New-York daily tribune., 1844-12-02

Quest.) Boston: James Munrce * Co. lsif.
lConiinued]
But unhappily, most unhapply, gentlemen,
man is born with intellect, as well as with love
of sugar, and with a sense of instice, as well as
taste for strong drink. These ripened, as well
as those. You could not educate him, you could
not get any poetry, any wisdom, any beauty in
woman, any strong and commanding character
in man. but these absurdities would still come
flashing out-these absurdities of demand for
Justice, generosity for the weak and oppressed
Unhappily too, for the planter, the laws Of ma
ture are in harmony with each other: that vi hch
the head and the heart demand, is found to be, in
the long rum for what the grossest calculator
calls his advantage. The moral sense is always
supported by the permanent interest of the par
ties. Else know not how, in our world, any
good would ever get done. 1t was shown to the
planters that they, as well as the Negroes, were
slaves; that though they paid no wages, they
got very poor work that their estates were ruin
ing them, under the finest climate; and that
they needed the scverest monopoly laws at home
to keep them from bankruptcy. The oppression
of the slave rccoiIed on them. They were full
Of vices; their children were Jumps of pride,
soth, sensuaty and rottcnness. The position
of woman was nearly as bad as it could be, and,
like other robbers, they could not sleep in secur-
".
patton, that, before that day, they were the
greatest slaves on the estates. Slavery is no
scholar, no improver; it does not love The whis
tc of the railroad; it does not love the ncwspa-
per, the mail bag, college, book, or preacher
who has the absurd whim Of saying what he
thinks; it does not increase the white popula-
ton; it does not improve the soil +; every thing
goes to decay. For these reasons, the islands
proved bad customers to England. 1t was very
easy for manufacturers less shrewd than those OF
Birmingham and Manchester to see, thatlf the
state of things in the islands was altered If the
slaves had wages, the slaves would be clothed,
would build houses, would fill them with toos,
with pottery, with crockery, with hardware; and
Negro women love fine clothes as well as white
women. In every naked Negro OF those thou
sands, they saw a future customer. Meantime.
they saw further, that II the slave-trade, by
keeping in barbarism the whole coast OF eastern
Africa, deprives them OF couptres and nations OF
customers, If once freedom and cvillty, and Eu
ropean manners could get foolhold there. But
the trade could not be abolished, whllc this hun
gry West Indian market with appetite like
the grave, cried, More, more, b:lng me hun
dred day." they could not expect any mitiga
ton in the madness OF the poor African war
Chiefs These considerations opened the eyes OF
thu Gnllrs, In Britain Moe than this, the
Weet Indian estate was owned or mortgaged In
En.lsnd. and the owner and the mortgage had
yc,y plain intmations that the feeling OF Eng
Esh liberty was galniny every hour new mass enc
velocity, and the hostility TO such as resisted Il
woud be fatal. The House OF Commons would
DESTROY the protection OF island produce, and IN
terfere on English politics III the island lcgisla-
lion: SO they hastened 20 make the best OF their
position, and accepted the bill.
These considerations, | doubt not, had their
weight, the interest OF trade, the interest CT the
revenue, and, moreover, the good fame OF the
action. 1t was inevitable that men should feel
these motives But they do not appear to have
had an excessive or unreasonable weight On
reviewing this history, think the whole transac-
ton reflects infinite honor on the people and par
lament of England 1t was astately spectacle,
to see the cause of human rights argued with so
much patience and generosity, and with such
mass of evidence before that powerful people
L. is crediable incident IN the history, that
when, in 1889, the first privy council report OF
evidence ON the trade, bulky folio, (embodying
all the facts which the London Committee had
basn engaged for wears in collecting, and all the
examinations before the council,) was presented
TO the House of Commons, late day being
namedf6r the discussion, in order to give men,
bess time-Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Pitt, the prime
minister, and other gentlemen, took advantage oi
the postponement, to retire into the country, to
read the repot For months and years the bill
was debated, with some consciousness OF the ex
tent of its relations by the first citizens of Eng
land, the foremost men OF the earth; every ar
gument was weighed, every particle OF evidence
was sifted, and laid on the scale; and, at last,
the right triumphed the poor man was vlndcated,
and the opptessor was flung out. know that
England has the advantage of trying the ques
ton at q wide distance from the spot where the
nuisance exists: the planters are not, except IN
rare examples, members of the Legislature. The
extent of the empire, and the magnitude and
number of other questions crowdlng INTO court,
keen this one in balance, and prevent 1t from CO.
tanning that ascendency, and being urged with
that intemperance which q question OF property
tends to acquire. There are causes In the COM
position of the British Legislature, and the rela.
tion of lis leaders 10 the country and to Europe,
which exclude much that IS pitliul and injurious
in other legislative assemblies. From these rca-
SONS the question was discussed with rare inde-
pendence and magnanimity. 1t was not mar
rowed down TO paltry electioneering trap, and
Imust say, a delight in justice, an honest ten
derness for the poor Negro, for man suffering
these wrongs, combined with the national pride,
which refused to give the support of English
-
soil, or the protection OF the English flag, to these
disgusting violations of nature.
Forgive me, fellow citizens, if | own to you'
that in the last few days that my attention has
been occupied with this history, have not beeN
able to read a page of it, without the most pain.
full comparisons. While | have read Of Eng
land. have thought of New England. While
have meditated in my solitary walks on the
magnanimity of the English Bench and Senate,
rachinp out the benefit of the law to the most
helpless citizen in her worldwide realm, | have
found myself oppressed by other thoughts As
flhave walked in the pastures and along the edge
Of woods, could not keep my imagination on
those agreeable figures, for other images that m
truded on me. l could not see the great v's.on
OF the patriots and senators who have adopted
the slaves cause they turned their backs on =
me. No: see other pictures-oi mean men:
,I ,1o,bcd worry IGNORANT