The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-12-15

maker the csrpenter. Of employment and sup
nor, The sx;l admits Of no remedy. IL IL IN
< creas;ny and will continue to increase, untl
the whole country will be inundated with on
black wave covering it, whole extent with
fsw white faces here and there floating on I'M
, surface. The master has no capital but VIVA
= Is vested in human flesh the father, instead 0
: be;ny richer for his sons is at loss TO proVid
= for them. There is no diversity OF occupations
u no ;ncent;vs IN enterprise Labor of every spe
: cies is disreputable, because performed mostly
. nv slaves Our towns are stationary, our VII
. layes almost everywhere declining; ana th'
general aspeet of the country marks the curse
" of a wastcfll. idle reckless population, wn'
have no interest in the soil and care not no"
much il IL IMPOVERISHED. Public improvements
are neglected, and the entire continent doe'
not present region for which nature has done
80 much, and art 40 little.
Extracts from The sptseh Of James McDoDeIJ Fr
= Of Roekbrdge.
E Who. sir that looks at this property as
Legislator. and marks its effect upon our nation
al advance, but weeps over 1t as .ne "Vrs1 "
natrimoniesl Who that looks to this unhappy
} bondage of our u, aappy people in the midst OF
our society. and thinks of It's incidents and III
issues, Out WBeIN OfVi ~ 40 Z" 49, -
who inAicts as upon him who suffers it
IfIam 70 Judge from the tone of our debate,
from the concessions OF all hands expressed
there is not a man in this body-not one, per-
haps, that is even represented here-who would
not have thanked the generations that have
gone before us, if, acting as public men, they
had brought this bondage To close who
would not have thanked them, it, acting as prl-
vate men, on private notions, they had relln-
pushed the property which their mistaken
Kindness has devolyed upon u.s. Proud as are
the names for intellect and patriotism, which
enrich the volumes of our history, and reveren-
tally as we turn to them at this period OF
waning reputation, that name that man, above
all parallel would have been the chief, who
could have blotted out this curse from his cOun
try-tbose, above all others, would have re-
ceived the homage of an eternal gratitude
who, casting away every suggestion OF petty
interest had broken the yoke which in an evil
hour had been imposed, and had translated as
a free man TO another continent, the Outcast
and the wretched being who burdens ours with
bis presence and defles it with his crimes.
But sir, it has been otherwise appointed.
Slavery has come down to us from our fathers,
and the question now is, Shall We, in turn,
hand it over to our chldren-hand it over to
them, aggravated with every attribute of evil
Shall we perpetuate the calamity We deplore,
and become to posterity the objects not of
kindness, but of cursing!
Sir, you may place the slave where you
pease-you may dry up, to your utmost the
fountains Of his feelings, the springs of his
thought-you may close upon his mind every
avenue to knowledge, and cloud it over with
Artificial pinbt--uOu ma ynka him m
labor, as the OK, which liveth only to work and
worketh only to live-you may put him under
any process, which, without DESTROYING his
value as slave, will debase and crush him as
a rational being-you may do this, and the
idea that he was born to be free will survive it
all 1t is allied to his hope Of immortality--it
is the ethereal part of his nature which OPP
preston cannot reach-it is torch lit up in
his soul by the hand of the Deity and never
meant to be extinguished by the hand of man.
If gentlemen do not SEQ nor feel the evil of
Slavery whilst this Federal Union lasts, they
will see and feel it when it il gone; they will
see and suffer it then, in q magnitude of desc
lating power, to which the "pestiIence that
walketh at monday would be blessng-to
which the malaria that il now threatening ex
tnction to the eternal CITY" AZ the proud one
of the Pontiffs and the Caesars is called, would
be AZ refreshing and ~ balmy as the first breath
of spring to the chamber of disease
1t has been frankly and unquestionably de-
clared, from the very commencement of this
debate, by the most decided enemies Of aboi-
ton themselves, as well as Others that this
property is an ep,iD--that it is q dangerous
property. Yes, sir; 40 dangerous has it been
represented to be, even by those who desire to
retain it, that we have been reproached for
speaking Of it otherwise than in freside
whspers-reproached for entertaining debate
upon it in this Hall and the discussion of it
with open doors and to the general ear, has
been charged upon US as n climax of rash.
ness and folly, which threatens issues Of ca
lamlty to our country. 1t is, then danger
Gus property. No one DISCUSSES the danger
of this prOperty-tbat it is inevitable, or that
it is increasing. How, then, is the Govern
ment to avert it By precautionary and
preventive legislation, or by permitting it to
grow with our growth until it becomes in
tolerable, and then correcting it by the sword
In the one way or the other-by the peaceful
process of legislation or the bloody one of the
bayonet - our personal and public security
must be maintained against the dangers of this
property.
| After meeting, in an impressive and digni-
fed manner, the facetious remarks OF another
member of the House. who considered the in
surrection as a "petty affair."" and wished, by
his wit to turn the whole scene into ridicule, j
Mcdowell read o number of extracts from let.
ters, written by and to the most distinguished
characters in the State, respecting the dismay
and terror which almost universally pcrvaded
the minds of the citizens in every part of the
State. He then proceeded:
Now, sir ask you'll ask gentlemcn-in
conscience to say, Was this petty dGarF
! ask you whether that was petty affair which
startled the feelings of your whole population
which threw a portion Of it into alarm-a por
ton of it into panic which wrung out from az
affrighted people the thrilling cry day aftel
day conveyed to your Executive, We are il
peril of our lives. send US arms for defence.
Was that a petty affair, which drove fami
lies from their homes, which assembled womer
and children in crowds, and without shelter, a
places Of common refuge, in every condition o
weakness and infrmity, under every sufferln!
which want and pain and terror could intict
: yet willing to endure all-willing to meet dealt
, from famine, death from climate, death iron
hardship prcferring anything, rather, to tn
horrors OF meeting it from a domestic assassin
Was that petty affair" which erected
,, peaceful and confding portion of the State int
a military camp; which outlawed from pit
, the unfortunate beings whose brothers had Of
Tended; which barred every door penetrate
! every bosom with fear or suspicion which =
. banished every sense Of security from ever
j., mans dwelling; that let hoof or horn bu
break upon the silence of the night and a
aching throb would be driven to the heart, tn
husband would look to his weapon, and th
mother would shuddcr and weep upon he
> cradle
Was it the fear Of Nat Turner, and his del,
e dcd drunken handful of fellows, which pre-
. ducei, or could produce, such Effects Was
this that induced distant counties, where tn
. very name of Southampton was strange. to arr