New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-01-26
THE rRIBU n E
rr.edom and slavery for Arric-Amerieans

Il
rr.edo,n and Slavery for Afric-Ame ricans.
~ tbe Editor Of the Tribune:
nr Dewey having declined the impair con-
nreasus. I cannot, IN courtesy, say any thing
more to him and trust that nothing which may
e,rou shall be considered personal toward him.
The proposition to which took exceptions, is out,
- the lawyers say, and is fair matter for an at
tack. which, with your permission, l shall make
mon it, in the hope that some of the facts which
shall be adduced, will be fitting notes to portion
Of publication which we may expect erelong.'
In the first place, assert that the free blacks
ofthe North, are not worse off than the slaves of
the South and now to the proof.
From the n. Y Sun Of the 18th inst, cut
the following;
go A man named John G. Brown il South Carolina is
sentenced to be hung the 26h Of April for aiding slave
to obtain his freedom !
Whv was John c. Brown sentenced to death !?
WHY is James R. Lane, colorcd man of this city,
now serving a twelve years incarceration in a
prison in Virginia And why did Kentucky,
not long since, send deputation TO the Legisla
tare of Ohio, to press the enactment of laws pun
shng the citizens Of the latter State, who might
be found concerned in aiding runaway slaves =
II is because the slaves of the South, in the teeth
of an armed surveillance, and of blood-hounds
kept to hunt them back to happiness will run
away from the Slavery of the South. The agent
of the Vigilance Committee, Of this City, Mr.
Charles :B. Ray, assures me that at least one
thousand slaves per year escape from the South.
This is not all There is not on record the
case of a single free black, who has gone down
South and offered himselfa candidate for the en-
ieyments of slavery. There is no impeachment in
the way. He has merely to go as far South
Baltimore, walk about the streets, and hold his
tongue the laws will do the rest, and he will be-
come slave Yet no one has gone. There are
cases of men preferring to remain slaves-Mr.
Claws body servant, for example. But what
does this prove Simply that the man is at
tached to his master; and that the master, not
withstanding the soul-c chilling pursuits in which
he is engaged, and the dark system of Slavery
ia which he was reared, still has human heart
beating warmly within his breast. This is the
case of slave, preferrlng slavery, not OF tree
black Of the North seeking to be enslaved.-
There is not, repeat, a single case on record OF
free black from the North, who has gone South
after the superior feeding, clothing and happiness
which the slaves enjoy.
Here we have two facts-lst. The slaves, at
the South I'd. The free blacks do not seek the
blessings of slavery. Ii We take into the argu-
ment the WE'LL known fact, that men, whatever be
the color of their skin, or their coat, will not in
thousands run away from good living, the IN
ference is clear that the slaves of the South are
worse off than the free blacks Of the North, and
that the latter are not worse Off than the former
With these facts, and this argument, might
safely rest the argument; but there areoher facts
too strongly corroborative to be omitted. For the
sake of precision, they may be arranged under
lst. The absolute condition of the slaves and the
free blacks 3D. The vital statistics; Sd. Intel
lectua Statistics, and 18th. The Religious Stats
tics Of these two classes.
Isl absolute C0ndition.
The absolute condition of the slavosotthe South
may be sumed up in two statements.
The slave has no right to his own person.
The slave has no right to his own wife.
There is no law in any Southern State which
secures to the slave a right over his own person.
1t is the essential feature of his condition that his
person belongs to some one else, he cannot say
'myself,, my body. Nor is there any law in any
Slave State which secures to the slave his wife;
like himself, she belongs to some one, other than
either of them The two whom God hath
Joined together the fancy, will, or necessity,
of one man, may legally put sunder,' ACCORDING
tothe slave code.
1t has been said that the first statement is not
strictly true, because the slave has command
over his own thoughts The slave thinks, there
fore his thoughts are free This metaphysical
subtety owes its birth, l believe, to a distin-
guished divine ofthc Protestant Episcopal Church.
1t is plagiarism from Descartes cog'to. ergo
sum > i think, therefore am says the French
philosopher; the slave thinks, therefore ne has
command overhis thoughts, exclaims the Amen
can disciple. Ii the latter would wish TO gam
currency for his brilliant Dogma he should, IN the
philosophical spirit OF his master, seek some dls
tant rice or cotton plantation, do hard days
work OF compulsory labor, receive thirty nme
lashes well laid on and then repeat the sentence,
the slave thinks, therefore, sc, and | wall be,
Geve him to be in earnest. fear that he would
sympathizc strongly with Tom-a-Bedlam, VINO
says,
.,,J-.,t / t,,N f,vc,p