The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-07

toidnient and deplore the necessity OF hol'
] ling our fellow-men in bondage" As Nor
zoe, with less fervor. but with equal conf
lience declared; sWe have found that hi
evil has proved upon the very vitsls Of tn
Union; and has been prejudicial 70 all th
States in which it has existed" Gentlemen
think you claim to belong 10 tie JeffeI
sonian school Of democra.s. Ii is not 70
me 70 dispute the Justice OF that claim
But pray you. let me recall TO your recol
lection the lessons upon this subject, Of tn
great mas;er Of that school. The question
before Us is simply this; is slavery an evil
| am seeking TO illustrate it by the opinions
| OF great statesmen. l do not know tina
lany one has expressed himself with creates
Iclearness or force than Thomas jefferson
Alter long enumeration Of various evils O
slavery In its disastrous Influences, moral
soeiaf, political. he gives vent to bis feel
|ingsi in this burst Of eloquent insectiye--
What en- incomprehensible machine /,
man, who can endure toll, famine, stripes,
Imprisonment and death itself. in vindica
lion of biz own liberty. and the next mo-
ment be deaf TO all those motives, whose
power supported him through his trial-and
infict on his fellow-men bondage, one
hour 81 which is fraught with more misery
than ages Of that which he rose in rebellion
10 opposel" What, think you. would this
great teacher say, if be were to appear to.
day among US, and hear his disciples deny
that slavery is an evil What, il be should
read these strange words OF one OF these
disciples: "We are not yet certain that our
boosted liberty and equality may not turn
out more theory than fact. The great ne
cessity Of mankind, after all, is home,
food and raiment. When man has secur-
ed the possession OF thess. ne can consider
the gloIies Of liberty and equality" And
another, who still chung to the principles Of
This great statesman. should ask. would
you rather have a home, food, and rsiment,
and be ,lavei-or go forth wunderer,
hungry ami naked, and be freem an!"-
And then the first should eoolly answer,
ASK the man starving for bread that ques-
ZION, and see what he will answer! Esau
oree sold his birthright for a mess Of pot
tage!" What, think you. would the old
Patriarch sayi think he would say, LIB.
erty is better than bread-slavery In worse
than hunger and nakeness." think he
would say, "Esau's is poor example for
free man and christian to follow Sirs,
you have appealed 10 Scripture. Do you
the company 10 which il classes
the exemplar you have chosen--the charac-
ter il ascIibes to him-snd The warning il
derives from both! "Look diligently, lest
there be any fornicator, or profane person,
as Esau, who for one morsel Of meat sold
his birthright." You had better be careful
how you quote scripture on any part Of this
subject.
: The venerated statesmen, 10 whom have
were all natives OF Virginia, and
all shareholders. They had grown up in
the midst Of masters and their slaves-they
had been familiar with the influences OF
slavery 1om their childhood-and these
opinions were expressed in the maturity Of
manhood, or the ripper wisdom OF old eye.
Do they shed no light upon the question
before US! do not ask you. if they settle
it. But appeal to every sobeE.minded
man, who may read what am writing, and
| ask him, if they do not form good link,
TO begin with, in the chain of testimony and
argument, by which propose to prove that
slavery is an evil
One of the grounds on which they held
il to be Gin evil, in common with our best
statesmen Of the present day, respects its
influence upon the wealth, industry and
general prosperity Of the country. There
are various forms in which this influences
exhibits itself, and in them all, il is seen to
be disastrous. Some of them are more OBJ
vious than others-some OF them are more
hurtful than Others. but all OF them are
clearly injurious. Have you any doubt
for example--does any intelligent, candid,
and observing man doubt that the tendency
Of slave labor is to impoverish the soil?
do not say that this is the absolute result
everywhere, in every neighborhQod, onevery
farm. or plantation. But say. this is the
general tendency. 1t matters not for oul
present purpose, whether the reason Of i
is found in the negligence, and slothfulnes'
of the slave. in the habits OF self-indulgenc.
and inatrention to his business on the par
OF the master which the possession Of slaves
is so apt to engender, or in anything els'
whatever, if toe fact be so. Some have
thought they found it in the decree of Pfovi
dence, which frowns upon oppression and
favors liberty, and therefore causes th'
sweat Of the slave to harden the soil and de
stroy its power to produce. am not con
cerned, Just now, about the philosophy o
the thing. The fact is sufficient. No
can you weaken the s'gument derived from
it, by referring to the rich lands Of Ken
lucky, which the slave has not yet exhaust
ed. Look at Eastern Virginia, where ih'
system has had time to work GU. its desola
tingrescIts. What mean her wasted fields
given up to the pine and broom straw? Sh'
started fairly with New Englsnd--nay. witt
better soil, better climate, and peopl
not inferior to any on earth, for some Of tn
best elements Of character. Now look q
her; compare the face OF her country with tn
other. Her soil is gone. The land is worl
out, and thrown away, as TO thousands Q
its best acres. say. her slaves have eatel
out its life. II not, pray you, tell M
what has done il. Perhaps. you csn Civ
some other reason, why the sterile lands o
New England, where there are no slaves
have been growing better and more produc
tive from the beginning, while this riche
land has been steadily growing poorer an
poorer, until SO much OF il is now worth