The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-02-15
THE DAILY DISPATCH,
RICHMO Nd VAT
Tuesday lIorning, Feb. III, 1858.
REMOVAL. OF FREE NEGROES.

We have said very little about the profosi-
ton before the Legislature to remove the Tree
negroes from, the limits of the State. because
our hear, told us that it would be supereroga'
rorv. There is too much humanity still eA'
is,inr in the State oil Virginia TO persni' sueh
IN asreeious abuse of power towaros e,as'
of persons whose helplesness, nothing eiss'
soneals so s,tongly TO our better feelings. we
Cad that we have act been wrong 'of Tue Gun
u;,,ee 10 whom the subject vas referred MI.
Miller of go,etourt, humane and enlightened
gentleman, g, IFS head.l has reported aEa'hS''''
Az ,he matter NAV, ct some future day, be
sra;a hrousht before the Legislature, may
be ias, as well now tc say what we nave 10
say against II.
And first. the ground upon which II is piaced
is altogether false. The free negro popuIa.
tioa is not the wors. population that we eouiu
possibly have among us, as has been assumed
without. as fer az we can see, the slightest
& reason. AS q body they are far better IMAM
the class of degraded white men who wouio
take their places, for none other wouio oe
found TO 90 il. II would be vain 10 expect In
Gustrious and respectable laboreFs to come
here among our slaves to labor with them
They would not do ii. We should get none
but the degraded, and maintain that even
if all the free negroes were degraded, degFaaeo
white men are much worse, because the laws
against the free negroes are more severe anu
are executed with far more severity 'hah '"'
laws against white men. Add to this taat 'iey
ere much more afraid of the law. 1t IS no'
true, however, that oil, or even the la's0- ~.
ton of them, are degraded. On the cohu"''
they number among them men OF the his"'S'
r haracter and respeciability-'neh u p'7r
men of snbstsuce-nen Of very considerable |
intelligence. The majority oil theth' II Is "ue'
are ignorant; bat they are not vicious. on |
,be con,rary, considering their condition, they |
are an uncommonly inofensive race. The
over-indulged slaves Of the factories IN this |
city, and hirelings generally, are great nui- |
ssnce everywhere. But it is very rarely the |
case that free negro is impairment, presump' |
,uous, or disposed TO interfere with that which |
dees no, properly belong TO him.
I'd. The displacement of SO much labor as |
they supply, 10 sey nothing of that which |
would take It's place, would be runously OPP |
pressve on large portion of the planting in |
terest OF the State. We have before alluded |
TO its importance in many neighborhoods, es |
pecially in times Of harves, and securing the |
1obacc crop.
Sd. II strips Virginia of member of Con- |
gress, and surely she can hardly afford TO sac |
ri6ce one just as this time.
4;h. Bul the great plea-ihe plea so great, |
indeed, that we are sorry it was thought ne- |
cessary to use any other-is humanity. When |
was so cruel scheme ever before conceived |
by human intelligence We are sure we know |
of none. The edict of Philip ii, benishing the |
Neors from Spain, has sometimes been COM |
pared tic it, but this is incomparably more cru |
ell. The Moors were located, for the most part |
in the Southern portions OF Spain. pleas |
ant journey of few days, through the most |
smiling country in the world, brought them TO |
the pillars of Hercules, and on he other side |
of the straits, they could see their owR Africa. |
The land ofther fathers-that land which their |
fathers had abandoned to carry their arts and |
arms into Europe-iay stretched out before |
them. few hours sail brought them to this |
land, among their own friends who were ready |
and anxious to receive them. But in this case
il is proposed to expel a.l-the old and the
young, the sick and the healthy, the feeble and
the in6rm, infancy and old age, all at one dash,
without providing heme for them, and this at
q distance of four thousand miles from the
land of their fathers. Where are they to 60
We cannot thrust them upon the neighboring
States. That would be in violation of all JUS.
lice. If they ara not good enough for US, they
are not good enough for them. Where then
are ,heyto go?
A writer in the Enquirer took the RICH,
ground when he said tha; the land where a
free man first saw the light is his country
Every body must have country, and if this
is not the free negro's county, where is III