Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-10-17


their credentials. when, before, in he history
our Government. did The members OF any con
mi,,ce Of CONGRESS- ever submit Report IN wnic
an institution. peIyadiug one-hall oil The Stale
of The Union was sratuiously assailed anu az
nounccd for supposed violation OF the law
God2
With what consistency or grace John Ounce
Adams could tbus act, will appear By reierrin
10 The opinions which be published uhuer III
name in The National inelisencer six years ag'
lie then said al am NIL commissioned 10 denouhc
The Judgment of God upon those who diner iror
me in RELIGIONS belief, whether upon The aarer
question, or upon any other" AT what perio
since. ard By whom was he commissioned !
denonnce Judgment" against The Shareholders
The Southern people claim, and will exefcis
The right TO interpret The Bible ior themselves, an
they do not believe that slavery is PTonip"ed y
the Christian religion. both Thy bondmen Fh'
bondmais, which thou shalt nave, shaii DC ., w
heather that are among you. vi mem s'dh }
buy bondmen and bondmalds. Moreover,
The children Of The strangers thal 40 seloull
among you, Of them shall ye buy, anu OF ihei
families that are with YOU, Which Meg 0cs0e
vour lanH AMI Inn stall be VoRr possession. AHf
d, slaH fekc Them as an inheritance FIR 1oar cai
dren cfcr nm 10 inherit them hy possession. IhG1
shall &c vo,tr Jond,nca forercr"-( Leviiicus, chap
Ter XXV.0 Such were the words which "Ih'
Lord spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai" Inc
passage cyinces confirmation of rights, si:n
lar in many respects 10 those apperillng 10 tht
inhabitants of the Southern States. The slaves
were originally "ot the healhen," their pos:eriy
was "bcsot in our land" and they have descend
ed "as an Inheritance" When Christ appeared
on earth, slavery was very prevalent, and al,
though he. on many occasions, warned mankind
against sin and reproved sinners, we nowhere
find him denouncins slavery as sinful. He saw
il, left il 10 continue, and suffered il 10 spread
over new worl!. The Author OF our religion
came 10 suffer and 10 die, and in disseminating
his doctrines, he dreaded no human ccnsure or
human punishment The base motive Of tear
cannot be ascribed 10 Being exalted ami 50
,ransccndcnily pure Had he regarded slavery
as sinful, it is but reasonable 10 infer, that be
would have prohibited il in language oc cmphat-
ic, 100 clear, TOO pTccse 10 allow cavil or justify
dispuiaIion. Is il not The height Of arrogance
and presumption for morals 10 NEEDLE raShly ami
officiously with subject from which The Saviour
carefully abslained2
We are told, that slavery is atwar with The spl-
rit of Christianity. If So then the Anolltiunists
must believe that the Apostle Paul, who was enc
Of the most eloquent and efficient advocates o!
Christianity that ever lived, was more Ignorant
Of lis spirit than themselves. In one OF his cpis-
Ties 10 The EphesiaGs, he says: Servants he ohe-
dicnt 10 them that are your masters according 10
the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singlenc>s OF
heart as 10 Christ. Not with cyc-serricc as men
plcasers, but as servants OF Christ, doing the will
OF God from the heart Will good viii doing
service as TO the Lord, and not as 10 men; know
ing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth,
Ia all hr reppivo pf IlI / rrj Whplher
ne be bond or free" A learned commentator
(Dr. Scou) admits that the Servants al that time
were slaves, Inc property OF their masters. -
Archieacon Paley, an opponent Of slavery. bat
a learned theolosian, said: "Slavefy was a part
Of the civil constitution Of most countries when
Christianity appeared; pct M passage Is t"it'd ~
thc Scriptures by Hti1 Il is condemned or pr0hiDd-
3D."
Bancroft Of Massachusetts, the historian OF
our own times, has rema rktd that slavery and
The slave trade are older than the records OF hui
man society" Slavery existed in Assyria and
Babylon. The Pyramids Of Egypt were reared
by slave labor. Ancient Carthage had slaves;
and so had The Republics OF Greece and Rome
The Gfecian Republics had more slaves than
ileemen; and when the population oi The Roman
Empire was computed at 100 millions, one.hall
Of that number consisted Of slaves. .NcgT0 slaves
were known in Rome and Greece. The philoso-
pher Aristotle, one OF The wisesl Of The ancienis
was jealous advocate of slavery. The nfexi-
bic Roman patriot CATO, vas large STAKEHOLDER,
In those ages which succeeded the downfall OF
The Roman Empire in the West, slaves constltu-
,cd The mos, numerous class Of society. See
K robertson Haliam remarks That I'm every
age and country, until Tins comparatively re-
ceLl, personal seIvituie appears 10 have been
The o OF large, perhaps The greater potion %
The people OF Europe had engaged
in The traffic oil negro slaves some time before me
discovery Of America. Even in mis- day OF civI-
liZaton, slavery is by no means confined 10 ms
continent. The serf, OF Russia are slaves, and
Great Britain has millions OF slaves under her
control in The East Indies. A lew years ago,
in a debate in The House Of Commons, il
wa, explicitly acknowledged that slavery
trevails 10 a great extent in Bengal" In Al
RIGA, slavery has prevailed so long, that The
Dmemnry OF man runnrh no, 10 The contrary
Park estimates that 'the slaves Of Africa are
nearly in the proportion Of THREE TO one OF free
men, and hired servants as altogether unknown.
The h.tiis, manners socia relations and systems
nf Government in Africa, are th1>c which char
ac,erizc barbarianS. Those hroi- 1t hilhcr were
caplives in war, and had no civil tights al hon..
They acquired none here: ihcy came as bonds
men: their posierty were "begot in oar land, and
have liacGme sour p secession" Their removal
from Africa 10 the United States, and their asso-
citation with another and more cultivated race,
have contributed greatly 10 their civilization,
conflict and happiness. They lett continent en-
veluped in ignorance and superstition, and dis
graced by unjus,ifiable wars, 10 inbabii another,
where law and order, plenty aud peace have gene
rally prevailed. The rapid increase ciheir number
in HE United States, is conclusive proof oil The
care and humanity with which they have been
ireaed.' Public opinion in The .iaveholdlns
States j. decidedly hostile 10 every thing like cru
ely towards the slave population. Their laws
recognize slaves persons entitled to protection.
and while occupying station in society below
that OF irccmcn, they are considered the South
in a light altogether different from that in which
lie abolilions,s have with suc! perssve.ng false
hood represented them. That the Slaves are well
led, we'll clothed, and not required 10 psriorm an
unreasonable amount OF labor is we'll known, and
the fact was cheerully acknowledged b. the BTi-
fish traveller Murray, then decided lie 10 the
institution OF slavery.t We have the authority
Of distinguished member OF he Housepi Com
mons Tor the statement (basrd upon olacia ie-
tnrnS) that the independent agricultural laboTef
of England is allowed only three ounces i meat
per reeL. This is below the ddiiy aVerasc al
cwance Of meat the slave laborers Of South
ern States. The same gentleman has referred to
authentic documents disclosing instances u chill
drcn in The factories who were required l. wori;
III hours q day all The year round :; Nolhing
like this amount Of labor has ever been or now
required OF the slaves of this country. II lie re-
ports laid before Parlameu, BY commissioners
appointed ty thai body are 10 be believe, there
a;c hundreds OF thousands Of operatives in the
English factories subjected 10 scrviite far
more appalling than any which has ever existed
on this continent Excessive labor and cruel
discipline, a heated and impure air, insufficient
ard unpalalable food, vice and proflig@cy u their
most degrading forms, are the dismal charscleris-
lies OF English factory LIES The operative, have
not found Liberty and happiness 10 be synony-
NOUS: they have discovered 10 magic pow
er in liberty, by which men can live with
ont labor. ''Polical liberty" according 10
Monlesqnieu, Consists in security, or N The
opinion people hare Of their security. Let
The English operative be judged BY this stand
ard, and what is his condition? Es:reme
poverty compels him 10 almost inccssant
Toll, and uneducaled as he is, he knows an feels
4.