Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1851-01-23

have thought the policy Of the Nortl
too eneroaching either upon ques
: tons relating to what they tern
their peculiar institutions, which i
, their euphonious description Of Sla
very, or when we should feel justel
sympathy with them upon question:
relating TO the protection of the
Northern manufactures in opposition
to liberal commercial policy, thet
have not only held the very highest
tone in favor OF a dissolution Of the
Union, but have proceeded to over
acts Of resistance. / am bound tc
say that spent my time there very
pleasantly. There was much gaiety
and unbounded hospitality. have
made no disguise o. what my opin.
ions upon Slavery were, are, and
ever must be; but it would be uncan.
did to deny that the planter in the
Southern States has much more in
his manner and mode OF intercourse
that resembles the English country
gentleman than any other class OF
his countrymen; he is more EASY,
companionable, fond Of country life
and out Of door pursuits. l went
with a remarkably agreeable party
TO spend a day at the rice plantation
of one of their chief propIietors; he
had the credit Of being an excellent
manager, and his negroes, young and
old, seemed well taken care of and
looked after; he repeIled the idea, not
Of educating them-that is highly
penal by the law Of the State-but
of letting them have any religious
instruction. was told by others
that there was considerable improve
ment in this respect. Many whom
| met entertained no doubt that Sla-
very would subsist among them for
ever, others were inclined to think
that it would wear out. While /
was willing not TO shut my eyes to
any Of the more favorable external
symptoms or mitigations of Slavery,
other indications could not come
across my path without producing
deep repugnance. On the very first
night Of my arrival heard the deep
sound Of a curfew bell; on inquiry,
| was told that after it had sounded |
every night at about nine O'Clock, no
colored person, slave or free-mark |
that!-might be seen in the streets. !
One morning, accordingly,I saw !
great crowd Of colored persons in |
the street, and | found they were
waiting to see large numbe: OF
their color, who had been taken up
the night before on their return from
a ball, escorted in their ball dresses
from the gaol TO the courthouse.
Indeed, it was almost principally
with relation TO the free blacks that
the anomalous and indefensible work
ing Of the system appeared there TO
develop itself. | was told that the
slaves themselves looked down upon
the free blacks, and called them rub
bish. | must not omit to state that
| saw one slave auction in the open
street, arising from the insolvency of
the previous owner; a crowd stood
round the platform, on which sat the
auctineer, and beside him were
placed in succession the lois Of from
one to five negroes. The families
seemed 10 be all put up together, but
| imagine they must often be separa-
ted. They comprised infants and all
ages. As far as | could Judge, they
exhibited great indifference TO their
changing destiny. | heard the auc-
tioneer tell one old man, whom
could have hardly distinguished from
a white person, that he had been
bought by a good master. One
could not help shuddering at the
future lot Of those who were not
the subjects Of this congratulation.
la point of neatness. cleanliness and
order, the Slaveholding States ap,
peared to stand in about the same
relation TO the Free as Ireland does
10 England; eve rything appears
'lovenly, ill-arranged. incomplete:
windows do not shut, doors do not
Tasien; there is a superabundance OF ;
hands 10 do everything, and little is
thoroughly done. L
Passing from the physical TO the j
moral atmosphere, amid all the vaun-
ed equality of the American free
men, there seemed 10 be more implicit
difference TO custom, more passive ,
submission to what is assumed to be !
he public opinion Of the day or hour, /
han would be paralleled in many
or even despotic commu-
mites. This quiet acquiescence in
he prevailing tone, this complete
lbnegation Of individual sentiment,
$ naturally most perceptible in the
lomain of politics; but l thought !
hat it also in no inconsiderable de-
,ree pervaded the social circle, bias !
ed the decisions OF the judicial bench, ),
I 4 - u