Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1847-12-23

characterized slavery in The South, and made
it the most cheerful ard happy menel labor to
be found in the world. 1t is well known, thai
as the profits Of the labor diminish. SO do it's
comforts. Many melancholy examples of this
truth are TO be ioand in the histories of the ole
world; and when the negro population multi
plies in number and sinks in value, whatever
may be the humanity of the master, necessity
" i'll compel him to restrict the comforts of the
slave, and reduce hin to tfe smallest pittance
upon " hich it is possible to live. But tile nom
saveholding States will comfort themselves,
no doubt, with the reflection, that when this
day arrives the freedom Ct the slave is sure
He is to reach the much dts. ed goal Of free
dom through years Of suffering; and WREN he
at,ains it what is. to become Of him? Is he to
be allowed political rights ana privileges? The
recent vote of the very State which sends us
the resolutions communicate, denying to this
race. few as they are in number, the right of
suffrage, gives the answer. Are they to be-
placed on footing Of social equality? 1t is
not thought Of except in The dream of an occa
sonal fanatic. Is it expected that they are 10
become an industrious, orderly, and thrifty pop
ulation? We have only TO appeal to existing
experience to know. that if the negro, in
state OF freedom, cannot he governed by the
ordinary motives ana stimulants that elevate
the white man, it is utterly hopeless TO expect
it under circumstances THAT mark him as Of an
inferior and degraded race.
But it is truth attes,ed by all history, tina,
the negro is Incapable OF steady and productive
labor and of high civilization, except under the
authority and control Of the white man. The
mistaken benevolence Of sorne, and the selfish
policy Of England, produced the abolition Of
slavery in the British islands. 1t was insisted
that the negroes. if manumitted, would work
with that cheerful alacrity which springs from
= knowledge that the fruits Of their toll were
to be their own; in other words. that free labor
would &c cheaper and more productive than
slave labor. II support of this theory, Eng
land paid one hundred millions Of dollars; and
wha; is Ike consequence? The negroes thus
freed, from whom so much was expected, who
were to establish in their own persons the cor
rectness Of this theory, will not work except
when impelled by necessity, and consequently
those islands have ceased to be valuable The
British CONTINENT has been compelled to import
the Hill Coolies ofIndia and the recaptured AZ
rcans, in order to swell the amount of labor and
thereby to secure from lis necessities, not from
its choice, the cultivation of their islands, and
even this experiment has failed. mention
this as recent case, striking in character and
completely illustrative of the known and we'll
established fact. thai the negro race, with rare
exceptions, will not labor as the white man,
unless when compelled by those having the at-
thority to coerce him. can appeal to every
State in the Union in support of this important
and most painful truth. Should, therefore,
the -saveholdng States succeed in the
abolition of slavery, they will throw upon the
community three millions of human beings as a
charge and pest, consuming instead Of pro-
ducing, and inf1icting upon their sister States
as well as themselves the most fatal injuries
II the free negroes are now such an injury and
annoyance. and are denied even among those
who seem to take the most lively interest in
their welfare, all social and political equality,
it is appalling to think Of the consequences that
would enshe if the whole of our slave popu'a-
ton were set free Go not hesitate % ex-
press the opinion shat the moment yeu flee
the slave you degrade the man. relv upon
the experience of this race in every State in
support Of this position. In point of product
i've industry. character and happiness, the free
negro is far below the slave.
Ehe South never can consent to be confined
to prescribed limits. She wants and must have
space. if consistent with honor and propriety.
1t is due TO the happiness and interests of her
population, and to 70 portion Of it more than
to The slave himself Confne her TO prescrib-
ed limits, allow emigration to the white man
aud forbid it to the slave. and the conse-
quence is obvious. Her slaves will rapidly ac-
cunulate; the white man must emigrate; and
finally, the slave will become The owner of the
present slaveholding States Nothing can ar
rest tIlis result under such policy but the a.
dopticn of some mea is on the part ofthe whites
10 prevent the increase fslaves by well known
checks upon population. or by sending off the
worthless and unproductive to the non slave
holding States. These are grave and unpleas-
ant views Of this important question:; but it is
well at once 10 lock them firmly in the face
and boldly present them to the public consider
alton.
If the -sIaveholling States would re,
cogaize us as partners, free and equal partners,
in our Uaion; if they would only be content to
let us share the social feelings that should ex-
ist in this relation; if they would let us Gas
we let them) consult our own interest ard pur-
sue our own happiness unmolested; if they
would respect and obey the sacred obligations
Of the Constitution, and consult that real and
enlarged philanthropy which characterized the
revolutionary fathers; in short. If they would
practice that golden maxim Of christian moral-
ty which inculcates the duty of doing unto our
neighbor as we would that he should do unto
us-we could look to the future with confidence
and hope to reveal mighty people, distn-
guished for a higher development Of all the
godlike attributes Of our nature than is to be
found in the history Of time. Christ came in
to this world to teach the law and to redeem
US from our sins His lot was cast in the
midst of slaveholding community, and
vel He, the Son Of God, so far respected that
institution as never to denounce it even as an
evil, much less SIM The inspired Apostles
made it christian duty on the nart OF ser
wants to be true to .heir masters. Says st
Peter. Servants, be subject to your masters
with all fears not only to the good :nd gentle,
but also to the froward." Paul. in Rome.
found converted slave who had fed from
his master, and sent back with letter, de,
string the master to forgive his servant Ones
linus and lovingly 20 receive him again. But
all these ilstrious examples, all these chris
tan rules of conduct, seem to be lost upon
our nom laveholding. hacthren. Not content
with the wisdom and patriotism of our revo
lutionary s:res: not content with the forbear-
ance Of Christ and the incu,cations Of the A