The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-01-27
THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF SLAVERY.

J. q. w.
THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF SLAVERY.
The Richmond VA Examiner is one of the
boldest of Pro-Slavery papers Its editor is
ready and fluent, pqusnt, and sarcastic. A
recent number of his paper contains an elabo-
rate dissertation on "The Right of Negro Sla-
very" occasioned by an editorial in the Nei0
York Tribune He thinks that in all the dis
cussions concerning the vexed question of Sla-
very there has been Gan avoidance of the
true issue :" that " the battle has been fought
on false ground ~ hence he adds, awhile
the Constitution is granted to be on the South
ern side, while the common sense Of the masses
sturdily justifes the existence of the institu-
tuition, and while the partialities of birth and
education incline US to look favorably on the
efforts of our own ohampions-we are COM
PEELED to admit that their adyersaries have
hitherto had much the best of the debate"
A broad admission, that on every ground on
which the controversy has hitherto been car
ried on, the 'Anti-Savery men have had the
best Of the argument.
He proceeds to expose the fallacy of those
who would justify Slavery on the plea of ne
cessity He scouts the pretence set up that
I" the condition of the negro in slavery" is "a
sort of paradsaical state" He discards as
worthless the arguments of "a Carolinian"
and others, who undertake to prove that in
matters Of physical and moral comfort" the
slave is better off than the ay-aborers of
other countries" In word, he denounces AZ
inconclusive all the ordinary arguments ad-
vanced in defence of Slavery, and states the
naked question at ISSUE fairly and squarely,
just as an Anti-Slavery man would present it.
Even could we prove" he says, that the
slave physically and morally is better off than
the day-iaborer of other countries, twenty
tinres over, we would not touch the root of the
evil the thing that lies at the bottom of all the
cup, the fact which sustains all the sentiment
and all the SANDER of the other siden
And why? Hear the answer it is precise
ly such as an Abolitionist would give:
1.-THE white peasant is free, and if he is
man of will and intellect, can rise an the scale
Of society or at least his offspring may. lie
IS not deprived by law o. those inaiienabie
rights liberty and the pursuit Of happiness
by the use oft. But here is the essence Of
slavery-thdt we do declare the negro destitute
of these po,oers We bind him by iap to the
condition of the iaboring peasant forever, ruth
out has consent and iee bind his Posterity after
him. Now, the true question Is haze zoe a
RIGHT to do thisa If ace haze not, all discus
aons about his comfortable situation, and the
actual condition of free iaborers elsewhere, are
quite beside the point. If the negro has the
same right to his liberty and the free pursuit Of
his own happiness that The whtte man has then
zoe commit the greatest ,orong and robbery 10
hold him slape--an act at phich the sentiment
Of justice must revolt IN every heart-and negro
slavery rs an institution Which that sentiment
must sooner or later blot from The face Of the
earth"
The italicizing is ours. The passage is re-
markable, emanating as it does from one of
the boldest and ablest defenders of Slavery
Sophistry is spurncd, and the question is stated
frankly and clearly, 1t is not what is srpe-
dent, or what seems necessary, or hop is the
negro fed, clothed; housed, treated generally !;
but shave we a right TO bind in Slavery, by
law, and forever, the negro and his posterityl"
The answer to this depends upon the funda-
mental question" Has the negro the same
right to his liberty and the free pursuit of his
own happiness that tho white man hasW If
he has, then we commit the greatest wrong
and robbery to hold him slave"
Having thus stated the question, the Eram-
iner asserts that the negro has no such right
And why? Because he IS moi a man On this
single assumption the editor rests the whole
structure of slavery:
"The foundation and the right of negro
slavery is in it's utility and the fitness of things.
1t is the same right by which we hold property
in domestic animals. We take away the lib
erty Of the horse, the sheep, the COW, the dog,
when we reclaim them from wild nature, and
reduce them to service but il is good for both
man and beast that we should do it, and there
fore il il quite right. The true defence Of ne
gro slavery il 10 be sought in the sciences of
ethnology and natural history. The last de-
fines the negro 10 bs the connecting link be-
tween the human and brute creation. The
order Of nature consists Of infinite gradatons
there are no abrupt endings and beginnings,
separated by an empty interval From the
lowest zoophyts up to the Caucasian man
himself the transition is conducted through
impcrceptibls degrees IL between man and
brute there should be a great gulf fixed,
in that fact Nature would desert her rule,
and the analogy of the universe weuld be
ret at naught. But We will find no such in
teryal, when We use our eyes and our com
mon sense. From the most powerful family Of
the white race, We proceed by regular steps
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