Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-05-05
roa THE spEcTATo
Letters to Northern UniOnists Oh
the Scripture View of Slavery.
LETTER NO. 10.
THE LAST.
WEST VIRGINIA, April, 1852.

LETTER NO. 10.
THE LAST.
WEST VIRGINIA, April, 1852
application ofhe subject to american slaue
ry.-Is The North right in urging speed
abolition 9-.Ars The TILES by Ohich finer
ican szaves are heM vald 2-If they ar
not, uchat is the duty of The NorM.-.abu
ses of slapsry.-Is speedy emancipation
duty as a work of charity9-Duty of M
North on the UhOle subject.-Conclus'o'
RESPECTED FRIENDs,-The great major
ity of the people at the North entertain tn
opinion, that it is the duty of the Southern
States to take measures without delay 10
the abolition of slavery. Whether aboli
ton should be immediate or gradual ant
whether the North should take certain steps
which have been proposed, to accomplish
it are questions which occasion much con
troversy between abolitionists and thel
Northern opponents. But the people OF th'
North generally agree in censuring tht
South, for neglectlng to do anything for th'
emancipation of tie slaves; and they ais'
agree in thinking, that it is the duty OF the
North to make all possible efforts Tor the
promotion of emancipation, which are no
forbidden by the rules of morality, Now il
the North right in this matter9 Does either
Justice or charity require the South to take
immediate measures for the abolition o
slavery The general opinion at the NORTH
is, that Justice requires it, inasmuch as one
man cannot rightfully claim property in an
other. But a careful examination of the
Bible has shown US, that its voice is clear
ly against this opinion. If then justice de-
mands the emancipation of the American
slaves, it must be on the ground Of some
peculiarly in their situation, which is not
the necessary attendant OF slavery. 1t is
ofcourse conceded, that oprove that slave
holding may be justifable, on the ground OF
a masters right of property in the slave is
not to prove, that, in every case, it actually
is iustifable on that ground. No man can
rightfully hold any kind of property with
out valid title. The question then in ev-
cry individual instance of slaveholding, is
whether the master has valid title.
To apply this question to American sla-
very: On what is the title TO slave prop
erty in this country founded? answer,
on the fact that The slaves of this country
were born such. A large portion of them
are the ''home born slaves" of .he masters
who now hold them; and the remaining
portion were the "home born slaves" OF
masters, whose right of property in them
has been transferred to their present owners.
If there be ary exceptions, they are too few
to require notice. Such title, we have
seen, is allowed by Scripture to be valid
It is title, which appears to be more free
from suspicion than that, by which many
slaves were held by the patrIarchs, and un-
der the Mosaic Law, for those which were
"bought with money Of the stranger" were
probably, in many cases, kidnapped by the
stranger. But perhaps it may be objected,
that American slaves cannot be held by a
valid title, because their ancestors were un-
righteously torn from the shores of Africa.
With respect to the unrighteousness of the
deportation, we cannot in all cases, decide
with certainty But from the fact that the
slave traders were Northern men, and some
of them men Of good standing we would
wish to judge them as charitably as possible
Supposing, however, that the negroes, who
were imported from Africa, were not right
fully the property Of those Northern mer-
chants, who sold them to the planters ofthe
South that fact no more invalldates the
titles, by which the present generation of
slaves are held, than the fact, that many Of
the lands of this country were rnjustly
wrested from the Indians, myalidates the
titles of the present holders.
But supposing the titles to slave property
in this country to be all invalid, what fol-
lows? Why, that the slaves should be E.
as soon as would be consistent
with their own good. What else' Why,
that the North, having sold to the South,
which never belonged to either, is
bound in equity to refund the purchase mon
ey with interest, and to indemnify the own.
ers of the property for the injury, which
The sale has caused them, so far as it is pos
sible to indemnify them. The amount of
the purchase money could not be ascertain
ed precisely. Butt is known, that money,
at the usual rate of interest, doubles itself
in much shorter time, than that i'll which
doubles itself by its natural in
crease. We may then safely say, that the
value of the negroes imported from Africa,
with its interest to the present time, is e.
quail to the value of the whole number Of
slaves now found in the United States
The number of slaves by the last census
was 3,198, ,324. Their value may be round
ly stated at one thousand millions of dollars.
This sum the North should be ready to pay
to the South. 1t is probable, that of the i'm
mense wealth now possessed by the people
of the North, much larger amount than
this Is the fruit of the slave trade, invested
and managed as its proceeds actually have
been. That trade has been by far the most
lucrative business, which has ever been
with American slavery: and one
reason, why the North has surpassed the
South in prosperity, is to be found in the
fact, that that trade, at so early date, laid
such broad foundations for Northern wealth.
Besides refunding the above sum, the North
should be ready to take the negroes off of
the hands of the Southern people, carry
them back to Africa, and place them in
situation at least as good, as they would
have occupied, if their fathers had never.
been removed from that continent. Is the
North ready to do all this I? Until she has
offered 10 do it, and the South has rejected
he proposal, it III becomes her 10 censure
The South for the continuance of slavery
ever supposing emancipation to be demand
I'd b. justice.
But large portion of the arguments, by
which Northern men attempt to prove the
Injustice of slavery, apply not at all to the
Institution itself, but only to its abuses real or
Now if these abuses were as
rra # as fhev ara al1arad to ho tbav would