The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-25

Judge John Perkins, Jr.. to the Grand Jury q his
district as We find 1t in the Carroll Clay Vasehsan
OF the 9Th inst, Is interesting
Slsvery-that Is. the whole or partial deprivation
of particular individuals Of certain rights-has exist
ed in all ages and nations. II is implied TO certain
degree Ia the very idea Of government and whether
i be the government OF one man over all his fel
lows, or OF great many different men over their
fellows, and whether the authority no exercised In
the relation of State aud subject, father and child
master aud apprentice. or master and slave it va
RES only In degree. In each case, men by their
birth, or from circumstances over which they have
no control, incur on the one side dependency and
on the other authority. Now, there are no right,
without corresponding duties. aud the right of pro-
perry 10 the labor OF another, accompanied with
obedience and submission, imposes at the same time
the duty OF protection and good government. Ia
proportion AZ these rights recognized and these
duties discharged these relations Of State aud cti
zen, parent and child, master and apprentice, and
master and slave, attended with blessings or the
reveTa. The relation OF master and slave along
with these other relations existed before the revo-
luton in each of the thirteen colonies En- gland in
troduced the negro into the other States against the
renonstnn ces Of the colonists, just France did
into Louisiana. We have been born into existing
institutions. and assumed with the other obligations
those resulting from tho existence of slavery in
midst We must discharge them. The three mil
hon Africans Ia this country are elevated far above
the naked heathen their ancestors, were, when they
first landed on these shores
They have been in degree civilized and chris
uhuNeu. w men kept IRON lO'ene5S ana ur1Ak, pro-
tected in their rights, and treated as the law re-
quires, their condition compares favoraby with the
lab0rng class of any other country. When deprived
OF these guarantees their condition Is ptiabe indeed
There has been so much unjust abuse of the slave
holder, and such scandalous misrepresentation Of
the laws ofL0uisana, with reference to the treat
nent Of slaves that can understand how difficult it
is for you Grand Jurors to preserve such feelings
OF indifference In the midst OF denuncaton to en-
force the statutes Of our State for the protection Of
the negro with the zeal your natural impulses would
prompt. You should reooect, however, in the
words Of distinguished Judge Of South Carolina,
Judge ONeal, that the first law Of slavery, Is that
OF kindness from the master to his slave" and that lit
is as much your duty to protect the negro from the
evil effects OF tanaticism, as from anything else He
is our dependent, and looks to for protection. and
interest and humanity both require that kindness
be enforced and inculcated by law. So considerable
is the law OF Louisiana on this point that it makes
it the duty, not only Of every Judge and Grand Ju-
ror but OF every private citizen to whose knowledge
their i'll treatment comes, to report it at once to the
nearest magistrate, whose duty it is to keep himself
informed Of the trcatmen Of the negroes within his
district, and Enforce "by every in his power"
the humane provisions Of our law. AS this court is
given especial jurisdiction in much that concerns the
police OF this class, and is particularly required to
bring to your notice certain statutes, would remind
you Of that one afxing penalty to the introduction
into the State or the subsequent sale purchase of
Stafu Liter" or one who is entitled to his free
dom after certain period-or OF one who has been
convicted OF capital crime, or who has ever been
accused Of insurrectiOn, who has resided in any
county Of any State where there has been insur-
Self protection requires that this statute be rigor
Ousy enforced. 1t was passed at time when pub.
lie attention alarmingy directed to the subject
and the necessity for it still exists.
The first Legislature that met in this State passed
law that negroes should be well fed and clothed,
comfortably housed, taken care Of in sickness with
temporal and spiritual care, supported in their old
age, not brutay punished, nor cut nor mutilated,
nnrS oUyuv from, fhoir u1,aVp
able to work. nor mother separated from her CHILD
under ten years Of age; that they should have their
Sundays free, or il made to work on that day, be
paid for their labor Nearly half o century has
passed. and these provisions still the law OF Lou
isiana. They have been sanctioned by repeated de-
cis0ns Of our Supreme Court, been enforced by
juries, and have become so far incorporated into
public sentiment that scarce greater reproach can
be made citizen than that Of cruelty to his slaves.
For although our law regards negroes property, it
also deals with them as human beings, and one of
the most beautiful decisions Of the late Supreme
Court, delivered by Judge Porter, declares the
slaves to be the property of the master for lawful,
"nOt for immoral or inhuman purposes In the
newspapers of this State SO far back 1906 there
are advertisements OF the sale Of negroes by public
authority because Of i'll treatment from their owners
To make, however, the humane provisions OF our
law effective, it Is necessary to enforce rgdy those
statutes that require free man to reside perma
nenily as overseer on every plantation: that permit
to receive articles for sale or deposit from
slave, or to sell to or buy from him anything without
the written consent Of the master; nor under any
pretence whatever to give or sell him liquor. 1 call
your attention to most stringent law Oh this SUBJ
Ject passed last year.
There are several penalties in law against the
hiring Of runaway or the conceang or aiding to
conceal o negro from his master; against ne per-
suadirg or carrying oa negro, the aiding advis
ing another person to carry off, against any
who shall by word or action in any way whatever,
encourage or advise slave to instruction against
his master or the government; or who shall write
distribute anything tending to discomfort among the
free colored people, or INSTRUMENTATION among the
slaves; or who shall in public from the bench, the
pulpit or the bar, or in conversation, public pri
vate, use language, signs or actions having this ten
dency: or shall knowingly be instrumental in bring
ing into this State any persons, pamphlets, or books
incendiaTy in their character or shall teach or per
NIT, or cause to be taught, any slave in this State to
read Or write
This last statute, opposed to the spirit and un-
known to our early legislation, and comparatively Of
modern date, it IL my duty to bring to your espe-
cial attention. do 80, but with pain at the fact Of
unwse agitation in the free States having caused its
enactment. In this connection would remind you
Of the statute against idle, wandering white in
our midst without visible calling honest of
support, or any one to youch for character.
SERIOUS RAILROAD AcCIDENT.-As the train from