The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-11


tanning severe restrietions after tho reason 70,
them may have poised away The great and fun
damental right Of sslf-protsctlon, is not right te
be sxercissd with the gysskes, but with the lsse
injury and Inconvenience TO Others consistent with
the full attainment of its purpose.
liza provision that colored seanen, in vessels
from abroad, shall be restricted to their vessels,
during their continuance in our ports, and that
the masters shall give security for their remain
ing, would be efiectual for the object, then we
have the power Of modifying the law in an inn
portant regard, without in any degree sacrificing
its purpose Such we believe are substantially
the regulations Of several of tho Southern States
Or if a regulation that all colored ssamen from
abroad shall be provided with passport liable
to be called for at any moment by the city Of
dcers, and the protection of il to be forfeited by
any improper conduct, thus placing them con-
santly within the reach and the surveillance of
the authorities, IF such regulation would be
sufficient, then the protection Of the community
could be attained consistently with the removal Of
! all cause Of complaint on the Part Of others. As
matter Of course our local regulations, touching
the colored population, would be enforced upon
them, whether II was provided IN the statute
or not. An essential part Of any such modiica-
tion ofthe law, would be u provision empower
ing the city authorities, IN conjunction with the
governor, to revive the present regulations ifthere
should at any time be good ground to suppose
the public safety called for it.
We believe the general sentiment If the State,
on proper exposition of the question, will as
sent TO some modification Of our laws, in the ma
ture OF those we have suggested. At different
times IN the last SIX years, we have conversed
with many ofOur fellow citizens, Welding to none
in their devotion to the honor and interests of the
State, and we are convinced that but for u few
obstacles, which we will enumerate all reluctance
to modify the law in satisfactory manner, would
have vanished long ago.
The first OF these was the form in which the
complaint Of the British and other governments
was preferred. The demand seemed to be that
colored seamen should be put on a level with
white; the complaint seemed to be that one class
Of British subjects was subjected to restraints
not imposed upon others. The inequality of the
races Is a radical principle in the laws of South
Carolina. The coored race are not citizens, and
cannot become 40. and to allow the same race, as
strangers, TO enjoy privileges and liberties not
permitted to them, as RESIDENTS, would be alto
gether nadmisslble. We know now that the
British government does not ask or expect that
this fundamental principle of the distinction Of
races, shall be yielded up in her favor, and this
| removes one Of the obstacles
Another difficulty sprung from the liberation,
by British authorities several cargoes Of slaves,
carried by stress of weather into her West India
ports. On certain day Great Britain passed an
act OF emancipation, and on a certain other day
not long AFTER she maintained that this her domes-
tic law, justified the confscation Of the property
OF American citizens, coming by the mischance Of
storms within her jurisdiction. This exaltation
of d local law over the laws Of nations and the
force Of reciprocity treaties, seemed not only a
vndcation of the utmost severity of our statute,
but by placing that country in the attitude Of an
enemy and pirate, in reference to so great an in
terest as the slave property Of the whole South,
deprived the State of all power to make conces-
sion which would at that time have seemed plain
ly to say, 1--WE choose the opportunity Of your in
fctng great wrong, to otfe.- you the assurances
of our confidence and good wilt" These acts of
the British g0s ernmsnt excited the deepest
faction among the Southern people, and the re-
membrance OF them IL still the great embarrass-
ment IN the way of a satisfactory adjustment. We
do not, however, believe it is insuperabe, or that
it would have heretofore operated to prevent some
modification of the law, like that we have sug-
gested, If had not been strengthened by an event
that occurred about the time the subject was
again brought to the notice of the legislature
We refer to the Emission Of Mr.. Hoar.' The
venom that marked the proceedings of Massachu-
setts IN lnstitutIng this mission, and the surpas
sing nsolence of the attempt TO establish minis
terIal agency within the boundaries of South Car
DINA, to obstruct the execution of her laws, was
naturally met by universal burst of Indignation
The solemn entrance Of Mr.. Hoar into our city
| and the sudden trottng Of him back to Cape Cod
had indeed more Of broad farce than Of TRACED in
1t, and covered the enterprise with so rich man
tie of buresque, that we ought not to have laid it
to heart serious matter, but rather to have re-
served it perennial food for laughter; but it is
nevertheless true that it eectualIy, for the time,
rooted out all desire to NEEDLE with the law
We have thought il best thus to review the
history of the law Of South Carolina touching
coIored seamen, as an introduction to little dis
cussion we propose to hold, Of certain correspon-
dence between the British consul and Gov cans,
which has lately been the subject of the nnmad-
version Of the Northern press. This we defer till
tomorrow.
THE lRsH ExmEs.-The following extracts
| rror = iat, l. :.