Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1839-04-13


be brought tamely to submit 10 Ibis doctrine The
evil will be ren,edied: and. use the language
of Jefferson again. sihis people will yet he free. !,
The Senator finds consolation, however. IN the
midst of this existing evil. in color and caste
The black race (savs he) IS the strong ground oil
slavery IN our country Yes, It's color. mot Iigh,
and Justice. that is to continue forever slavery in
our country. I, is prejudice agans, color. which
is the strong ground OF the slav ehoiders hope -
Is that prejudice founded in nature. or is II the eff
feet of base and so-did interest? Let the mixed
race which SEQ here, from black 10 almost per
feet white, sprngng from white fathers, answer
this question. Slavery has no just foundation in
color; i, exclusively upon usurpation, tyran-
nv, oppressive fraud, and force. These were its
parents in every age and country OF the world.
| The Senator says, the next or greatest Difficult
~ to emancipation. is the amount OF property II
would take from the owners. All ideas of right
and wrong are COMPOUNDED in these words: cman-
cipa,e property, emancipatc n horse. or an OK,
would not only be unmsaning. bu, !udicrous
EXPRESSION. TO crnaHcipate, Is TO set free from
slavery. To emanc,paic, Is 10 set Tree a man,
not property. The Senator estimates the num-
| Der of slaves men held in bondage
at three millions in the United States. Is this
statement made here By the same voice which
has been heard in this Capitol in favor Of the
| liberties Of Greece, and for the emancipation of
| our South American brethren from political
thradom? 1t is; and has all its f;rvor in favor Of
liberty been exhausted upon foreign countries, so
as not to leave n single whisper in favor Of three
millions Of men in own country, now groan-
ing under the most CALLING oppression the world
ever saw? No, sir. Sordid interest rules the
hour Men arc made property, and paper is
made money, and the Senator, no doubt sees in
these two peculiar institutions power which, If
united, will be able to accomplish all his wishes.
He informs us that some have computed the
slave to be worth the average amount of $500
70 kp,,n fS NJ
each Making the amount twelve hundred mil
lions of dollars worth of slave property. !
heard this statement, Mr.. President, with emo
tons If the deepest feeling. BY what rule of
poitica or commercial arithmetic does the Sena-
tor calculate the amount OF property IN human
beings? Can il be fancy or fact, that hear such
calculation. that the people Of tho United States
own twelve hundred millions double the amount
of all the specie in the worldly worth of property
in human flesh! And this property is owned,
the gentleman informs us, by all classes Of soci-
e,v, forming part Of all contracts within our
own country and Europe. | should have beca
glad, sir, TO have been spared the hearing Of a
declaration Of this kind, especially from the high
source and tho place from which it has cminated. !
But the assertion has gone forth that VIC have |
twelve hundred millions Of slave property ut the /
South; ard can any man SO close his understand |
ing here not plainly 10 perceive that the pow
er of this vast amount Of property at tho South |
is now uniting itself TO the banking power Of the
North in order govern the destnies Of this
Six hundred millions of banking cap
ital is to be brought into this coalition, and the
slave power and the bank power are thus to mite
in order to break down the present administra-
ton There can be mistake, as believe,
in this matter. The aristocracy Of the North.
oy the power of a corrupt banking system, and
he arsiocracy of the South, by the power Of q
slave system, both fattening upon the abors Of
others, are now about TO unto IN order TO make
he reign of each perpetual. Is there an indie ,
PENDENT American TO be found, who will become {
he recrent slave to such unholy combination7 .
$ this another compromise 10 barter the liberties
# the country for personal aggrandizement?-, S
Resistance to .yran,s is obedience 10 God. -
The Senator further insists, =; that what the h
aw makes property is property" This is the 8
redicate Of the gentleman; he has neither facts q
or reason TO prove it; yet upon this alone does b
e res, the whole that negroes are property. a
deny both the predicate and the argument v
suppose the Legislature Of the Senator's own d
tate should pass a law dccla ring his wife, his b
hildren. his friends, indeed any white citizen b
f Kentucky, property, and should they be sold
nd transferred as such, would the gentleman n
I'D his arms and say yes, Eyes, they prop ii
rty for the law has made them such!'' No, sir; ii
e would denounce such law with more vehe- "a
renee than he now denounccs abolitionis's, and a
ould deny the authority of human legislation to Ia
;complish an object clearly beyond its pow d.
r. p
Human laws, contend, cannot make human r.
sings property, If human force do il. IF il b.
Compel tent for our Legislature to make black c;
an property, it is compeien, for them to make NJ
white man the same; and the same objection 81
,ists to the power of the people in organic o,
W for their own government; they cannot make to
operty Of each other. and, in the language of cl
e constitution of Indiana, such act "can hi
,Iy originate in usurpaton and tyranny."- III
readfui, indeed, would be the condition Of this 81
untry, if these principles should not only be la
rried into the ballot box But into the presden- vi
II chair The idea that abolitionists ouph, TO N
y for the slaves if they SC, free, and that fe
ey ought think Of this, addressed to their an
ars, and not 10 their judgment. There is no Of
inciple Of morality or justice that should re- tn
ire them or our citizens generally to do eo.- tai
free slave is to take from usurpat,on that tn
,ich it has made property and given to an mr.
1er, and bes,ow it upon the rightfui owner m,
is not taking property from its true owner for no
bic use. Men can do with their own as they OF
.a-e, TO vary their peace if they wish but can WI
he compelled to do en-
The gentleman repeats tho assertion that has ma
en- repeated thousand and one times: that alb of