The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-19

INV friend from Connecticut, [Ms BALDwiSl has
lust bundled me another reference, which Is alto
gether pertinent To the point. | read now
] from statue Of the State OF Virginia, passed De
cenlber 3, 1872, one section OF which - as foi
lows:
! 80 All free persons born within the territory Of
I this Commonwealth all persons not being natives
who have obtained right TO citizenship ui'dei
| former laws, and also all children, wheresoevei
born whose fathers or mothers or were cItI
zess at The time of the birth of such children, sla
| be deemed citizens of this commonwealth, until
they relinquish that character IN the manner heres
| matter mentioned. "
NV friend from Connecticut suggests that the orr
gnal law passed in 1878, contained the distinction
Of color and that the words sswhite persons" were
stricken out al the time this law re-enacted IN
1892 IL would thus seem that the old Common
| wealth Of Virginia, too has recognized coored
pc sons as citizens. With these authorities | will
once take leave OF the question, and not Tres
| pass further upon the time Of the Senate.
Mr. BUTLER am sorry am not so well
| prepared on this subject, either with ammunition
| in my own drawer or with such as is supplied by
my neighbors The senator from Massachusetts
| has read to us n letter from Captain Ranlett,
and have word to say on that point II you,
Mr.. President, as slaveholder---and believe
! may say il of the shareholders in general-had
found your servant in jail, as ! sometimes have
found nine in travelling the circuits, you would
not have permitted him TO remain there for mo-
ment, for you would have paid the money neces-
sary TO obtain his release; and yet this man who is
preaching to us on philanthropy, by his own con
fession found his own sailors ncarcerated under
a local law, and he suffered them there TO remain
! with the certainty on his mind that they were to
become slaves And lie Is to read lecture 10 US
and to the people Of the South on philanthropy! !
suppose these people or color were temporarily
placed in custody under local law until the cap
,ain of the vessel was ready TO leave the port and
| take them with him, and he basely abandoned his
| crew TO become slaves in South Carolina, rather
than pay small amount for their release; and YET
! he is the man who sends a letter here pratinS
about abuses under the local laws of the savehod-
ing portion of this community! Yes, sur we
have - RanIett on humanity, 'Ranlett on free-
dom, -" Ranlett on constitutional abuses, by a
man who would leave his own sailors, TO whom
he was bound by every tie which honor could I'M
pose--I speak Of g honor" sr---in jail, there to
rot. or to become slaves. And yet he is the man
who presents himself here censor moran, or
lecturer on philanthropy! Sir, what credit IS due
/ to a man who, by his own confession, has COM
mitted an act like that
| repeat sir, il had a body servant who had
1 been arrested by the patrol for being without q
| pass, az we call It, and committed to jail no mat
| ter what might be the hour, or what the inclem-
ency of the weather, would go to his rescue, and
take him out of custody by paying the money for
! his release But this Captain Rallett suffers his
4 own crew to remain in prison rather than pay a
| few dollars to release them! More than That, ne
subjected them TO the risk of being sold to slavery,
| and thus suffered the destiny Of human being to
| be controlled by his omission to do an act OF hui
manty! This, sir is pretty fair specimen OF
what they call philanthropy in some OF these Tree
States The difference between their theory ana
their practice could not be better illustrated than II
has been by the imposing document OF TINS capt
Ranlett, which the senator has just read To us.
shall not undertake to deny that such law
exists, or that under it persons are arrested; but
do not belive that under 1t any one was ever
sold into slavery And, sir, this discrimination VIII
exist as long the circumstances exist winch re-
qured its establishment Ii the senator from
Massachusetts knew the circumstances under
which this law was adopted, scarcely think he
would persist in the course he is pursuing. II he
did his position would be very like that OF the
man who was up in the portcn, when the escaped
lion was tearing the people to pieces, +" Looking
down upon the scene, his only exclamation was,
g How glad am that am up stairs!' Laugh
ter So long as Massachusetts is not subject to
the hazards to which the Southern States are ex-
posed he may feel quite s. glad that he Is up
stairs and satisfy himself with that consolation
Why sir, the city of Charleston would have been
committed to the flames, it's citizens murdered !,
and crimes which cannot name committed, thro'
| the murderous and incendiary arrangement for an
nsurrection, made through this very class OF per-
sons, who cameinto the city to delude and deceive
the slaves who are better off than themselves, but
| for Il timely discovery of the plot. And yet the
| burning of cities the murder OF men, and the COM
mission of other more horrid crimes, seem to stand
rs nothing in the way of honorable gentlemen
who choose to PHILOSOPHERS about abstract philan-
thropy But for this agatlon, believe we should
have gone on amicably in our legislation between
the different States, but the South never will be
driven to any course by the arguments of your
Captain Ranlets.
Mr.. DAVIS, of Mississippi. While Temporal
| rily absent from my seat, am informed that the
senator from Massachusetts read letter referring
| personally to myself Now, lay no claim to
the amount of intelligence which his correspon-
dent seems to award to me, but do claim to have
| used due caution IN getting Information Before
| made that statement here, made inquiry among
| those best informed on the subject; and learned
that the arrests of free persons OF color, coming
| in vessels to the ports named, had been OF those
| persons who had been on shore, and thus vlola-
| ted the police regulations which the absolute ne
cessy OF the case had required these cities to es-
tablish--pollce regulations to prevent the murder
of the inhabitants, and the burning of the city by
incendiaries prompted by fanatics Laser than the
slaves whom they use as instruments for arson
and murder. The senator from Massachusetts
read the letter: | ask him does he endorse 1t!
Mr.. WINTHROP. do not understand what
| the senator means by endorsing it,.
| Mr. DAVIS, of Mississippi. Does he adopt
| the statement as his own
| Mr.. WINTHROP. Certainly not know
nothing of the statement the person, further
than the letter itself furnishes evidence. read
the letter as received it by due course of mail.
And showed it to the senator from Mississippi
before read it to the Senate, and therefore have
taken no advantage of his absence.
/ Mr. DAVIS, of Mississippi. ! am not in the
habit of reading letters to the Senate unless l can
youch for the truth OF what they contain. am
not in the habit of parading my private cores
i pondence before the Senate, or of attempting to
impugn the statements Of my brother senators
here by letters from those whom am not pre-
pared to endorse.
With modcum of intelligence only, had not
so much creduilty as to credit the statements on
which the senator relies. l therefore made IN
quiries in quarters believed to be most reliable
aud arrived at the conclusion that the statements
(, of the letter which was read by the Senator were
unfounded--absolutely false. | know something
personally Of portion of what is involved in this
assertion. | reside so near to New Orleans, ant
I visit il so often, it being my market town, as Z
! have some opportunity TO know what is dom
! there. There are two senators upon this floo
who know more about il than myself There ar
two senators who can speak for Charleston, ant
the presiding officer can speak for Mobile. be
IL To, ,e n less