The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-11-18

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hesrths. They were rooted out by the sys,em,
they could not bear to live and bring up their
children where labor was dishonorable, and they
have gone. by thousands to open the forests Of
the Far West, and clothe her wide prairies with
abundant harvests. md where once dwelt these
families Of hardy, brave yeomen, are now sin
gle family Of shareholders and hundred slaves;
the very condition of ancient Rome under the
emperors, and the very cause, historians tell
US, Of her terrible downfall.
The following observations, also by Mr..
Hardin of Nelson, contain an important truth,
wellexpressed.
"When old Boon stood upon the Allegheny
summit, and looked for the first time upon the
West, spread out in glory before him, could it
have entered into his heart that his blood should
be shed, and his life be expended to redeem a
land from which his own descendants were to be
driven to exile and poverty The gloomy thought
would have darkened over his path lk a curse
| it would have poisoned TO him the Joys OF the
chase, and the raptures OF the woods. The sons
OF these pioneers, from the great West, where
they are now toiling for place on which to rest
their heads, may look back to their distant and
beautiful State with the same lingering affection
with which an lonian Greek is said TO have look
ed TO Attica. But the home of their fathers Is in
thehands ofstrangers. III rejoice not at such a
result, am opposed TO the interest of my State?
Sir, 1t seems that, at the present day, all things
are preferred our own race. We are permitted
to legIslate for the improvement of everything.
except for that Of the human creature-the fair
est counties Of our State are being depopulated-
between the negro, the mule, and the fattetl
Durham. The portly grazier mounts his steed
Of interminable pedigree, and courses daily over
his broad acres; including a territory where, in
many places, might once have been seen the blue
sIaoke rising from the tenements Of ireemen-
but now all Is gwen over to the possession OF his
huge bullocks and unsightly stock. Nay in his
lordly rounds, his horses hoof at times clatters
upon the very hearth stone of what was once a
sported freedom children, is now trodden under
the feet OF hideous mules. IL would SEEM We
were almost approaching the spirit of the old
Egyptians, who looked not for Gods except in
the brute creation. The worship of Apis has
again appeared upon earth, and a second time is
a land found ready to fall PROSTATE before TIT
presence of "a deifed OK. Old Aaron's golden
calf should now preside over the affairs of the
land. Sir, il such a policy correct1 Has the
State no interest in her children? Are not heI
sons dearer to her than the negro and the mule
From their distant exile, do not their feeling,
yet turn to this land7 IL the visions of danger
that haunt the gentlemen are true, would il moi
be we'll TO have such sons gathered around hel
in her perill The love of country is a deep ano
thrilling cord TO strike upon-it is the strong
castle OF nations power-it is the last feeling
that gives up the garrison of the human heart
The patriarch Of old. when drawing to his close
in distant land Of servitude, called his descend.
ants around him, and adjured them, under the
solemnities Of an oath, TO take him back 10 his
own promised land. and bury him in the "cavs
Of Macphelah," for he would "sleep with his
fathers" Sir, that was the voice Of nature
the latest breath of expiring humanity is con-
sumed in giving IL utterance. How impregna.
Bile would the ramParts of a country be when
guarded by such power.
We close our extracts with a most significant
and pertinent one from Mr.. Harding, of Green.
II is plain talk, and fearfully true Senator I'm.
derwood, we remember, uttered the same
thoughts with equal boldness, during that shame.
full harlequinade, the trial of Mr. Adams.
"Bu., sir, the gentleman from Breckenridge
Mr.. Calhoun) has told US, 'that slavery is :
blessing, that he would difnse it, and that in do
ing so, no dangers whatever are TO be appre-
hended from instructions" &c. Can this be so
Sir, how does the master maintain his dominion
4 over the slave at this momentl Is there not in
The breast OF the slave an innate love Of liberty
Is not fear the chain that binds him. Is moi
the service he renders involuntary and extorteC
from hint And Is IL not the consciousness in
the slave, Of superior force on the part Of the
white man, that now holds the slave In subiec.
ton. and causes him reluctantly TO bow his IN.
willing neck and bear the yoke of bondage7-
The relative proportion Of the white and slave
population in Kentucky, is at this time abou,
six to one. There are six free white men, 70,
one negro slave Suppose, sir, you reverse il;
sdePf the gsntiemsn's policy, and give MS six
orswny athletic slaves, for every white man in
The State, and that very moment sir, Won break
into thousand fragments, the chain that now
holds the slave. In such a state Of things, SUD.
pose an instruction Of the slaves to take place
the master has become timid and fearful. the
slave bold and daring; the white men oyerpow-
cred with sense Of superior numbers on the
part of the slaves, cannot be embodied together.
every man must guard his own hearth and fiji
side. No man would even dare, for an hour, 10
leave his own hsbitation; If he did, he would
expect on his return to find his wife and chill
dren massacred. But the slaves, with but little
more than the shadow Of opposition before them.
armed with the consciousness Of superior force
and superior numbers on their side-animated
by the hope Of liberty, and maddened with the
spirit OF revenge, embody themselves together
in every neighboraood, and furiously march over
the country, visiting every neighborhood with
all the horrors Of civil war and bloodshed
Ind thus the yoke would be transferred from
the black to the white man, and the master fall
bleeding victim 10 his own slave.
Would not even the gentleman from Breck
enridge then have slavery to his hearts content
Would not the blessing, as he calls il, be then
sufficiently diffusedl
Sir, the scenes that l have been endeayoripg
to describe, are not the mere work of fancy.
they have taken place again and again; and IL il
the part of prudence and wisdom, to adopt such
| course OF policy as will guard us against them
and such believe is the policy Of the law Of
1888" VI
We are reminded by these observations of Mr..
| Harding, of the remarks of an intelligent friend
who lately spent some weeks in his native Ken
lucky, after an absence of many years. He
had been IN some of the finest parts of the
State, had spent some time with his friends on
several OF the finest estates in Kentucky, and
on which, to his own knowledge, the slaves were
old family servants, and treated with kindness
and gentleness that could not be surpassed
everything done for them, in short that could be
done for slaues, and yet he AYERS that in his
whole visit, he did not see any where a content.
cd facial was lowering, brooding, and dis
contented-all looked dark and dangerous. The
lew apparent exceptions were but striking Illus
trations Of BuIke's famous remark, "When Won
have made contented slave, you. have maslp a
degraded man." and Of the still older one of the
father and prince of poets, 200 years ago, that