The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-23

NC 10 orother OF anctler editor OF the sam
name, who formerly conducted little paper il
Cairo, Illinois. We never knew much of eithe
OF them, and very near nothing at all, since boy
hood Soon after the lecture of the senior edi
tor OF this paper appeared on "the North and tn,
South" the story in substance which now ap
pears on the authority of Professor SAUNDERS
editor of the Memphis paper, appeared in tn.
Cairo paper. 1t was copied from that into the
New York Tribune, where We first saw it, and
we replied to it through that print. The attack
and reply We're re-published in many So utherr
papers in lS49, so that Professor SAUNDERS is
not so great an antiquarian as he imagines, OF
as his Georgia copyist takes him to be.
But let US look at the graphic" sketch We
are told by the Professor that he recolects the
time when we would not wear cotton in any
form, nor take sugar in tea or coffee, nor touch
any Southern product, because it was raised
by slaves. Now, perhaps the case was a
little different, as appears from the following,
just received in the Louisville Journalistic
pious puritan editor Of which, has distressed
himself more about us, than any bodyelse
"The editor of the Southern Press says that
ne never was at any time an Abolitionist and
that " on the slavery question he has maintained
a consistency whchhe is ready to compare with
that OF any other man."
The only inference from such language is that
Fisher has always maintained the opinions he
now espouses in relation to negro slavery. This
however, is not so. We knew him we'll for
pUTeI Ub nn hn . .
slavery, that he would not use any of the pro-
ducts of slave labor. At that time he would
not drink cup of coffee or wear a cotton shirt
Like all other apostates, he had no sooner aban-
doned his principles than he flew off to the op-
posite extreme, and from being an ultra anti
slavery man and thinking it sinful to consume
Il spoonful OF sugar to sweeten his porridge, he
became pro-slavery man and pretends to think
that slavery is the only nursery of all manly vir-
tues.
As we look back to that period of our life
with pride and pleasure, as we'll as to the whole
of our past career, we are rather obliged to our
assailants for this renewed attention to it.
Our parents, who belonged to the society of
Friends, removed from Eastern Virginia in the
fall of 1916, when We were just eight years of
age. Like other members of that society, they
were opposed to slavery, and removed chiefly
on that account. In that faith, of course, We
were educated A considerable portion of that
society then and now, refrains from using the
products of what they call slave labor On ar
irving at the age of nineteen, the period to
which Professor SAUNDERS and the saint of the
Louisville Journal refer, we directed our atten-
ton to the question of slavery, and became con-
WINGED that there were many other kinds of
slavery besides the African. We were particu-
arly struck with the white slavery of the North
ern States, and of Europe, ard Of Asia and
decided that if it vas proper to reject the pro-
ducts of African slavery, such as sugar, cotton,
and coffee, it was equally proper to reject those
of white or brown slavery, such as factory goods,
both cotton and ,ooollen-and also tea. And
we therefore adopted a costume as far as prac
ticable, of domestic household manufacture
the cloth for which we purchased from the
country women, who brought it to Cincinnati
for sale. And we take some credit for repudi-
atng, alone, at that early age, the frivolous dis
eihStioi tS"NSSA PpuuSI VI OHS hiUu VI
slavery and another. But we do not claim too
much credit. Being Virginlan by BIRTH we
were constantly liable to hear reproach on her
institution of slavery from Northern people
We retorted on Northern white slavery.
AS for carrying "these opinions to the most
ludicrous eXcesses," that is matter of taste, on
which professors will disagree. We think We
always had a full proportion of wit and fashion
on our side We carried our primitive costume
without hesitation into society the most re-
fined, the most fashionable, and the most excIu
sive, Of the cities of Ohio and Kentucky We
maintained our position intact among the bellies
and beaux of the day. We claim to have re-
ceived our full share of the smiles of beauty
and of taste, our full share of the pleasures and
advantages of intellectual and social life
1t is the first impression ofevery body who con-
sders slavery, that it iscaused by the master that
it Ia naked exercise ofpower; and that this power
lnvades the right & those on whom it is exertcd,
and therefore that slavery is wrong. The next
question is, why is such power exerted, and
the answer is, because the master desires to in.
dulge In more than his share Of the pleasures
and luxuries of lfe and hence, resorts to the sub
lection of others to provide them. On this view
of the case it would become a duty to abstain
from all superauity, because by so doing an ex-
ample of moderation and sef-denial is given,
which dispenses with the use of slavery. And
hence simplicity and economy Of dress and diet,
would seem to absoye man from response
bity for slavery. But another question arises.
Is one man or one race doomed without re-
dcmpton to the control of another? or is this
subsection, the result Of vice in the slave? If
the latter, slavery is not caused by the master,
but by the slave. And he alone Is responsible,
since vice is voluntary.
Such was the conclusion ut which we arrived
on rejecting upon the subject, and that quite
promptly, for ore so young. For we never wore
but one suit on the conclusion we had previously
adopted. It was very good and durable suit,