Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-10-06


eral negroes which he had superintendent.
and pointed out the difference in the deyeI-
oPment, size, and quality, between the
BRAIN OF the negro and the white man, and
insisted that the brain of the former was not
capable OF producing intellectual power as
that ct the latter,-so, said the doctor, if
your position, that all men are born equal is
politically true, ii is physically false"
"AS regards personal rights" said Mr..
Jefferson, 1T seems TO me most palpably
absurd, that the individual rights of yoliton
and iocomotlon should depend ON the de-
degree OF intellectual power possessed by
the individual. should hardly be willing
TO subscribe to the doctrine, that because
the Chief Justice has stronger mind or a
more capacious and better formed brain
than |, that therefore he has i right TO make
nae his slave. But, DOCTOR" continued
Mr.. Jefferson, may not the diet and exer-
else, bodily and mental, of child produce
some effect on the size, shape, and quality
OF The BRAIN ! Twill suppose that my friend
Mr.. Dexter, has two sons. the eldest of
whom shall be six years old, as nearly alike
as brothers OF the age of five and six wears
generally are. Suppose the younger to be
transferred TO rice plantation i'll South
Carolina, placed III a negro cabin, and
brought up with the field slaves, associating
only with them; and that the elder should
be continued i'll Mr.. DeXter's family, asso-
clate with none but highly intellectual peo-
pie; then let his education be completed by
four years residence and tuition at Cam
bridge. Look at the heads and faces of
these boys when they shall respectively ar
rive at mature age, and then let a phrenolo-
gst, DR.. SpurZheim, If you please, pro-
nouncc upon the 1;atire intellectual power
OF each. Do we not all know that the diff
ference would be immense? But TO do JUS
tee TO the negro race, aud i'll order TO car
ry out the experiment fairly, we ought to
suppose that the younger married eau
casian slave; and let DR.. Mitchell dissect
and compare the heads of the great-grand-
children OF that issue with the great-grand-
children OF the issue of the elder brother
ask, what would be the result of that ex-
perlmcnt'
Il d. not mean to advocate slavery, said
the Chief Justice-"l wish from my soul
1t was abolished; but when we calculate
on political results, we must look at soci-
ETY. as ii IS. ! do not found my opinion on
the perpetuity of slavery H. Oh any natural
inieriority of the negro. You are well
aware, that nearly every man at the South,
who possesses any influence at elections, is
a slaveholder-and hence our Legislators
will be shareholders, or under their infu-
ence. Probably ninc-tenths of them will
be actual Shareholders. You have then Il
nd |, III; .b
you cannot overcome except by force
Slaves are by law property; and do you
expect that Il man will, voluntarily and
without consideration, surrender his prop
crty to individuals, or to the public! The
British Parliament may, and probably will,
abolish slavery i'll the West India islands;
but suppose nine tenths of that parliament
should be composed of the planters of Ja-
maica-whcn, then, would slavery be abol-
ishcd in jamaica! Mr. Dexter will, pre-
sumo, admit that banking is monopoly,
and that monopolies ought not to be tolc-
rated; but will Mr.. Dexter give up and
sacrifice his hank-stock! | tell you, sir,
you may as well expect that the farmers OF
Virginia will burn up their title deeds and
give away their farms, as to give away
their negroes. You, Mr. President, ascribe
too much virtue and beneyocnce to our
people, If you suppose the disposition TO
cmancipate the negroes is increasing. You
must recolect, that at the commencement
Of the Revolution, Chancellor W ythe and
yourself were deferred from introducing a
bill into the legislature for tie abolition OF
slavery, because YOU became satisfied that
the time had not then come when the pub
lie mind was prepared for the adoption of
that measure, but you anticipated that 1t
would soon be viewed more iavorably by
the community; your expectations, howev-
er, were not realized. And at this moment
| venture to affirm, that bill for negro en-
ancipation would meet with prompt anu
indignant condemnation. | repeat, that in
tcrcst, pccunlary interest, will forever pre-
vert the emancipation of the slave at the
south. do not say the slave ought not
to be cmancipaicd-I say he will not be
emanclpated.
"And l." said Mr.. Leland, "say he ought
not to be cmancipatcd. do not predicate
my opinion on the anatomical discoveries
of Dir. Michel, bat ! think the negroes are
the children of Ham, and according to the
DiDlp, tllCN are doomed 10 DC LllC SGIFdlllS
of servants. Besides, | am convinced
from my own observation, and have had
a prctiy good opportunity to observe, for
was two years missionary i'll the slave
holding states for Massachusetts Baptist
association, that the blacks are altogether
inferior to the whites. They are, assure
you, Iow-minded, and beastly in their pro-
pensfies They desire, nothing but to eat,
drink, fiddle, laugh, sleep, and dance. For
my part, regard them as m0ngrel species
half man and halfape."
While Mr. Leland was making these re-
marks, could not avoid the reflection, that
in this instance, as in many others, the VI
sionary though learned philosopher, and
the (anatical zcalot, arrived, by an entirely
different process Of mental action, to the
same conclusion. Extremes frequently APP
proacl near each other. was reused from
the revery occasioned by this train of thought
by Mr.. Jefferson saying to Mr. Leland
Il am happy to have it in my power at this
moment to prove TO You and DIR. Mitchell,
bv ocular demonstration. that the expert
ence of one of YOU and the theory of the
other, has led YOU to erroneous conclusions
i