Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-03-26


inc ehnate' death from hordships-anv thing
rather than risk the horrors of meeting il from .
domestic assassin! Was that u "pctty affair."
winch erected peaceful and confdinr portion NJ
the State INTO u military camp--which outlowcd
from pity the unfortunate beings whose brothers
had oiicnded-whch barred every door--penc,r,
ted every bosom with fear or suspcion-wb;ch
so banlsed the sense OF security from every mans
dwelling that let II hoof Il horn but break uno,,
the silence of night and an aching throb would
be driven to the heart; the husband would look To
his weapon and the mother would shutdcr nnd
weep upon her cradle.
Was IL the fear of Nat Turner and his dcl,Jo,
and drunken handful of followers which produced
or could produce such cffects-was it this that
induced distant counties where the very name of
Nou'h-iamp:on was strange, to arm and equip for
Struggle! No sir il was the suspicion cternally
attached to the slave himsclf-tho suspicion that
Nat turner might he in every familv-that tho
same bloody deed could DO acted over at any time
ana III any piacc-that the materials for it were
spread through the land and always ready for a
ike explosion. Nothing but tho force of this
w''herihg Notwithstanding but tho paraly-
sing ana deadening weight with which il falls
upon ana prosiratcs the heart of every man vino
mas helpless dcpendants to protcct--no,hing hut
tins could have thrown a brave people into con
stcrnation---could have made powerful Common
wealth like Virgil TO quail and tren,blc This
commonwealth in tho late war stood tho shock of
Engiands power and tho skill of England's veto
rams with scarce moment Of public disauet-
Admiral Cockburn with his incendiary spirit and
packed by his inccndiary myrmidons alarmed not
inc Htatc-struck no fear into its private families
and had his spirit bcen ten fold moro SAVAGE
IMAM 1t was and his army an hundred fold
stronger and had he piled every energy and
pledged every faculty of his soul TO tho.
destruction of the State he could not have produ
ced one moment of that panic--onc moment of
That terror for private security which scizcs upon.
all at the cry of insurrcction-Hc would have
been our enemy i'll the iicld-would have warrcd in
open combat with the disciplined and the gallant of
at
forcsdc -makcs his battle ground in the chamber
and seeks, at tho hours of rcpose, for the life of
.ne siumbcring and the helpless. No wonder sir,
Una, inc gentleman from Brunswick Mr. Gholson(
WIN ms scnslbilites directed to the acts and the
Ieii energies of such enemy as this should havo
said that 'thcy filled tho mind with tho most ap
palllng approximations" No wonder that the gen
tcman from Mccklcnburg (Mr. Gooic) looking to
the same desolating power of this domestic enc
my and feeling that the numerical excess of tho
Save III the county he represents made it's exercise
the more easy and the more to he dreaded
no wonder he should say, that he considered his
situation not only critical but pcrilous"
Sir, thank that gentleman for this declaration:
i thank INN for having compressed into so short
| Il statement the very truth which had been endeo
vorng to establish by argument and for having lent
his testimony, however unwillingly, but the moro
valuable as rendered under practical view Of
tne question: to that very policy which have been
labormg to rccommend--hc to prevent. Were
to rctrace my argument on the subject under de-
bate with the view of amending il | could not
place 1t more broadly or more favorably before.
you than it is placed by the gentleman himself
IN the passage of his letter alluded to- What
was the general argument? 1t was that the con-
fncmcnt (now inevitable from the laws of other
States) OF the present of slaves together with
their increase to the limits of Virginia must soon re-
suit in giving to them 4 numerical superiority
that this superiority, when attained would
and must lead to inevitable danger to the public
safety and, therefore, that such result should be-
provided against and prevented in season. What
ppntlpmo NJ Stotn &c t,.4
there are IL slaves to white persons in the Coun-
ty OF Mecklenburg and that he considers this cir
cumstance, together with another of trifing i'm
port, which he mentions, well calculated to rem
der the situation of that County not only "critca
but perilous." Where is the difference between
tho result argued to upon principle and the result
announced upon an existing fact? There is mono
earthly. The dangers of the slave population
mainly arise upon its excess the white popu-
latlon. SO says the argument and says tho
gcntlcman's statement. This statement, therefore
| adopt, as containing the substantial truth which
! desired to exhibit but adopt it condition,
that be allowed to append to it single corallary
| "a just, natural and legitimate onc-It is this
that as the danger to the white population is "pe-
rIouo"when the black population is greatest, &C.
cording to the gentleman's confession, that there
J0re, this gentleman himself should unite in ar
resting the "per" of which he complains by re-
straining the black population from exceeding tho
white This is the policy indicated by my argu-
ment-the policy required by his fact. Consistency
then, would make the application of both
1T may be added Sir that what is true of Neck
lcnburg with her greater slave than white popula
ton would be still more of the whole State un-
der like circumstances--as the whites out-numbcr
the blacks IN the aggregate population of the whole
State, the danger to particular districts where the
contrary is the case, be allevatcd but if in tho
total number the deficiency the side of the
whites, then the danger would be without allevia.
ton corrective.
Here sir, | may be permitted to remark that
as an air of ridiculc has been thrown over
the whole Souh- Hampton occurrence, it may be
thought that the military preparations which werc
made by the Executive to reprcSs it, unnece5-
sary and unwise. Such an inference though am
well assured it was not intended to be covered I'M
der the remarks of the gentleman from Brunswick
| (Mr. ShelD may be deduced by others. Now sir,
without specification of reasons on this point it
may be enough to say, that there is no one who
understands Alright tho ground occupied by the
Executive, but will authenticate the opinion that
the military provision which made for the
Southampton affair greater than called for
and that 1T was ordered judciously and effectively.
A word or two, sir, as to what is rather tech
nlcaly termed by gentlemen, the jurisdiction
OF tins matter. The title by which the represent
tativeS ct the West claim to participate in the
ercsc OF this jurisdiction has already been exhibit
ed so ably and justly that little is needed for
ITS vndcation. AS one ofthc representatives from
that portion of the State and too, whose feel
Ings, for years have been deeply and irrevocably
pledged TO measure Of emancipation, | was
nevertheless disposed from the beginning, upon
views both of courtesy and cxpedicncy, TO yield
the principal direction of such measure, should
such be introduced, to any Eastern gentlemen who
held, in relation to it, the same Interior objects
with myself So disposed so stated to the Chair
man of the Special Committee on the colorcd popu-
lation Gen. Brodnax) amongst others, and forc-
bore, IN consequence, any active connection with
the subject until the motion was made nv the