Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-04-06
Gen. Scott on p0meStic Slavery.

answer Ia his General Scou's) Pcnnsy sylvanla
Correspondent. Il viii. probaoly, not give
entire saiisf,c zion TO the uIirds of either side
Of the question. Bat perhaps on tins ones.
/ ton, Us on most others IN medic tutisSinsuS
ibis-"the middle course IL the best" The
wrI,cr IL n cool md patriotic statcsmau,-
Lancaster Union.
1 WAsHiNGroN, Feb Q. 1913
Il My Dear Su--l have been waiting for an
| evenings lecture To answer your letter be-
fore me. aud nher an unreasonable delay,
nm. at last, obliged TO reply in The midst OF
official occupations.
n That have ever been named in connec-
tion with the Presidency of the United States
has not, can assure you. the son of On an.
clcnt neighbor aud friend, been by any con-
trlvance or desire of mine. and certainly
u shall never be- ~ the field for that high Of
flee, unless placed there bya rgniar aomino.
lion. Not, then, beng u candidate, and see.
II ing no near prospect Of being made one,
ought, perhaps. 10 decline troubling you, or
others. with my humble opinion on principles
of State R'ghls aud Federal Administration :;
nut MS ] cannot plead ignorance Of the par-
taI'y OF a few friends, in several parts of
HE Unlon. who mny. by possibility. in cer-
tam event, succeed N bringing me- within the
field from which a wing candidate is To be
selected prefer 10 err on The side OF frank
ness and candor, rather than, by silence. TO
allow any stranger, unwittlngly, to commit
himself To my support
| Your inquiries open the whole question Of
dome bic slavery, which has. in different forms
Tor number OF years, agiaied Congress and
the country.
Promising Tint yon nrc the first person who
. I.a1 nj,
you the basis of what tcoud be- my reply, in
greater detail ifiimc allowed, abd the contin-
gcRcy alluded To above. were less remote.
In boyhood. ut William md Mary College,
and, ~ common with most If not all my com.
panlons, became deeply impressed with the
views gwen by Mr.. Jefferson ~ his "NOics
On Virginia, aud by Judge Tucker in the hp-
pendIX 10 his edition of Blacksionc's Conl-
mcntarles, N favor OF a gradual emancipation
of slaves. That appendix } have moi seen in
thhy odd years, and IN the same period,
have read scarcely any thing on the subject,
bni my early impressiuns are fresh and M
changed, Hence. # | had had the honor Of
n seat IN iIe Virginia Legislature IN the win
ter at 1912. when bill was brought for
ward /" carry on, those views, | should GER
taInly have given it my hearty support.
| suppose ] scarcely need say, that. in my
"plnlon, Congress has no color of authority,
under the Constitution, for touching the re-
lai"n at mnstcr aud slave IN state.
hold The opposite opinion ~ respect TO
The DISirct of Columbia. Here. with the
consent at owners or on the yrnent Of .iust
compensation" Congress may lcgisa,c at It's
discretion. Bat my conviction is equally
s,r"g that, unless it bc step by step with the
legislatures of Virginia and Maryland, II
would BE- dangerous to both races. IL those
States. To touch The relation between master
aud slave wnhin this District.
] have from the first been Of opinion that
Congress was bound by the Constitution 10
receive, To refer and 10 report upon petitions
relating to domestic slavery rs IN The cnse 6fl
all oihrL petitions; bat have not failed to4
see and io regret the unavoidable irritation
WHICH the former have produced in the
Southern States, with the consequent peril
To the iwo col"rs-whcrcby the adoption Of
any plan of emancipation has. everywhere
among ns, been greatly retarded.
own. myself, no slave: but never have
attached blame I" masters for not libera,ing
their slavcs-wcll knowing that liberation,
without the means of sending them, in com.
tort. 10 some position favorable To "the pur.
sun of happiness" would, in most cases BE-
highly injurious 10 all around, rs well as to
The mannmitcd families hcmselves-unlcss
The operation were general and under the
auspices of prudent l"gisla,ion.-Br, am
persuaded that II - high moral obligation
of masters, and slave hnldng States to en-.
ploy nIl means. not incompatible with the
safely Of both coiors TO amcl,ora,e slavery TO
eXtcrmination.
II Is gratifying to know that general amc-
liorn'lon has been great. and is still progres
slvo. notwithstanding the disturbing causes
alluded to above. The more direct process
Of emancipation may. no doubt. be earlier
commenced and quckcned in some commu-
mites than ~ others. Each. do no, question
hns the right To Judge for itself, both ms to
time and means and | consider interference
10 aid from without, except on invitation from
authority within, to be rs hnrifu Ia the sure
progress of anncliorallon. as il may be fatal
To tho lives of vast muliitudes of all nres
sexes and cnlorS. The work of Liberation
cannot be forced without snch horrid results
Christian philanthropy is ever mild and con.
siderable. Hence al, violence ought 10 he
deprecated by the friends Of religion and hu.
manty. Their persuasinns cannot fail at
the right time. to frcc tho master from the
STAGE and the slave from the master-per.
hapI before tho latter shall have found out
and acknowledged that the rotation between
the parties had long brcn mutually prcjndi.
ciaI io their worldly interests.
There is no evil. without, in the order OF
ProvIGcncc. some compensaiing benefit
The bleeding African was torn from his
hntnc. by his frocious neighbors, sold into
slavery, and cast upon this continent. Here
In The mid south the race has wonderfully
multiplied compared with any thing ever
known IA barbarons life. The descendants
nf n trw thousands have become many mil
lions md all. from the first, mnde acquain-
ted with .hc arts of civilization. and above
all. brought undo: the Ligh, of the Gospel.
From the promise made To Abraham some
1000 years elapsed before the Advent Of our
Saviour, and the Isracli,cs, the chosen people
oi God. were. Tor wise purposes. suffered 10
remain in bondage longer than Africans have
been on our shores. This race has already
experienced the resulting compensation al
luded to and as the white missionary has
never been able 10 penetrate the dark re-
gions of Africa. or To establish himself IN tho
lntrtlnr--It may be wIhn the scheme Of
Providence that The groat work of spreading
the Gospel over that vast continent, with all
the Arts aud comforts of cigillzailon Is To be I
finally accomplished by the black man re-.
sinrpd frnfn A hnnI aur A fnnt h,lI