Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1844-07-27
LIBERTY, MISSISSIPPI, SATURDAY, JULY ~, 1874

that declaration, and Ia desirable, IA the
Original construction OF society, aud IN or
phnl1cd societies, to keep II IN ylow as q
great fundomonlal principle, but, then,
upprehcnd that in no society that oyci
did exist or over shull be- formed, was or
can be equally asserted among the mcm
bers Of the human race, 'bo practically
enforced and carried olt There are por.
tons Of it, largo pc Ans, women mi
nors, insane, culprts, trunclent solour
ners, that will always probably remain
subject TO tho government OF another
portion Of tho community.
That declaration, whatever may be the
extent OF its import, was made by the dol
egations of the thirteen States. In mos
Of them slavery existed, and had long ex
isted, and was established 10y law. It was
introduced and forced upon the Colonies
by the paramount law of England, Dc
you believe that, in making that declOra.
ton, the States has concurred in it intend
ed that it should be tortured into a virtu.
al emancipation Of all the slaves within
their respective Umits2 Would VirginjN
and the other Southern States have eve1
united declaration which was to be IN
erpreted into an abolition Of slavery
among them? Did any one Of the thir.
teen States entertain such design or eX-
pectaton? To impute such a secret and
unavowed purpose would be to charge a
political fraud upon the MODEST band OF
| ;A1. ., InI in
a fraud the confederacy of the Revolution
"a fraud upon the Union of those States,
whose constitution not only recognized
the lawfulness of slavery, but permitted
the Importation Of slaves from Africa un-
I'll the year 1908. And am bold to say
that, if the doctrines Of ultra political
abolitionlsts had been seriously promul-
gated at the epoch Of our Revolution, our
glorious Independence would never have
been acheved-never, never.
know the predominant sentiment in
the Free States in adverse TO slavery; but
happy in their own exemption from what.
ever evils may attend it, the great mass of
our fellow citizens there do not seek to
violate the Constitution or to disturb the
harmony Of these States desire no
concealment of my opinions in regard to
the institution of slavery. look upon it
as great evil, and deeply lament that
we have derived ii from the parental go
vernment, and from our ancestors.
wish every slave in the United States
was in the country Of his ancestors. But
here they are, and the question is how
they can be best dealt with? If a state
Of nature existed, and we we're about to
lay the foundations Of society," no man
would be more strongly opposed than J
should be to Incorporate the institution of
slavery among its elements. But there
is an incalculable difference between the
original formation Of society and long
existing organized society, with its an
clent laws, institutions, and establish
ments. Now, great as acknowledge, in
my opinion, the evils of slavery are, they
are not hing, absolutely nothing in COM
parison with the far greater evils which
would Inevitably flow from a sudden
general, and indiscriminate emanci patton
In some Of the States the number of
slaves approXimates towards an equality,
with that Of the whites; in one or tw
they surpass them What would be ttS
| condition Of the two races in those States
upon the superstition Of an immediate
emancipation? Does any man suppose
that they would become blended into one
! homogeneous mass? Does any man re-
commend ANA gamation-th hat revolving
admixture, alike offensive to God and man
for those whom He, by their phyicaI prop.
critics, has made alike and put asunder,
we may, without presumptuousncss, sup
pose were never intended TO be joined to.
gether in one Of the hottest rites. Aud
let me tell you, sir, if you do not already
know it, that such are the feelings-pre.
JUDGE, if you please, (and what man
claiming TO be "A statesman will overlook
or disregard the deep-seated and uncon-
querable prejudices of the People)-in
the slave States that no human law would
enforce union between the two races.
What then would certainly happen? A
struggle tor political ascendancy; the
blacks seeking 10 acquire, and the whites
to maintain possession OF he Government.
Upon the superstition of a general imme-
date emancipation in those States where
the blacks outnumber the whites, they
would have nothing to do but to insist
upon another part of the same Decar&
iion of independence, as Dorr and his de-
deluded democrat followers recently did
in Rhode Island according to which an UNI
defined majority have the right, at their
pleasure, 10 subvert an existing Govern
ment and institute new one in its place
and then the whites would be brought in
complete subsection to the blacks! a con-
test would inevitably ensue between
the two races---civil war, carnage, pilIage
confagratiou, devastation, and The pltim