The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1849-09-12
To he Editor of tie Camticn Journal;

To The EiiiiOr OF tie CaM!cn Journal;
|, strikes me hat as The fury Of the fanatics
of the North has increased against our n>tu-
! tiun ot African slavery, that the South has man,
| fes,rd some disposition 10 moderate her laws.
! and relax her discipli over Ihe save-and
even to elevate his intellectual, moral and social
status. Ihr habit O the North has been, and
is still, to charge the South with nhu.nanity aud
and wckr,!ncss in sustaining The Institution OF
/ siavery--tha! not only is slavery wrong in the
| abstract, but that The treatment OF The slave Is
very cruel. As if these Northern fanatics were
| honest in their statement ni the causes ol their
c!amors against us-a> if their oppn>l'ion really
spranu iom tender feelings Of humanity, and
! from religious principle in behalf "t The slave
aud as it we had been too severe in our laws
and discipline, even some prominent INDIVIDUALS
in this Stale have recommended IN public PrInt
change on this sub rcl,-a moderation OF our
penal code against The Offences OF the negro
Il relaxation of our discipline in regard 10 him,
and an elevation of his status in an intellectual
and social point OF view. Ali this | believe to
be false policy-as it is founded upon taIsehood
and false philosophy. deny that our penal
cole affecting the slave has heen too severe.
The penal code on the back slave Of The on'Ith
is not so severe as the penal code OF The North
on the white slave, or those that stand, IN point
of service, the same as the black slave oI the
South. For every offence the white slave ot
the North is liable, by law, to the same punish.
ment that his master is. Not so is the back
slave Of the Su!lh. He is not liable to the
same corporal punishment-and in no case
perhaps, from his social condition, so tar as his
mental feelings are concerned. The master
has pride ol character TO supPort--lhe BLACK
slave has little or none. The White slave IN
the Moth has character to support which IN
fact is to support him in procuring the means OF
Il livelihood. But | will present one among
other cases, in which the black slave OF the
South is in hrlrr legal condition than his
master is here in the South y master here
/ kills Il rchelous slave in the presence OF other
slaves, and while in the act ot killing whl'e
person becomes a witness To the Killing mol
having witnes ,rd the act of rebellion. The
, black slaves who saw the act "t rrhrlIlon are
! ncompctcnt witnesses in behalf OF the master,
! To prove the act of rebellion, aud bv the act OF
/ 1923 the master could not prove II by ms own
OATH as 4 white nan witnessed The k'iiInS.-
Cases of this kind have occurred, so thai II Is
not merely thing Of imasinall"n' Now, we
! will reverse the case, so far as the homcIcc Is
concerned. We will suppose that Il negro slave
! kills his master by accident even, alter having
manifested malice towards him at another linie,
and ohrra>lavrs witness tie killing an.i all the
/ circumstances that prove it +" have been ny
accidrn,-lhcir testimony is competent To ac'
Quit the slave of murder. Here, yon see, Is a
case in which, in a legal point of view, there is
greater security to the slave than TO his master.
and Il case in which even life is at stake and
/ il is Il case in which ihr master OF the North
would have the legal advantage over the master
I of the South For should the former lie on trial
for his life in such case. his white slaves wo'lId
be competent witnesses To prove all the cIIcnm'
stances that would make for his acqnIal. But
the criminal code OF The North bears heavily
again>, acts which The white slaves there are
/ more liable to commit than their masters; such