The southern press., 1850-10-08

1 wy 'ts4 v!a.past . 9:oooy peFo1
N .ssis 'sIhish 2viIl aiAs gladness through ths
/ vlIcIe fajijiy Il man. M who can predict that
| - *s.ible sxerioaf Refrataing, however, from 4
sl&cuIaton on that Providence that usy ~, let us
look at the facts Of that Providence which kss
4 been.
And what has il been' We qaote from Bryan
Edwards. the English historian Of the West In
dies. He Gays: s'The slavery Of some part or
the human race. in very abject degree, has ex-
ssed in all ages Of the world among the most criII
zed, M we'll az the most barbarous nations. Per
haps like pain. poverty, sickness and sorrow, and
all the various other calamities OF our eOndstien
may have been originally Htsy,Coren into The co'sfi-
tstica Of The wevtd, roa svRsOsEs InscRurAsLr TO
MAN."
Thus wrote the historian while contemplating
the varied condition Of mankind, and recording
that Of part. Thirty-six years have rolled
away, and truth remains the same. And other
testimony has aee0mulate1 20 convince the world
that the sentiment Of thA illussrious Edmund
Burke il true--"TsAT slavery ~ WEED THAT
GROWS IN kvxaY son." For, but six years have
elapsed, since the Rev. Hsnry Coleman, citizen
Of Massachusetts, gave hiatseaimony to the Nset
Of the unsltsrsd and s.a'st.se1 condition Of .
part Of the "human species.
In his work on European Aericultare and Rn-
raj Ecnnomy," he says: "Ths condition Of the
laboying agriculttwaI ctGss, - certainly, in many
parts Of England ereeediAgtv depre~ed, and though
in frequent instances, u psy be coAed comfortable,
in few that have aeen can te called prospeross.
Their labor IL not entraordin :1iy areTs; they are
by no means treated with unkindness, or excepting
tkrosgh the miybrtuMe qf the III temper Of The en-
pjoser WITH SEVERITY. (Quere. May not this
| sentence be written, and truly Of our slaves ,
They are decently clad, and there is great amount
Of active benevolence every where at work, 10 as
sst then and to alleviate their distress IN sickness
and misfortune. Bur THEY ARE vERY POORLY
FED; with many exceptions, they ere crsteAedly
lodged; their rdges are inadequate TO their comfort
able support, asd their situations q6srs li1Is no
Aope Of improvement; at least, the power Of making
it better does not rest where it should, WITH THEM
SELVES
These last lines may be an accurate description
Of slavery. II exists in England--t exists in the
older free States-it must exist in every demseiy
peopled nation, whether all are called FREE not.
The weed, slavery, shoots up spontaneously.
That the poor shall never cease out Of the land,
is maxim Of divine truth. And the root Of sla-
very forms and shoots ur frOn poverty, AZ from
a soil. The genius Of man, aided by all the power
Of man, cannot extirpate it. 1t will be the fate of
some part OF our species TO DO sspoOrly fed'--to
be "wretchedly lodged ITO make wages s'inade-
qua,e to their comfortable support land to be
devoid ofsthe power "of making their situation
better,'' 2 by any means resting ''in themselves"
These particulars constitute unmitigated stapery,
which is most bitterly and remorseessly mocNed
at when il is called freedom. And this is the free
dom Of the agricultural laborers Of England Of
England, pretending to effect the ssabolition Of
slavery throughout the world" Whited sepul-
chre, disgOurge your own rottenness and putre-
faction Why seek your. objects OF charity
abroad, while millions cry, and shver, and hunger,
and starve within your bosom! And let New
England, and New York especially, heed and re-
spond to this question. Let indeed, all the free
States, sentimental knight-errants and crusaders as
they are against the Southern States, in this mod
ern fanatcism Of benevoIence, first purge them
selves Of poverty and crime, and then set up their
bright example 10 US. Then may they be "a God"
to us. 81
But that the actual-the practical slavery Of
England-(nOt in c tics-in manufactures-but
in the cowntry-in the pursuit of agriculture)-
should want no incident to complete its picture, the
Rev Narrator proceeds 81 To my mind, it is OBJ
vous, that no great improvement can take place IN
the character and condition Of the laboring popula
ton, while they remain distinct and sERviLE
class, wtout any potcer Of rising abore their co'd
lion. Atpresent the most imaginative and san
gune, see no probability Of their rising above their
condition--of being anything but laborers, or Of
belonging 10 any other than sERvlLE AND DEPEND-
Ekr CLASS. The low state of their wages abso-
luteIy forbds the accumulation of property. They
cannot own any Of the soil which they cultivate.
The houses which they occupy, belong not TO
themselves, and they may at any time be turned
out of them. They must ask Leave to lire; or they
must take il by violence plumber irhen they sciU
not be suffered 10 lire. Their cniy HOME in the GRAVE,
| and cren their repose here, is not al,coys secure
Such is the picture Of Old England slavery,
drawn by the pen of Rev'd. New England gen.
tleman And it is " ptiful-wondrous pitfdl."
But, people of the South! read it, Does African
slavery" amongst us, present horrors, so repul-
sve. Does it not rather exhibit picture of hap
piness, plenty, and contentment, dsfgured by no
evils to excite the commsserasson OF the merciful,
which are not found in the lot Of the indigemt free
Does the African slave (" ask ledrc to lire !; His
masters interest it is, to prolong his feto pre-
serve his health, his vgor--to arouse his sensibl-
lity, and fix his attachment, his fidelity In the
inf,mity Of age, or in the debility of sickness. he
finds home, (and the soaces Of benevolent. almost
parental assiduity,) on this side Of the grave,
guarded by masters care. And when he dies
his last Nords are a blessing on his master. Tru-
ly, "African slavery "has been blessing to the
race, collectively and Individually Its form and
character, here amongst us, has been moulded and
softened by the genius and spirit of christianity,
and the smile Of God rests like mantle of light
upon it.
Is it declared to be an element in his misery,
that the slave can never rise above his condition?
The answer is ready. The same impossibility
weighs down the masses in all denseiy populated
free States For is said and admitted that (" the
laboring population remain distinct and SER
VILE class, rithout amy pocer Of rising a6ore their
condition. "
But lit is an exasperaton Of misery to be called
fre-to be allowed in theory to aspire to rise, and
vet in the fact 10 be weighed down by burdens
which cannot be thrown off--to be surrounded by
obstacles which cannot be removed---to feel op-
pressed by the contemplation of unconquerabe
impossbties. These some of the mseries
that man is g born unto ''-and some part of the
species must inevitably experience them to grea-
ter extent than others. They fall promiscuously,
in the diversified allotments Of Providence. But
the African slave feels none Of the keen unrest Of
ambition, nor sighs and droops under its disap-
pontments. He floats on the calm under-current
of existence, and finds shelter and repose under
the interest and affection OF his master. To su-
perior race, he yields the tribute Of an easy sub
mission, and feels his tolls compensated by realIz-
ing a comfortable support and bene6cient pro-
tcction Is not his condition superior TO, and more
envinble than that, Of more than half of mankind
But can the sons Of Africa and the sons OF Eu-
rome, under the name Of Americans, mingle on
the footing Of perfect equality Of politi al condi-
ton, Look into the interior Of the society of the
free States! If there you find sentiment Of equal