The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-02-14

| This may be, in some measure, true
butahe Inconvenience, in the natureo o
'Ethings, can be butfemporary. A few
generations will obliterate all distinc
|tions, and il will never be known whose
ancestors first, or whose last, trod the
soil Of the land Of liberty. Very differ.
ent is the case Of the negro population.
| or the minority ofthe committee would
instantly unite with the majority to
recommend bill in accordance with
1 the prayer Of The. petitioners. Yft
The foregoing considerations relate.
in a great measure, to the present situ-
alton and future prospects Of our own
beloved State; other considerations al
equal cogency, in the opinion Of the
committee, relate more Immediately 10
the destinies of the African race. We
feel convinced that the voice which
calls the merry. humble, menial negr
to remain here in state of semi-servi-
tude, in state Of unequal, competition
with superior race, in situation which
cultiyates his vices and defects, and re-
presses his virtues and his energies, is q
syren voice, which calls him not to his
highest or happiest destiny. Africa
should belooked to as the ultimate home
of the black man. In the language of
the great orator of the West, 1--WE
should regard him as the stray child of
another's family, to be treated with
kindness and compassion while he re-
mains, but to be returned as soon as
possible to his original home." There
his long dormant energies might be a.
wakened, there his habits of self-man-
agement and control might be strength
ened and confirmed, and there he would
be placed in circumstances much more
nearly resembling our own than he can
be in our midst. TO return to Africa
our black population free and unenslav-
ed, is regarded by many asa hopeless
task, on account of its magnitude. But
this consideration loses lis force, when
the enterprise of benevolence and phi
lanthropy is confined to the free black
population. When we consider the
immense and continued increase of the
European race upon this continent, that
the next census will show twenty mil
lions Of that race within the present
boundaries of the United States, we
must pronounce such an enterprise as
speedy falling within the capacity of
our benevolence and philanthropy, or
the conclusion will be inevitable, that
our benevolence and philanthropy are
neither very ardent no persevering.
1t is consoling to the committee to
reflect that, in shaping our policy with
u view to the ultimate return of the
black man to the home of his ancestors,
as the missionary OF pure faith, and IA
benilicent civilization, we will in our
humble sphere, and at an almost inf.
mite distance, be initiating that Great
Being, whose government Of the world
appears TO be a system OF benevoience
and ameloration but not Of optimism.
Fad it suited the purposes of his inscru-
table will. when that ''feon of the hu-
man race" the miscreant mansteaIer,
first guided his bark to the shores of
unhappy Africa, hls red right had might
have grasped its thunderbolts and sunk
him in the deep. 1t is the divine pre-
rogative to bring good out Of evil; and
now that the gracious plans of His PROV
idcnce begin to unfold themselves, We
perceive that, however atrocious may
have been the character Of the first in
tercourse, between the races of Europe
and of Africa, that intercourse, by Il
gradual process of amelloration, is to
end in bestowing the blessings of civil
ization and religion on that benighted
continent. 1t is for the people of the
Union, and of this State in particular,
to determine whether they will fall in
with the indications of Divine Provi-
dence, and shape their policy with a
view to the attainment of an object as
good and glorious asst is vast and COM
prehensive, or whether, listening to the
suggestions of short sighted and un-
discerning philanthropy, they will vain
ly oppose. Is not thl, an enterprise of
benevolence sufficiently sublime to di-
late the hearts and stimulate the ener-
gies of a great and Christian people ?
Let none object, that these views are
merely visionary and chimericaI, and
the object unattainabe. History does
not warrant such an objection; On the
contrary, the man who is most conver-
SAINT with her pages, will be the first to
pronounce such an objection untenable.
Had some old philosopher in the Au-
GUSTAV age, pointed out to polished
Greek or naughty Roman, some fair
haired Goth or sineWy Saxon. and yen-