Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-03-26
Free Negroes in Virginia.

| AiNV NObiVto III thStHld'
That atrocious proposition started in the
Virginia Legislature, providing for the expul-
sion or enslnvement of the free negroes,
appears to have stirred something in the heart
of the Old Dominion, upon which its movers
had not calculated. II hns failed. 70 show
our readers something of the heads and hearts
by which that proposal was met in Virginia,
we copy the following from the Richmond
Daily Despatch of the 10Th ult.-
Removal Of Free Negroes. We have snid
very little about the proposition before the
Legislature to remove tho free negroes from
the limits OF the State, because our hearts
told us that il would bc snpererogatory.
There is too much humanity still existing in
The State OF Virginia to permit such mn afro.
clous abuse OF power towards class of
persons whose helplessness, ir nothing else,
appeals so strongly to our better leelings
We find that we have not been wrong, for
the committee to whom tho subject was re.
ierred, (Mr. Miller, of Botctourt, humane
aud enlightened gentleman at lis head,) has
reported against it.
AS the mntter may, at some future day, be
again brought before the Legislature, il nay
be just MS well now to say what we have to
say against it.
And first, the ground upon which it is
placed is altogether false. The free negro
population is not the worst population that
we could possibly have among Us, as has been
assumed without, as far as we eau see the
slightest reason. AS body, they are far
better than the class Of degraded white men
who would take their places, for none other
would be found to do it. 1t would be vain
to expect industrious and respectable labor
ers to come here among our slaves to labor
with them. They would not do il. We
should get none but the degraded, and we
maintain that even if all the free negroes
were degraded; degraded white men are
niuch worse, because The laws against the
free negroes are more severe, mud are eXeclI-
ted with far more severity tliun tho laws
against white men. Add 20 this that they
are much moro afraid of the law. II is not
true, however, that all, or even the larger
portion OF them, are degraded. On the con
lrnry, they number among them men of the
highest character and respectability-m of
pieiy-men of subStance-mcn of very con
siderable intelligence. 'rhe minority of thcm,
II Is true, are ignornnt; hut they are not VIC
lous. On the contrary, considering their
.;,,o r,c, m, 80. g.. .I.i.I 4 - 4. a
c,o,or;o ~; Ho 1'e'-inu;ee'i S'"ves OF we
'r, 80, y, '',g .ny, un'' l,'.e,''ss sg.eInI'y'
w. - si'' sao%' hu's''lee cN''ymnere' p'' Is
o.y;, 49, mo uuse '''"' 'IeG - noe'p Is 'ii-
,"rc'n" , ;it' IeshP,o's' ,t Gr u'Sposeu 10 W.
IaionC wy WY; w" ""''" "oeS HOT properly
'''o"s ""''"'
"a. The displacement Of so much labor
as ihey supply, to say nothing OF that which
would take It's place, would be rnnously
oppressive OH large portion of the planting
interest OF the State. We have before ailud-
ed to It's importance in many neighborhoods,
especially IN times OF harvest land securing
the tobacco crop.
81. II strips Virginia of member of
Congress, and surely she can hnrdiy nfTIrh
to sacrifice one just at this time.
A,b Ru, tho or,,, rI.o Tho ,I,o 50 ,,ro,,
indeed thot we ore sorrv !, was ,han,,i,t
necessary n use INV o,I.r !, b,n',ni,.
When w,s so cruel scheme evor he,ny..
conceiyed h,, Lnn,n, ;,,aiI;',a1o, W. oro
snre we Lno,v or nono rI,o n,I;,., Of p,,; Iii,
n Lonishing ,he Moors Go,, Snnin "Is I,,
sometimes hrsn comnorsJ m !, bm, ,h;, i