New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-02-05
British Oppression and Americah 9'a'oi''

no TribTne rs peaIed
tocrarv az England embracing away slave because
he snders US and IL is welcome 70 The pleasure
Nor IL England The land TO abuse the slavery oil AreI
ca for che forced the spot upon us In spite oil our WI"
and she herself austains state OF society in which zen
thousand tines suffering exists than that IN "nc
black slavery s Southern slavery is henrea copP. 49,.
with starving Ireland or pale, haggard wretcnea c,h
Birmingham The liberty and equaliiS ;.h H. degra
ern matters slave is prncely. compared wiz ~ yha
6s-ion now.r,e.snass and utter hopelessness Oh 'n
Irish peasant or the English WORKERS 10 nc. :, w. M
r.p cI.ys,v il a terrible calamity. bur II mas no
~ ,aryaon no frightful dread OF the future no
nnessed unattended. uncaredior death oeo-nu rs.
nrisops no such awful scenes as dickens
hardly exaggerates. When Eogand REGARDS tne .ls"
NJ man she has right 70 rebuke US. and not oeioEe
Remarks.
We copy the foregoing paragraph, not be-
cause we desire TO prolong controversy with the
Express on topic which is probably distasteiui 10
portion of our readers but because ii suggests
few remarks which we hope all candid persons
will be willing to hear and to heed
The oppressiops under which the laboring masses
in England arr grooming can scarcely be exagger-
ated bu, we do not that those expressions AFFORD
any justification or apology for American slavery,
nor that they ought in fairness to be made the GROUND
Of indiscriminaie retort whenever an Englisnmah
gives US neritcd rebuke for our inconsistency In
holding portion of our population in bondage II
Englishmcn speak of our Slavery with great sever
ity let do them the justice TO remember lna' oui
national boastings continually challenge 'na' coni'
oarison of our practices with our professions wnlch
40 much annoys u.s. England has not yet ackno"'
ledeod tho sublime doctrine which was the main
spring of our Revolution and is now al the iounda
ton of all that is good and great In our institutions
that all men are created equal The people OF that
land have right to Judge us by our own standard
q standard higher than that by which we judge them
If English laborers are worse of than our Slaves
their condition does not, like that of the latter stand
in such frighfu contrast with the political principles
TO which the Government is solemnly pledged
There is another point to be considered The de-
nunciations of American Slavery in Great Britain
as we have before said, come 10 great extent II
no, principally from that class of persons who are
doing more than others elevate the condition OF the
laboring masses at home 6y extending TO them inc
rights which they with us regard as lnaiienaole'
Their efforts in this behalf subject them to reproach
from those who thrive on miseres the very exist
ence of which hey deny as vehemently as multi
tudes among us deny the miseries produced by
Slavery The friends of Republicanism, not in Eng
lanClUleTSly, Out III every COuptty VI hSN'SFN'
their efforts in behalf of Freedom constantly bafhed
by our evil example, and Despotism derives Its most
plausible apology from the shameful discrepancy De-
tween our professions and our practice This Is
matter worthy of serious consideration by all who
love our Free Institutions and desire to see them ex
tended the world Let us not deceive our
selves by supposing that all the rebukes we receive
from foreigners are dictated by hatred OF Repubh;
canisnl, nor let answer these rebukes by retorts
implying that the spirit which opposes our Slavery
is not equally opposed to oppression every where
The friends of Liberty in every quarter of the globe
have a common cause and should guard against the
indulgence Of narrow and sectional spirit
We do not see the force of the ofrepeated
taunt tina, England forced Slavery upon US against
our will She tried 10 force her tea upon US, but
found it a rather difficult job How came we TO
take her Slavery and reject her tea, If we were
equally opposed to both? But if it were true that
England many generations since forced Slavery
upon fathers ii would be the poorest OF all pos
sibc reasons for insisting that Englishmen OF the
present day should be silent respecting the evil If
their fathers enticed ours into bad practice, how
can they better atone for the fault than by persuad-
ing US to abandon it
The Express, although it admits that Slavery
is terrible calamity, still seems regard the con-
dtion of the Slave as essentially happy. Ii this
were go, strongest objections 10 the sys-
tenn would remain in full force. But we do not be-
lieve it is true, and our convictions have not been
formed under the influence of stories, whether true
or false told by Northern Abolitionists. The prin-
ciple on which Slavery s founded must inevitably
lead TO cruelty. The Express tells us that the Slave
knows parish prison. Very true, but he does
know something of another kind of prison, such as
rears its gloomy walls at the seat of our National
Government and imposes efectual barrier to his
escape from his happy condition. The idea that
Slaves arc happy is modern discovery and be-
longs to that progressive democracy of which lief
ferson had no conception when he declared
The whole commerce between Master and Slave is
perpetual exercise of the most boiserous passions the
most unremiting despotism the part and degrad
ing submissions on the other. The parent storms the
child looks on catches the lineaments OF wrath, puts
the same airs in the circle of smaller slaves gives loose
his worst passions and thus nursed educated and daily
exercised in tyranny, cannot but be stamped by II with
cdious pecuarities. The man must be prodigy VINO
can retain his and morals undeprsved by such
circumstances.
This has been recognized by the whole civilized
world as an accurate picture of Slavery and yet men
this day will stultiy themselves by pratng of the
happiness which Slavery conters upon its victims !!
their freedom from care. &c. &c. Nothing can add
to the force of Jefferson testimony and yet we are
tempted TO quote a passage from public address
delivered in North Carolina in 1880. before modern
Abolition Societies were heard OF, by Benjamin
Swain Esq
Let any Of spirit and feeling for moment cast
his thoughts this land of Savery-think of the
kedncss of the hungry yearnpgs Of others, the
flowing tears and heaving signs of parting relations the
waings and the bloody cut OF the keen LASH and
the frightul scream that rends the very skies and all
this to crafty ambition lust pride avarice vanity and
other depraved feelings Of the human heart The nors
generally knopa Were all the miseries all the hor
rors of Slavery burst into view, peal of
en-fold thunder could strike greater alarm"
Take another extract-from the Maryville Tenn
Inteigencer Oct. 4, 1885:
Place yourself in imagination, for moment in their
condition With heavy, Calling chains, riveted upon
your person; halfnaked hslfstarved your back lace
rated with knoea whip; travelling region where
your condition through lime will be second only 10 that
the wretched in hell. This depicting is not
visionary. Would TO God that il was.
While we are about il we will present one more