The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-06
The True Friends Of tho Negro.

expression of high-toned and generous feeling
on the part of many of the Southern editors, in
relation to the policy to be pursued tow ards the
free negro there Our readers will recollect TINT
we have, from the first, strenuously opposed the
exclusion Of this unfortunate class Of beings
from their homes as equally injudicious and in
human, and we feel fortified in our position, by
such able arguments as those which we append
from the Southern prints. The Memphis Ap
peal, and Louisiana Courier-both of which fully
concur with us In opinion,
Contrasted with the attempts now making in
the miscaed free STATES, to slough off this class
as some unwholesome exercise on the body
polite such expressions Of sentiment from the
slandered South should shame the hypocritical
howlings Of these Pharisees into silence They
will steal the slave from his master, who is
bound to provide for him-but will neither sup
| ply that masters place, nor allow him the priv
ileges of real freeman--and now are preparing
to deny him even the privilege of a grave upon
free soil,
From The Louisiana Courier.
The FREE CoLoREp PoruLArIoN.-The COVER
nor of South Carolina in his late very able mes
sage, suggested the removal Of the free people Of
| color from that State. He did not recommend il.
but threw il out subject for legislative enquiry
We understood the message as discriminating be-
| tween that class Of free colored persons who are
owners Of real estate, and the floating and vaga-
bond class of free negroes who never accumulate
property, or acquire fixed habation, and are,
in every community, great nusance and, in
slave State absolutely dangerous. We are not
among those who regard the coored popula ton
bond or free, element of weakness, or as a
social evil On the contrary, we consider that that
population, as 1t exists in the South. is of our
| greatest sources of strength IN war, and in NOR
al point fyiew wholesome and conservative But
Louisiana and South Carolina are very differently
situated as it regards free people of color There
is little emigration to Carolina. Louisiana, on
the contrary, q sort Of reservoir into which free
negroes from Kentucky and other States, and even
fugitiyes pretending TO be free. having forged pa
pers, and many Of them criminals find their way
They demoralze our slaves; they teach them to
gamble, drink aud steal; they the agents Of
Abolitonists to decoy them on steamboats,. and
they are, in many instances, the incendaries that
fire our homes for the sake Of plumber In trou-
blesome times they would be douby pernicous.
They never work when they can pilfer, unless
they are impelled by hunger; and then they un-
derfake The hears jobs al rates lor as seriously 10
interfere rjfh the regular schiie labor in our city.
This is, of itself, great evil, and the whole class
should be expelled In sig months, or sooner, on
pain Of being sold as slaves.
| The other class of free people OF color--the in
i dlgenous populaiion-is a valuable one, As a
general thing, they are polite. amiabie, intelligent,
frugal, unobtrusive, and devotedy attached to the
soil that gave them BIRTH They acquire land and
slaves; they are proud Of the Caucasian blood that
COURSES in their veins, and their ambition s to
make II purer instead Of dsteriorsting IL by Afri-
| can alliances. On the plains of Chalme;te, under
the brave D'AquIn, they fought like lions, and
Gen. Jackson bore the highest testimony to their
/ y4'or and pstrotrrh. On bis subsequent visits
to this city, he nsver hcd to receive the colorrd
veterans as comrades and companions in arms.
Thia class are engaged as asrculturists, mer-
chants, clerks, mechanics, and naviaators, and AZ
class they command universal respect.
As the subject may come before our legislature,
we publish the report Of the South Carolina COM
mittee.
PoLIcr TOWARDS FREE NEGROES Two of our
city contemporaries having beer engaged in aoms
discussion relative to the policy proper to be pur
sued towards free negroes, we deem il a fit occa-
SION for expressing views. And first we lay
down the proposition That the immigration Of thfa
clnss into the State ought not only TO be dscour.
aged but strictly prohibited under such penalties
as will secure that end Such population, If
numerous amongst us, which would be the case
unless prohibitory laws are in force to prevent
their immigration, 10 beyond all question, an pn-
mixed evil. They are felt to be so by those nom
saveholdipg States which are most rabid and RUIZ
soad on the subject Of Southern slavery, and
which haze, through the fnse and fooish philan-
thropy of their fansticical citizens, decoyed large
numbers Of fugitves from the slave States into
their territories,
The tree which they have planted Is beginning
TO bear its bitter fruits and they,would fsin force
those TO cat it whom they have robbed and plum
lered They would now commend the poisoned
chalice, whose ingredients in the abundance OF
philanthropy they mixed for their fellow citizens
the NORTH, 10 our lips Not content with plum
4 dering and emnneipang our slaves, they would
now drive them back upon ~ to desolais the land
and "eat out our rabsence" in their new chprac-
ter Of free vagrsnls and free-soil ins.rtciioniss
In this way, did we permit it, would we soon have
pestiferous population, whose swarming would,
like the locuss OF Egypt, shut out the light Of day
This is feature in the anti-slaveFy tactics If the
North which has not perhaps attracted suficen!
attention That such is their policy, we think can
scarcely be doubted by any one who have given
attention to recent Indications OF popular senti-
ment IN some Of the Northern States. In the In,
diana Constitutional Convention now in session