North Carolina standard., 1850-11-02


dered the more necessary, by the aggessions of the
free States npon our rights and interests, and by the
constantly increasing obligations upon us to keep a
strict watch oyer the habits and morals of slaves
Il is due to candor and justice to says that we have
among us some free persons Of color who worthy
and Industrious cizens and who deserve the respect
and confidence of the communities in which they res
pectvey resides bntas general rule this class Of our
population are vcious idIe and disordery, and there
fore dead weight upon the body polite. They con-
sumo, but produce nothing; and in additionto this
they corrupt our slaves and render the in many ln-
stances, insolent and insubordnate. Any law, look
ing to the removal of free persons Of color, would
necessarily operate hsrshIy upon that worthy portion
of them already referred to; bat law for this Pur-
pose would most probably be general. and theys we
apprehend, will be ultimately compelled to share the
same lot with the vicious and disorderly. We pro-
pose no plan on the subject. We merely allude to
it, in obedience to the demands of public sentiment,
leaving it to our Legislators 10 devise the plan and
apply the remedy for this growing evil. 1t may be,
however, that some measure may be adopted, which,
while it will rid the State of the great mass Of this
class of our population, will at the same time permit
those to remain, of certain age, (say beyond sixty
who can establish good character, or who may be
of property as the result of inheritance honest
ings This would operate as reward for well doing
to the industrious and deserving, and also off, by
the restriction as to age any chances for increase
of this kind of population.
One of the free States-Illinois-has already, by
Constitutional enactment, excluded free persons Of
color from coming within her limits; and Ohio is
about follow the example. The day is not Distant
,rha &c frao Sfokos
adopt similar course.
At the last session of the Virginia Legislature
law was passed appropriating $4,000 and leyying
tax of one dollar on each free colored man, to be
applied to the removal of this class of persons from
that State This appropriation of 100000 is an
nua one and il will doubt be increased in the fu
ture, if any increase shonld be necessary.
friend at our elbow suggests that nothing would
please him better than to every free colored per-
son in this State taken up bodily, and set down in
the od-fashioned, L1w-andorder State of Massachu-
setts. Such an event would create delectable stir
among the descendants of the Puritans. 1t might
serve to cool their affection for fugitive slaves, and
incline them restore the stolen property of the South
ern people. Or might visit them this score in
another shape, by offering premium of three or four
hundred dollars cash, to be paid on due proof from
the State Treasury, to each free negro who would
port himself within certain time as safely landed
the soil of a free State. This would diminish the
evil in our midst, and at the same time please and
gr4tIy our Northern fellow-citizens.
Ii is of the first Importance to the value of slave
property, well as TO the welfare and happiness of
the slaves themselves, that laws in relation to
them and to free persons of color, should be rgdly
enforced. We call upon the Magistrates, County
Attorneys, and the officers of the law to be yigant
and dligent in this NATTER and to that the laws
observed. We demand this of them, in the name
of the people, and By every considerations connected
with this subject, which address itself to their
of duty and their conscences. Our space will
not permit us at this time to point out the various
laws this subject but they well known those
charged with their execution. Among them, howey-
er, may allude to evils One is the hiring of
their own time by slaves; and the other, slaves GO
ing at large Sundays and at night without written
permits from their masters These evils
ought to be corrected and if the present law
the subject is not stringent enough, let it be
amended at the ensuing session By the s6th Chaps
of the Revised Statutes is made the duty of the
County Courts appoint PatroIlers in each year,
whose duty it shall be to patrol their respective dis
tricts and preserve order among the slaves Do the
Courts perform this duty2 Do they to it that
Patrollers, thus appointed by them, active vig-
lant and faithful?
We take the liberty of calling attention to anolher /
provision of our laws, on this subject. By the 18th
section of the Chapter on Crimes and Punshments, /
it is enacted that any person who shall knowingly .
bring into this State, with an intent tor circulate
knowingly circulate publish within this State any
written printed pamphlet paper, the evident
dency whereof would be to excite insurrecton,
spiracy, resistance in the slaves free negroes
and persons of color within this State or which shall
advise pursuade slaves free persons of color
conspiracy, resistance 'such person
30 offending shall be guilty OF feldny, and convc-
ion thereof shall, for the first Offences .sbe mprison
I'd not less than year and be put in the pilory
and whipped at the discretion of the Court; and for
The second offence shall suffer death without benefit
Of Clergy" Now this section ought to be altered,
in our humble opinion. so as to take away from such
person his benefit of Clergy, and thus subject him to
The death-punshment for the first offence. This is
The section under which The Reverend Messrs. Crooks
and Mcbride were indicted at Forsythe Court. Nc
Bride was convicted; and if the law had been as
strong ought have been made at first. instead
Of being large, he is, under light forfeit
nre by way of bail, the gallows would have risen up
before him as the merted end of his folly and crime.
We shall audeto this subject again, in its various
aspects; and in the meantime we hope our brethren
IF the Press will generally speak out and give to
their readers the benefit of their reflections and opin
ions upon this important matter The Legislature is
,houf IN Asaeble and our lav nm this suhiect viII