The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-29


North has many noble and generous souls.-
Men who, like Webster and Cass, Dickinson and
Winthrop,+ can soar in lofty eloquence beyond
the narrow prejndices 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 thousand crimes. We
speak only Of the usual and cOmmol effects OF
slavery and of equality. The Turk, half civilized
AZ he ia, exhibits the manly, noble and generous
traits Of character peculiar to the slave owner
he is hospitabie, 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 does slavery affect the condition OF the
slave? One Of the widest scots OF communists
in France proposes not only to hoda property
in common, but to divide the profits, not accord
ing to each mans input and labor, but according
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,
but according to his wants. The masters wants
are most costly and refined, and he therefore
gets a 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, and il
far happier, because although the concern may
fail, he is always sure OF n 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 family than without one,
and whether he live or die, that family will be
taken care of; he exhibits all the pride of own
ershp, despises partner in q smaller concern,
ga poor mans negro" boasts of our" crops,
horses, fields and cattle, and is as happy MS a
N L L., Avx1 ,h.,c I,< L..
he enjoys as much Of the fruits of the farm as
he is capable of doing, and the wealthiest can
do no more Great wealth brings many addi-
tional 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 war between master and
slave The masters interest prevents his re-
ducing 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
we'll 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. A state Of indepen-
dence always begets moro 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 rebellious; but slaves are
always dependent, never the rivals of their
| master. Hence though men Of en- are found at
variance with wife or children, we never saw one
who did not like his slaves, and rarely slave
who was not devoted to his master. 6 | am thy
slavew disarms me of the power of master.
Every man feels the beauty, force and truth of
this sentiment of Sterne's. But he who ac-
knowledges its truth, tacitly admits that DEEPEN
dence is tie Of affection, that the relation of
master and slave is one of mutual good will.
Volumes written on the subject would not prove
as much as this single sentiment. 1t has found
its way to the heart of every reader, and carried
conviction along with it. 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 out of ten, disarms
his wrath even when the slave has offended
The habit of command may make him imperous
and fit him for rule but he is only imperious
when thwarted or crossed by his equals he
would scorn to put on airs of command among
blacks, whether slaves or free ; he always speaks
TO them in kind and subdued tone. We 90
farther, and say the stakeholder is better than
others-because he has greater occasion for the
exercise of the affections His whole life is
spent in providing for the minutest wants of
others, in taking care of them in sickness and in
health. Hence he is tine least selfish of men.
Ia not the old bachelor who retires to secusion,
always selfish II not the head of large family
almost always kind and benevolent! And is
not the Shareholder the head of the largest
family! Nature compels master and slave to
BE 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, stnts and eradica:es them. In a
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 maxms. We
are better husbands, better fathers, better friends,
and better neghbors than our Northern brethren.
The tie of kindred to the fifth degree is often a
tie affection with us. First cousins are 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-
tnm In free society this sutstratum, 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 are the substratum, and the
masters feelings and interests alike prevent him
from bearing down upon and depressing them
With US the pressure on society is like that OF
air or water so equally dffused as not anywhere
to be felt With them It's the pressure Of the
enormous screw, never yielding, continually in
creasing Free laborers nre little better than
trespassers on this earth given by God to all
I. mankind The birds Of the air have nests, and
the foxes have holes, but they have not where
to lay their heads They are driven to cities to
! dwell in damp and crowded cellars and thous