Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1844-01-12
POLITICAL.
LETTER FROM CASciU5 NJ. CLAY.-SLA-
VERY, THE EVIL-THE REMEDY.


And can the liberties of nation be thought secure, when
of tho people thnt these lbertiis the gift Of Col?
Indeed tren5e for ny country whe9 reflect q God l't
and natural only revolution Of the wheel Of for
may become pTo5S6o BY sapsaatuTpi The II
mighty has no attribute which take side with us in such
contost"--JsgerSOaS Mites on PUg!aa
To The Editor OF The Tribune:
Thomas Jefferson never thought of the absurd
ity OF debating the question, whether slavery be
mn evil, nor was he indulgen to the deluslve idea
that it would he perpetual. He reduced the sub
Iect TO its certain elements; the master must lib
crate the slave, or the slave will extarmingte the
master. This conclusion 10 not weakened by ihe
history of the past. The same color in The nn-
cient republics, enabled the State to use enancps-
ton as a safety valve; yet notwitlls' anding tho
thorough analgamation Of the freed man with
the free born, servIIc wars nearly exiinguishe by
violence, the nohest nations OF antiquity: willie
no man dare say TINT slavery was not tho secret
cause Of their ultimate ruin. But if " His justice"
should /" sleep forever" aud the tragedy 81 awful.
| ly predicted, should never occur, still must we re-
gard slavery as the greatest evil that ever cursed
nation.
Slavery is an evil to the slave by Aeprivirg
nearly three millions of men Of The best gilt of
God to man-liberly. | stop here--ihis is enough
OF itself, to give us full anticipation OF the long
catalogue OF human wo and physical, and incl
lecual, and moral AMUSEMENT which follows in The
wake Of slavery.
Slavery is an evil to the master. It is utterly
subyersiye TO the Christian religion. 1t violates
the gent law upon which that reli zion is based,
aud on account Of which, it vaunts its pre-enn-
ence.
| 1t corrupts our offspring by necessary associa-
ton with an abandoned and degraded rnce, in
grating in the young mind aud heart all the vi
ces, and none of the virtues
IL IS the source OF Incidence, and destructive of
all industry which in times past, umong ftIe wse
has ever been regarded as the first friend Of re
gon, morality and happiness. The poor despise
labor, because slavery makes it degrading. The
tnass of Shareholders are idlcrs.
Ii is The mother of Ignorance. The system of
conmou schools has not succeeded in siugle
~laye State. Slsvery AMI education natural
fenelnles. In the free States, one IN 81 over III
years, is unable 10 read and write in the slave
States, one in 1873 is unable to write uGd read
Ii is opposed TO literature, even in The educated
classes. Noble aspirations aud true glory depend
upon virtue aud good to man. The conscious in
justice of slavery hangs ss n milestone nlnut the
necks OF The sons OF genius, and will not let them
upr
IL is destructive of all mechanical excellence
The free States build ships and sIean cars for the
nations of the worid-the slave States import the
handles for their axes these primitive tools OF tho
nrchilect The educated population will nor work
at all the uneiucated must work without science
and of course without skill. IL there DO given
it is of necessity developed in proportion
whole, or part of The population are educated. In
the slave States, the small portion educated is
inert.
1t is antagonistic to the fine arts. Creation Of
beauty and subniy are the emboji'nents of the
souls imaglnngs: the fountain must surely be
pure and placid whence these glorious and i'm
mortal, and lovely, images are reflected Liberty
has ever been the mother Of the arts.
II retards population and wealth. Compare
New York and Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio
S,aIes of egua! natural advantages, and equal u
ges. The wealth of the free States is in mhch
greater ratio even superior TO that of The slave
States, than The population OF The Tree is greater
than That of the slave States. Ths manufactures
OF The slave as compared TO those Of lie Tree
STATES, arc US 10 nearly, as is shown 10y snlis-
tics. consider the accumulation of wealth IN
less ratio
= 1t npoverishes the soil and defnces the oveli-
= est features of nature. Washington advises
friend TO remove from Pennsylvania TO Virginia
saying that cheap lands in Virginia were as good
as the dear lapds III feDDSyivan and anticpa-
ting the abolition OF slavery, would he more pro-
: duclive. His anicipaiious have persied-slave-
ry still existslle Wild brier and the red fox are
now there the feid-grow.h. and the inhabitants!
1t induces national poverty. Slaves consume
more and produce less Ihaa lreemen. Hence IL
3 lusive wealth, prod ignly and bankruptcy, with
ont The capabih,y of bearing adversely or recover
r ing from lis INFLUENCE: then come despair, dis
honor, aud crime.
Ii is an evil to The free uborer. by forcing him,
. by the laws Ut compeliiiol-supply and demand
= to work for the wages of the slave, food and
= shelter. The poor, in the slave States, are the
= mos. destitute native population in the United
J, States.
i. Ii sustans the public sentiment in favor of tho
}, deadly afiray and the duel-lhose relics Of bar
barous age.
n Il is tho mother aud the nurse of lynch lao,
= | ~ 1 pArI tha bnr nf NIL m
II not even excepting parrncle, which areeIit leg
islalors thought TOO impossible 10 be eyer suppose,
i in the legal code. II all the blood thus shed in
o the South, could be gathered together, the hor-
n rid image which Enmet drew OF The cruelty oil
his Judges would grow pale in view OF this great
+ er terror.
y Where all these evils exist, how can liberty,
e constitutional liberty, live? No, indeed, il can.
II not and has not existed In conjunction with sla-
: very. We arc but Dominal freemen, for, though
born to all tho privileges known to the consIiIu-
n ton and the laws, written and prescripive, we
- have seen struck down with the leaden hand 81
l. slavery, the most glorious banner that freedom
g ever bore in the face OF men" Trial ny Jury
f; liberty OF Speech and OF the press" lie Noun
may be liable TO censure in Congress, Tor freedom
Q, of speech-may lose their privileges OF the posi-
7. Office, and the right OF petition, aud perhaps ye
he feee.-but we, of the lapdd slavery are our
n selves slaves Alas, for the hypocrlcal cry Of
!. liberty and equality, which demagoguos sound
=. forever in our ears. The Declaration of ,in6e-
(. pepdence comes back from all nations, not 10
Ia noes of triumph and solicitation, but laundering
n in our care the everlasting he-maAng us inidels
Q in the great world OF freedom raising up 10 our
selves IDOLS OF wood and stone, inscribed WIN tue
q name OF Deity, where the one invisible ana uus