi,f from il. ap-
| Psi'lng cons. quencr', H. WIN now consumes. and
prohts nv the produce ~ their labour-Erc land
| 4 r lrY rtii in he
en'i. IL It be Sin, then let thusc who were the
RIO p"nders. OF tho crime. who brought them To
our shores for the pro6'. Of the voyage, aid had
not the poor. excuse Of requiring their l.bour in
the cultivation of the soil--let them wash their
polluted hand. by some great act Of national ex-
9lhti"n h"f re they lit them in prayer to LEA
ven's Inajrtty for the abolition of slavery No
v..'if slavery be 4 Fin, cannot, cole CT :vcly
or indvdus 1y, be- deemed culpabic, until some
wise. we'll tlig.ttcd. a.f. practicable pnn for its
abolition. shall have been offered to our, accep-
tance, and shall have been deliberately re-
jccicd.
Nor is il because Of it. drnora ,;xinp tendency
that slavery should be abolished. The slave
ate. ignoran', it liz true and therefore i, may be
! 'nfcrrcd that much evil prevails among them;
hut he questioned whether they arc not as ex.
cmPt from tho commission of gross crime as the
I lowest classes of any other country. With regard
t" thr wh'e portion of our community, the CHI.
xens of Virginia, of either sex, may lay as just
and action, to probty in all the transactions cr
life, the citizens of any other state, or tho peo.
! pie OF any other country on the globe.
| Again, tho ordinary condition Of tho sl,vo
I ~ not snch to make humanity weep for
his lot. Compare hi, condition with that Of
| the labourer in any part of Europe, and you will
find him bl"sscd with II measure Of Happiness
nearly if not altogether equal He could say
! thus, with great confidence of that part of Virgil
mia whcrc he resided. The negro there is
perfectly happy-he is treated with the NEST in.
tduigcnt kindncss-hc is required to do tho aamc
work, and no moro that liz performed by the white
mamie is clothed with the best akrick Of tho fac.
tories, and he is fed literally with the fat of the
Hand 1t not for his sake then, to his
> condition that abolition s desirable, Wherefore then
object to slavery! Because is ruinous tho whites
4 -rctards nproIUuieiit-roots out an ndustriou,
population--banshcs the ycoWonry of tho country
I-dcprivcs tho spinner, the weaver, the smith,
the shoe maker the carpenter Of employment and
support. This evil admits Of remedy; it is ncrea
sing and will continue to increase until tho whole
country will be inundated with one black wave COW
ering its whole extent. with few white faces here
and there floating tho surf face The master has 10
capital but what is vested in human flesh; tho
father Instead ofbcing richer for his sons is at loss
| to provide for them, there is no diversity of oe
equations, no incentive TO enterprise. Labour OF
every species i, disreputabc, because performed
inostly by slaves. Our towns are stationary our
villages almost every where declining and tho 90
neraf aspect of the country marks the curse Of
wasteful, idle, reckless population. who have no
interest III the soil, and care not how much it il
| impoverished, Public improvements arc neglect
1 Cd and tho entire continent does not present
region for which nature has done much, and art
so little. If cultivated by free Iabour, the soil of
Virginia is capable of sustaining dense popula |
ton, among whom labour would he honorab le. and
where .the busy hum Of mon" would tell that ali
were happy, and that ali were free
+ Mr.. NJ. then proceeded to state his objection,
to tho original resolution. II was tho primary if
not the sole design of the gentleman who pre
sonted, it to arrest all further proceedings on tho
subject cf general emancipation, But the word.
of the resolution 'tle manumission of per.ons
held in scryitudc under tho existing law. Of ths |
commonwealth" If the proposition should sue. |
coed, tho Committee will be restricted not ONLY
from conside ring the subject of abolition, which
would be an act of the State, but private manu-
mission likewise, which! is allowed TO indiyi
duaIs on certain conditions, and the future rcp,
lntion of which will constitute an inpor ant fea
tnre in the plan for removal of emancipated slave,
to which he. proposed hereafter to call tn, atten
ton of the House. Considering the resolution how
ever as intended TO prevent any further action Nv
the Com nittec the subject of slaves generally
he should for that object to it. Although |
perfectly satisfied that have not the public sane
ton for aIy schcme Of general emancpatios bo |
WINS equally convinced that il proper TO do some
thing which might have the effect Of trannuilliznr
the public mind, by checking tho inerenye Of the
slaves. Why from the earliest period OF our history.
until tho massacre at Southampton, was a silence
deep and awful that Of death, observed upon
this subject-why was it forbidden in Legislative
debate, or to the public press, and spoken only in
mysteriou, whispers around tho domestic hearth7-
because of security required, or was thought
to- require this Why is this mystery now
djsPellQd ---why has the grave opened it's "pondsr
ous and marble i,ws'--why is tho subject openly
and freely discussed in evory place, and under ov-
form y-hccungn n raj 0f t,,i