The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-30

Van Buren, insidiously striking with reptile fangs
ut the South, excite in all bosoms hatred and
contempt; but we will not indulge in sweeping
accommodation In public and in private life, the
North has many noble and generous souls
Men who, like Webster and Cass, Dickinson and
Winthrop,* can soar in lofty eloquence beyond
the narrow preindices Of time and place, see man
in all his relations, and contemn the narrow
morality which makes the performance OF one
duty the. excuse for a thousand crimes we
speak only Of the usual and commor effects OF
slavery and of equality. The Turk, half civilized
as he is. exhibits the manly, noble and generous
traits of character peculiar to the slave owner
he IL hnspitable, generous, truthful, brave, and
strictly honest In many respects he Is the finest
specimen Of humanity To be found in the world
But the chief and far most important enquiry
is how Dies slavery affect the condition OF the
i slave One Of the widest sects of communists
in France proposes not only to holdall property
in common, but to divide the profits, not accord
ing to each mans input and labor, but according
4 to each mans wants Now this is precisely the
system Of domestic slavery with us We pro-
vide for each slave, in old age and IN infancy, in
sickness and in health, not according to his labor
! butaccording to his wants. The masters wants
are most costly and refined, and he therefore
gets larger share of the profits. a Southern
farm is the beau ideal Of communism; it is a
| Joint concern, in which the slave consumes more
than the master, of the coarse products, AMI Il
far happier, because although tho concern may
! fail, he is always sure of support; he is only
transferred to another master to participate in
the profits of another concern he marries when
he pleases, because he knows he will have TO
work no more with a family than without one,
/ and whether he live or die that family will be
taken care of; he exhibits all the pride of own
ership, despses partner in smaller concern,
Ga poor mans negro" boasts Of our" crops,
horses fields and cattle, and il as happy as a
1 human being can be. And why should ne not
| he enjoys rs much of the fruits Of the farm as
| he il capable of doing, and the wealthiest can
| do no more Great wealth brings many addi-
tnnal cares, but few additional enjoyments.--
| Our stomachs do not Increase in capacity with
our fortunes We want no more clothing to
keep US warm. We may create new wants, but
we cannot create new pleasures. The intellec-
tual cnioyments which wealth afford are proba-
| bly, balanced by the new cares it brings along
with it,
There is no rivalry, no competition to get
employment among slaves, as among free labor
rs Nor is there q war between master and
slave. The masters interest prevents his re-
ducinr the slaves allowance or wages in infancy
or sickness, for he might lose the slave by so
doing His feeling for his slave never permits
him to stint him in old age The slaves are all
well fed well clad, have plenty Of fuel, and are
happy. They have no dread of the future--no
fear of want A state of dependence is the only
condition in which reciprocal affection can exist
among human beings. The only situation in
which the war Of competition ceases, and peace,
amity and good will arise. state Ct indepen-
dence always begets more or less OF jealous
rivalry and hostility. A man loves his children
because they are weak, helpless and dependent =
he loves his wife for similar reasons. When his
children grow up and assert their Independence.
he is apt to transfer his affection to his grand
children. He ceases to love his wife when she
becomes masculine or rebel!lous; but slaves are
always dependent, never the rivals OF their
master. Hence, though men Of en- are found az
variance with wife or children, we new, saw one
who did not like his slaves and rarely n slave
who was not devoted to his waser. :" am thy
slavem disarms me of the power of master
Every man fe is the beauty, force and truth OF
this sentiment of Sterne's. But he who nc.
knowIedges its truth, tacitly admits that DEEPEN
dence is a tie of affection, that the relation of
master and slave is one of mutual good will
Volumes written on the subject woud not prove
~ much as this single sentiment. 1t has inand
its way TO the heart Of every reader, and carried
conviction along with il. The stakeholder is
like other men; he will not tread on the worm
nor break the bruised reed. The ready submis.
sion Of the slave, nine times ont of ten disarTs
his wrath even when The slave has offended
The habit Of command may make him impprious
and fit him for rul but he is only hyperion.
when thwarted or crossed by his equals he
would scon 10 pnt on airs of command among
blacks. whether slaves or free he always speaks
10 them in kind and subdnrd tone. We 90
farther, and saw the Shareholder il better than
othnrs-berause he has greater occasion for the
exercise of the affections. His whole lie is
spcqt in providing for the minrtest wants Of
| Others, in taking care Of them H. Sickness and in
health. Hence he j. the least selfish of men.
Il not the old bachelor who retires 10 seclusion
always selfish? IL not the head of large family
almost always kind and benevolent And is
not the STAKEHOLDER the head Of the largest
family! Nature comnels master and slave 10
he friends; nature make employers and free Ia
borers enemies.
The institution of slavery gives full develop
ment and full play to the affections. Free so
coety chills, stnis and eradicases them. In
homely way the farm will support all, and We
are not in hurry TO send our children into the
world, to push their way and make their for
tunes, with capital Of knavish maxims. We
are better Husbands, better fathers better friends
and better ncighbors than our Northern brethren.
The tie of kindred 10 the fifth degree is often
lie affection with us. First cousins IRE scarcely
acknowledged at the North. and even children
are prematurely pushed off into the world
Love for Others is the organic law Of our society,
as self-love is Of theirs.
| Every social structure must have its substra
tum. In free society this SUI stratum, the weak,
| poor and ignorant, is borne down upon and OPP
| pressed with continually Increasing weight by
! all above. We have solved the problem of re-
| lieving this substratum from the pressure from
above The slaves RE the substratum, and the
masters feelings and interests alike prevent him
from bearing down upon and depressing them.
| With ~ the pressure on society rs like that Of
mir or water, 80 equally diffused ne not anywhere
| to be felt. With them It's the pressure Of the
enormous screw, never yielding, continually In.
creasnr Free laborers are little better than
trespassers on this earth given by God to oil
mankind. The birds of the mir have nests, and