The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-07-28

1 WHOSe UuWeS are COflSeCTuted IN me uUeCtIOfi
Of the Southern People-the Debates in III
Federal and State Conventions Whteh frame
and ratified the Constitution of the Unite
States-thoSs Which occurred in the first Con
crosses whieh sat during the administrator
Of General JVashington-and extracts iron
The Debate IN the Virginia Legislature ii
1882; rcih various letters, judicial DECISIONS S'
| By DANIEL r. GooDLoE, OF NORTH CAROLINA
| CONTINUED
| EXTRACTS FROM MR. JEFFERSON'S CORES
| PONDENCE-V0L. /.
/ The first establishment in Virginia whic
became permanent, was made in 1907. hav
found no mention OF negroes in the colony unit
about 1850. The first brought here as slave
were by Dutch ship after which the Englisl
commenced the trade, and continued it unit
the revolutionary war. That suspended, fps
faeto their further importation for the present
and the business of the war pressing constant
4 ly on the Legislature, this subject was not act
ed on finally until the year '7S, when brough
in bill to prevent their further importation
This passed without opposition, and stopped
the increase of the evil by importation, leaving
to future efforts its final eradication. 81
The bill on the subject of slaves was a mere
digest of the existing laws respecting them
without any intmatiOn of plan for future
and general emancipation. Ii was thought
better that this should be kept back, and at
tempted only by way of amendment, whenever
the bill should be brought on. The principles
of the amendment, however, were agreed on
that is to say, the freedom of all born after a
certain day, and deportation at a proper age
But it was found that the public mind would not
yet bear the proposition, nor will it bear it even
at this day; yet the day is not distant when it
must bear and adopt it, or worse will follow
Nothing is more certainly written in the book
OF fate, than that these people are to be free
nor is it less certain that the two races, equally
free, cannot live in the same Government. Ma
ture, habit, opinion, have drawn indelible lines
OF distinction between them II is still in our
power to direct the process of emancipation
and deportation peaoeably and in such slow
degree rs that the evil will wear off insensibly,
and their place be pari passu filed up by free
white laborers. If on the contrary, it is left to
force itself on, human nature must shudder at
the prospect held up. We should in vain look
for an example in the Spanish deportation or
deletion of the Moors This precedent would
fall far short of our case.-Page, 80. 40.
To General Chastellur.
PARIS, June 7, 1885.
DEAR SIR: have been honored with the re-
ceipt Of your letter of the ID instant, and am
to thank you, az do sincerely, for the partial
ity with which you receive the copy of the
Notes on my country. AS | can answer for
| the facts therein reported on my own observa
ton, and have admitted mono on the report Of
others, which were not supported by evidence
sufficient to command my own assent, | am not
afraid that you should make any extracts you
| please for the Journal de Physique, which come
within their plan of publication. The structures
on Slavery and on the Constitution of Virginia
are not of that kind, and they are the parts
which do not wish to have made public, OF
least till | know whether their publication
would do most harm CT good 1t is possible
that in my own country these structures nigh,
produce an irritation which would indispose
the people towards the two great objects have
in view that is, the emancipation of their
slaves, and the settlement of their Constitution
on q frmer and more permanent basis. If
learn from thence that they will not produce
that effect, | have printed and reserved JUS,
copies enough to be able TO give one to every
young man at the college. 1t is to them
look-to the rising generation, and not to the
| one now in power-for these great reforma.
tions.-Page 22s.
| To DR.. Price
| PARIS, august 7, 1885
SIR Your favor of July the I'd came duly To
hand The concern you therein express as to
the effect Of your pamphlet in America, induces
me to trouble you with some observations on
that subject. From my acquaintance with that
country think am able to judge, with some
degree of certainty of the manner in which
| it will have been received Southwark of the
Chesapeake, it will find but few readers con.
curing with it in sentiment on the subject of
Slavery from the mouth to the head of the
Chesapeake, the bulk Of the people will az.
prove it in theory and it will find respecta.
able minority ready to adopt it in practice-a
minority which, for weight and worth of char
acter, preponderates against the greater num-
| ber who have not the courage to diyest their
families Of property which, however, keeps
their consciences unquiet; northward of the
Chesapeake, you may find here and there, an
opponent to your doctrine, as you may find,
here and there, robber and murderer but in
no great number. In that part of America,
there being but few slaves, they can easily dis
incumber themselves of them and emancipa-
ton is put into such q train that in few years
there will be no slaves northwsrd Of Maryland
In'Maryland do not find such disposition Il
begin the redress of this enormity, as in Vir.
| ginia. This is the next State to which we may
turn our eyes for the interesting spectacle Of
| Justice in conflict with avarice and oppression
| q conflict wherein the sacred side is gaining
daily recruits from the influx into Office Of
young men grown, and growing up. These
have sucked in the principles Of liberty, as i,
were, with their mothers milk and il is Il
them | look with anxiety to turn the fate Of
this question. Be not, therefore, discouraged
What you have written will do great deal o.
good and could you still trouble yourself with
our welfare no man is more able TO give aid Il
the lAboring side. The college of William anS
Mary, in Williamsburg, since the remodellinJ
of its plan, is the place where are collected to
gether all the young men Of Virginia under
| preparation for public life They are Their,
under the direction (most of them of Mr.
| Wythe, one Of the most virtuous of characters
and whose sentiments on the subject Of Slavery
are unequvocal. | am satisfied, if you could
resolve to address an exhortation to those young
men, with all that eloquence Of which you are
master that its influence on the future decision
| Of this important question would DO great, per
haps decisive; Thus you see that 30 far from
thinking you have cause to repent Of what yol
have done, wish you to do more; and wish it
on an assurance OF its effect. The information
have received from America of the reception
of your pamphlet in the different States, agrees
with the expectations ! had formed. Our
country is getting iato ferment against yours
or rather has caught il from yours God
knows how this will end; but assuredly in one
extreme or the other. There can DO no medi-
um between those who have loved 80 much.
think the decision is in your power as yet, but
will not be 50 long. pray you to be assured