Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-01-17

never DO divestcd except by an act of ,ro,s ,,,,.
"co' may DO told, Sir, as AN argument in IA
Vor OF retaining our slaves, that their condition 10
preferable to that of the laboring class or noo, -
Europe And Sill, it will afford mo Tho mos,
heartfelt satisfaction TO declare m, boI;or
that such is the tact at all events il IS certain
That slavery exists in u mildcr form ,b,n -
has done i'll any other portion of The world
But at the same time it must be remembered thai
slavery rs at best, but intoerablc evil and can
never DC submitted to, except from stern necessity
~ "u't also be confessed, that although the treat
heht oil our slaves is i'm the general as mild and
humane as 1t can be, that it must always hapnsn
'na' .here Will be found hundreds of individuals
Mno owing either to tho natural fcrocty of their
III poS,'iohs, or 10 The effects of ntemporoncc
VIII DO guilty OF cruelty and barbarity toward.
'heir slaves, which is almost intoIeroblc and
at wh'ch. humanity rovolts. But even if slavery
cS no, injurious to ourselves, and the condition
10 $3.50 mo was ten times as happy us it u.s. it
Is enough Tor us TO know, that we have no r;gbt
TO mold them against their consent IN ;I,,o, -,
""hc II vigorous effort to send them from anono
us. Liberty is too dear to the heart of man eya,
70 ue given up Tor any earthly considerations One
Oh the most distinguished orators that this countrv
ever produced, said at time of imminent neriI
give me liberty or give mo death;" and canno,
/ peueVe there is ono member of this House. who
c Uu,u not ra'her meet death, "with all his sins
Iuil blown upon his head,' and with the lveI;,sf
antIcipations of those ills which lie bcvond a,e
grave than to submit TO slavery, even in its mild
est form. No consideration then arising ont &c
VIC humanity with which slaves are treated in this
country can have any weight with me: for n,Iata
IL ana soften 1T as you will, it is a monster nm
"hich reemen cannot look without adherence
l must before take my seat, be permitted 10
view inns subject OF slavery in yet another aspect
Let me enquire sir, what must be the estimation
IN winch we shall be held by foreign nations if w
iah even to make an effort to send our slaves N
ofi;t country where they may enjoy the blessings
I is II not due, sir, to our character, asa
",o'a,' Just, a sincere, apd a magnanimo,s nc,
PIE, that we should yield obedience 10 tbo,, min
eP,es contained In our Bill of Rights ana whicb
we nave solcnnly declared to be applicable tn and
IT, sso'y on Ill mankind? Can we be jusiiedin
inc eyes OF man, or of Heaven in withholding from
our negroes, rights which we have decl.roi In to
inc common property of ali the human race? and
that' too In violation of the fundamental nripcine.
u, our our own government! What must be thought
OF the zeal which we profess to feel in behalf of
those nations which have been strugglinu for FREQ
dom across the ocean, Will not the admiration va
expressed at the heroic exertions of the PARTISAN,
m 'nolr recent struggle Tor liberty, and the symEn-
Thy we protested to feel for the SUFFERING Pol,rI
c.s, be regarded as mere hypocrcy and dissimnp,
iation' by those who know do not practice the
doctrines which we preach? 1t matters aot. sir.
whe.her oppression be exercised over few indivi.
uuas' or over many millions; it is as mich tvranuv
IN the one case as the other; and i'm moral noint
OF view, the Autocrat of Russia is not more descry
ing the name of tyrant, for having sent his boarGs
VI oarparlanS TO plant the blood stained If
desPotism upon the walls of Warsaw amid III,
RUNS OF all that dear to freeinen than tb, net
ty tyrant in any other quarter of she Globe who il
equally regardless of the acknowledged rights az
man. ~ Is due' not only to our character,
out To the reputation of our ancestors that wa
should make a determined effort to free our corn
try from the odum OF slavery. On the 29th day of
June go, our ancestors, i'm order 10 escape tho
ouiuh whlcn would attach to them in the estima.
uon OF foreigners, as the owners of slaves so.
iemnly declared n the preamble to tie Constitu
tion which they then adopted, that the King a.
against whom they were then in rebellion had
PieVehleu lnem from excluding negroes from a
mong them by law, by an inhuman use of his ne
gatlve and assigned that as ono of the grounds on
which they justified their rebellion. Should we
now refuse even to consider of the means of send
ing from among us, those very slaves W HON our
ancestors expressed so much anxiety to have excu-
ded from the State every intelligent FOREIGNER
Will conclude, either that our forefathers grossv
eliminated the King of England or that we are
the degenerate offspring of more worthy ances
tors.
In conclusion, permit me again to express -tha
nope, that tins House will not consent to discharge
.ne committee from the further consideration OF
the memorials referred to them until thew have on
qrcd into the practicabiity of removing the great
and lnsupportabe evil of slavery, from our beloved
country 1t may be that they will advise the ado,
ton by this House, of the scheme of emancipation,
presented in Committee some time ago bv the rem
teman from Berkeley, CIR. Fauikner1 or The
scheme now presented by the gentleman from AL
bemare, (lr. Randolph,) or some other scheme by
winch 1t may be provided that all slaves born after
certain period, shall, if not emancipated or re-
moved before they attain certain age be seized
ana sold by the officers of the Commonwealth at
pubic auction to be carried out of the State and
the proceeds paid over to the former owner. Other
schemes may be presented and we should not des
par as long as any hope remains, that any practi
cable plan for the removal of the slaves can be Of
tered for adoption.
=, One word sir, as to what the gentleman from
Mecklenburg has told us about the intelligence of
the slaves in this country If sir they be as intel
hgent as the gentleman supposes them to be- every
precaution to conceal from them the extent NJ
their natural rights in vain; and it is useless IN
cut short the discussion a subject upon which,
according to his ideas, they nearly as we'll IN.
formed as we are. The gentleman ascrib,s ,ouch
OF the noise which has been made upon this subieet
OF slavery to fanatcism: whether he is right in that
opinion or not is matter Of no appearances. for
whether the zeal in favor Of emancipation be fa.
hatclsm or not certain Isl that it is feeling or
motive, by which thousands in our country will bs
actuated, as long there is slave in the country
beg pardon, MIR. Speaker. for having tresspassed
so long on the patience of the House
DEBATE TO Continued