The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-01


resisting emancipation.
But this, little as it is, as an objection, Il
greatly abated by several considerations:
In the first place. there is the resulting DIS
tribtcion of the slaves. The great evil Of the
system, that which distinguishes the condition
of the American Slavery from the serfdom o.
other countries and ages, is that the subJece
are put at distance from the family of the
master, and are governed by intermediates
whose business it is to work them to profit and
care for them just so much as the interest oil
the plantation demands, The allegiance and
the protection, the fidelity and the kindness,
of the ieudal constitution, are utterly broken
up in all those respects which the social inter-
course of master and vassal secured. 1t is a
sort Of absentee system, with all its evils
Take million of these slaves from the gangs,
and put them into the families of their own
ers, near their persons, and near their engage
ments and feelings, and you have made them
a sort Of poor relations, dependent inmates OF
the household; and all the great difference
everywhere seen between the field hand and
the domestic servant viii be gained for them.
That is substantial ameloration, education,
and elevation. Every one of them that has
the brains, will somehow learn to read, all will
learn to think, and the majority will be happy.
Happy, if from nothing else, in the secured
permanency of their home. To belong to a
"poor white man, then, will be a distinction
the other way from the discredit and the i'm
minent danger of the present condition of
things.
The thought that one million of the three in
bondage may be thus far sheltered from the
sweep of their masters misfortunes and linked
with his home concerns for life, looks to us like
a blessing in its way. But are We not right in
another and still pleasanter apprehension of
this changei In the North, no bond of union
arises between servants and employers; the
feeling that the servant or the master may any
day give the other party weeks notice, and
dissolve the relation-nay, the certainty that it
wiH not hold against any accident or caprice
that chances to either party, hinders the estab-
lishment of any social regards between them
The condition of the poo- man and his slave is
every way unlike this. Their connection is
permanent one, under the exemption law. The
master has no domain to which the servant is
banished under an overseer. The dOmicile is
not large enough to remove them from each
others sight The work is TO be done together.
They labor in couples. The one is not princely
in his department and demands the other is
not abiect in his conduct and address. They
talk together; and consult each other. They
say VIC, us, and our about all their affairs. They
are nearly on the dead level Of their respective
worth and characters as men. They are
friends because they are intimate, and must be
80. The dwelling, whether up or down, is in
evitable Very precious is the life and health
and character of the man with whom one
spends all his time. fyou want to know how
much so, borrow your neighbours negro to go
fishing for whole day lose yourself in the
woods with him or, when you are sick, have
him nurse you, day and night, for week.
Very different this, from the effect on both
parties, of a system which expresses itself thus:
OUer3er Mr.. Bunkum, there are bat thirty
hands out this morning, and the crop is going
to ruin Another day or two, and everything
is lost
Mr. Bunkum. Those cursed rascals that
have the everyday ague must manage to make
a quartan of it, Turn them out and make
them work off the chills They can take time
to shake, after this press is over. ] thought,
Mr. Whackem, you understood these jokes in
harvest little better. My fellows are getting
too sharp for you
OUerSeer, at the quarters Come, my fine
fellows it's no go; you must turn in, or the
devils to pay.
SGmbO. Why, bless your soul, master eff
you forces me to it, ! shall drap down dead (;
and wishes to dc Lord wus, for it's no use
tryin' to live 80. Ef must, must; but appears
massa mind to lose dis nigga afore dis season
been over. Bless de Lord, amt gwino to live
long, any ways.
Let us have the change that will substitute
home consumption in Virginia for the Southern
trade in slaves. Let the destiny of the poorest
be committed to the providence of the next
class above them in condition. Tho Redeemer
took the form of d servant, that he might be
touched with the feeling of our infrmities--
there is something in that. The sympathy OF
contiguity is the medium for the communica-
ton of good. Let the slave get near access to
the masters heart, and whatever Of humanity
there is in either and in both will find its occa-
sious and discover itself Those that have
great possessions /" however near the kingdom,
have great heaviness when they are required
to forsake all but the poor fishermen dropped
their nets, and the young man that had moth
ing but garment to throw away, arose and
ran at the masters call.
Let us have the poor mans law, for tho sake
of the poor man himself, and for the chance
that the general conscience gives us over thai
of an oligarchy almost compelled, in despite oil
any goodness that there is in them, to hold the
advantages of their position against oil the de-
mands of right, religion, and patriotism. Both
for the sake of immediate amelioration and
prospective emancipation, the best hope is II
the considerable, moderate, unambitious char
aoter of tho poor men of the South. We d
not mean that poor man is intrinscslly bet
ter than a rich one; We do not believe it bu
hold rather the opposite opinion. But poo
man can get through the needles eye 80 muci
better than fat one. He is not conservative
Change is welcome, If there is any sort OF
good chance in it; and he is apt to believe tina
right is practicable. He can afford hberalit..
in public measures, for he has next to nothing
at risk and the twelve Apostles, KOsSuth, Cas-
sius Clay, and Henry C. Carey, can put tn
L A-aoL of NhA rnillannium Mt