The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-06-07
6fneral alsus.
From tie Hyefsa 4tdee1tises.
Reuben Roberts.


settlement of great Constitutional principle as
Hamrden, Pymn, Wilkes. or the host. Of other
worthless who have argued and fought for Con-
fseSing with the peculiar odor of his race in a
West India Cline. has called in question the
Soyereignty Of South Carolina, before the Su-
pfeme Court Of. the United States, where for
some time to come, it may be expected, he will
uingle with his Peers,-the Abolitionists-
perfume their delighted olf.ctories.
Doubtless most of Our readers are faInailiar
with the history aud position of this Negro in
regard to the Police La,cs of South Carolina
We presume it is equally well kRownwhat these
sPoiice Laws" are which Mr. Reuben Roberts
and his distinguished ally, tn, Federal Govern
ment, are about to assa at Washington, that
disastrous battle ground, where the poor South
issalways defeated either by the strategy of her
6,es, or-the treason of her friends. Still at the
risk of being little tedious, we shall briefly
state the case now pending in the Supreme
Court, between the aforesaid Rueben and the
Sovereign State Of South Carolina.
The French Revolution, it is we'll known, gave
rise to the horrors of a servile war, which resu
fed-in the ultimate triumph Of the blacks over
Esshe whites in St. Domingo Thus over half a
SiniHon of negroes suddenly became free to in
dnlge in all the licentiousness of anarchy upon
fa fertile and .neighborng Island within two days
aitof Charleston, between which City and Is
land a considerable commerce was then carried
ou. The Shipping that piled between the two
places gave ample opportunity forthe free ne
gToes of the Island to visit our emporium, which
fPfivileges they began soon to abuse, both by bad
exarnple, and actually tampering with ourslases.
This of course alarmed our people, whose fears
were not diminished BY the presence of many
whites in the City Of Charleston that had fed
fhither in distress from the Island, where they
had formerly been large slave owners.
These facts induced South Carolina as far
back as l764 t, adopt the policy of excluding
free negroes from landing in her Ports. The
abolition of Slavery in the South American States
10 the British West India islands, and late
fy 10 the French American colonies together with
the continued agaition Of the Slavery question in
the North, have forced the State to adhere stead
iLy and unalteraby to the policy which she adop-
/ ted in 1794, and accordingly we find that our
Legsiature has passed, from time to time, ase-
fries of eaaetments in 1894, 1900, 1901 1903,
20, '22, '23, '25, and IA, with view to perfect
the law in all its details. BY these several Acts
free negroes are not only prevented from land.
Z ing in the Ports and Harbors of South Carolina
/ but they are also prohibited from entering the
State by the Georgia or North Carolina, from
tier. In other words our laws exclude all free
negroes, from whatever quarter they come,
Z whether from a Foreign Nation, a Slareholding
State or a non Slaye-holding State. Yea, if
free negro domestieated in South Carolina goes,
abroad on even temporary visit and in good
faish, be is forever debarrel from returning on
pain of being sold into slavery because the law
very properly suspects that he might be playing
] the emissary or spy.
Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana, we believe,
enacted similar laws to ours for the exclusion Of
both foreign and domestic free negroes, and in
deed all ofthe slaveholdipg States, together with
two of the free States, Indiana and Illinois, have
adopted the policy Of excluding domestic free
negroes, while the propntty Of prohibiting For
seign Free Negroes also from landiay on their
shores has more than once engaged the attention
I ofother Maritime Slave States, than the four
which we have named above. Five ofthe Slave
States, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkan-
sas and Missouri, as they have no Sea,ports, do
not feel the necessity Of Legislating on the sub
iect of Forsign Free Negroes arriving and depar
ting in vessels. Mississippi. it tetrue, has shsl-
low Harbor on the Gulf at Shieldsboro', which is
Z a Port of entry, but it has no Commerce. North
Carolina, though with six Ports Of entry, yet has
a Yery inconsiderable commerce except through
the Ports of other Jurisdictions. Heretofore Will
nineton was supposed to be her only Harbor
with depth enough to admit safely even the small
Graft engaged in the Coasting Trade, and VIII
! minpton from being atthe mouth of the Cape
Fear River is like all, or most River Harbors, OBJ
structed by Bar which is formed Of the sand
and mud that are washed down from The cleared
lands above. But now that Beaufort, another
of her Ports, formed entirely by the Sea, has
been discovered to be fine Harbor, it may be
expected that North Carolina will yet have an
Eanporium worthy of hef-will yet have more
Commerce than $4,000 Of Exports, ss23,ooO
of Imports, her quota in 1850, and that she will
vet feel the imperious necessity OF imprisoning
colored seamen, like her twin sister, South Caro-
lima whose Exports and Imports amount to mil
lions instead Of thousands. Florida and Texas,
two other Maritime Slave States, though rich in
soil are yet poor in popuat, n and commerce,
and this may to explain the silence of their
Statute Books on the subject of Foreign Free
Negroes. Virginia and Maryland are the only
Slave States any considerable Commerce, which
have not yet egisated on Colored Seamen, and
in the progress of abolition, it may be presumed
will drive them to 1t, especially Maryland, which
has even now 74,7ea Free Negroes within her
limits; that is, her free negroes constitute about
one ighth of her entire population including
Slaves, and about one sirth of all the Free Ne
oroes in the United States. This is certainly
dangerous element in her society, and deserves
=. H. watched and in passinp we are n little cu.