The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-03


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Case Of Conscience.
MIR. WEBsrER's speech at Albany, contains
the following passage:
@Gentlemen, before the revolution, SLAYER,
existed in the Southern States, and had existet
there for more than hundred years. We O
the North were not guilty Of it's introduction
That generation of men, even in the South
were not guilty Of it. 1t had been introduced
according to the policy Of the mother country
beforethere was any independence in the United
States-indeed, before there were any author
ties in the colonies to resist it. Why, gentle
men, mems opinions have 80 changed on this
subject, and properly-the world has come to 80
much juster sentiment-that we can hardly be-
lieve that which is certainly true--that at the
peace of Utrecht, in l7l3. the English govern
ment insisted on compensation from the Spanish
government for having violated contract by
which the Spanish government had established
the unqualified and exclusive privilege to the
British government of importing slaves into her
West India colonies That was not then re-.
pugnant to public sentiment, but it is now
allude to it to show that the introduction of
slavery into the Southern States is not to be
visited upon the generation that achieved the
independence of this country. On the contrary,
all the eminent men of that day regretted it.
And you, my young friends of Albany, if you
will take the pains to 60 back to the debates Of
the peri,d from the meeting of the first Con-
gress, in l774-I mean the Congress of the
Confederation--to the adoption Of the present
Constitution, and the enactment OF the first law
under the existing Constitution--anyb body who
will make that necessary research, will find that
Southern men and Southern States, as repre-
! = L. L.
sla cry in far more earnest and emphatic terms
than the Northern, for though it did exist in the
Northern States, it was feeble taper, Just going
out-soon to end-and nothing was feared from
it; whilst leading men Of the South-of Vir-
GINA. and the Caronas-felt and acknowledged
that it was moral and political evil that it re-
tarded the arm of the free man, and kept back
the progress and success of free labor, and said
with truth-and all history verifes the obser-
vation-" that, if the shores of the Chesapeake
had have been made as free to free labor as the
shores of the North river, New York might have
been great, but Virginia would have been great
also"
We cannot complain that Mr.. WEBSTER en-
tertains and expresses opinions on the ethics
and economics of slavery that were quite preva-
lent in the last generation of Southern states
men, and are held by considerable number of
public men in the South. But it is poor ex-
cuse 10 be made for the South in the North, and
j. is very feeble defence for the South to make
for herself, to admit that slavery is moral and
political evil, and to throw the blame for its es-
tablishment in America on the government of
Great Britain. Such an argument, or such a
confession, involves inevitably the inference
that the South ough. to emancipate. If slavery
is moral and political evil, il ought to be re-
moved. And, although we are not guilty OF
bringing it here, we are guilty of keeping il
here. 1t is absurd to pre- ch to the North the
obligation of executing the Fugitive slave law,
and yet to tell them, at the same time, that in
SO doing they will prolong, augment, or aggra
vate moral and political evil.
Well may the North reply to the South, and
say you confess that slavery is not only disad-
vantage, but a wrong, and you pretend that you
tolerate it, because you cannot get rid of it. But
now when slavery gets rid of you, and takes
refuge here, you come, at great expense and
trouble, TO reclaim it. If slavery is an injury to
you, why not rejoice that you have got rid of so
much of it as has left you! If tbs an injury
to the slave, why not rejoice still more that the
fugitive is no longer afflicted with it As for
the pecuniary loss you may sustain, it is con-
siderable; but it is nothing compared with the
blessings it purchases, of diminishing slavery, its
immortality, its dishonor, and its ruin.
Now, the truth is the South is responsible,
not only for the continuance but the introduc
ton of Africo- American slavery. 1t is true.
also, that the North, and that Great Britain, are
equslly responsible. But if there had been no
body in the South to buy negroes originally,
there would have been nobody there to sell
them. 10 the colony of Georgia, negro slavery
was at first prohibited. That colony consisted
Of persons who were imprisoned for debt in
England, and were permitted to leave Jail to
colonize Georgia. OGLETHoRPE, the founder of
the colony was a phlanthropist, and sought in
this way to give liberty and comfort to that
class Of poor and unfortunate men. The colony
was founded on socialist principles. 1t was at
forwards augmented by settlements of Mora
VANS, a strict religious and socialist sect. Ant
both classes of emily colonists were decided IL
opposition to slavery. But both changed thel
opinions, and the prohibition was removed-an'
Georgia became slaveholding.
The introduction Of African slavery in Anne
rica was, as is generally understood, the wor
of an eminent philanthropist, the celebrate
Catholic bishop, LAS CAsAs. HIS object wa
to substitute African slavery, for Indian SLAYER
in the mines, which the Spaniards had ndopte'
and which was DISCRIMINATING with fearful ri
pidity the native Indian population Of Americ
The plan of LAS CAsAs succeeded. The negr
was found to be better adapted to servitude tina
the Indian. The negro could increase in pop'
lation, whilst the Indian would perish. And
il q curious fact that African slavery should
established in America by philanthropy, ar
.hould now he asaaiod in tho mama of nhilo