Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-03-29
VOL. xIx.---NO. H.,

family honor of their masters. And we will
show them, in every gentleman, man who
will pour out his money, and peril his life, if
needs be, to protect his bondsman from
cruelty and injustice. A majority of our
best men, and many of our ablest men, have
Iabored side by side with their slaves, through
years of enjoyment, of usefulness, and res,
pectability. i5,.
But, sir, the humanity of Free.solers,
would exclude the poor negro, who owes
his condition to the cupidity Of their ances.
tors, from " the rich lands Of this large Ter.
ritory," and surrender it, without fear or re-;
ward, to the descendants of, possibly the
very Hessians-the minions Of King George,
who warred against our Liberties, when the
negro, by his labor, fed the Continental army
of America. f7.F
Sir, the jealousy of the political powerof
slavery is not to be covered by so flimsya
vail; aud let me tell those who are sincere
in morbid sympathy for imaginary suffer-
ings of slavery, and who, with incorrect mo-
tives, indulge in schemes Of restricting it,.
that a better knowledge Of the workings of
the institution would tell them that genuine
philanthropy demands its extension.
The operations Of great system are to-
be learned by an observation Of the opera;
ton Of smaller systems. In every section
where is scarcity Of land its value is in-;
creased. The poor, who might desire to
enter it, are unable to buy; aud those who
are there generally tempted, by an extrava.7
gance of price, to seed their fortunes else
where. The men of wealth absorb the small
farms Into large estates, from which they
are frequently absent, and the management
of which usually intrusted to agents, who
have no interest in them beyond their ans
nual wages aud regard for their profess
sional reputation. The character of this,
reputation is too often determined by mo-
other consideration than the amount Of the
crops which are annually raised. Large
gangs of negroes pre.congregated upon
large estates, with no social intercourse but
with each other.
They are thus denied the watchful provi.
dence of their master, and the elevating in.
huences OF his association with them. Loy-
al to their owner, and proud of their relation
to him, they are jealous of n substitute
Wanting in mental resources, initiative by
nature, end conscious of natural inferiority
and dependence upon superior race, when
left to themselves, they become the prey:of
the wilassE ssaperstitions, and removed from
the exampleS6f their superiors, they descend
in the scale Of creation. IS.
But on the other hand, where lands are
abundant, they are also cheap. The poor
man, when provided with home, next looks
around for something upon which he shall
expend his successive annual gains, and
which will bring the greatest amount of com.
fort and convenience to his family and
himself. Should bis money be invested in
negro, he introduces it into his family cir.
Gle. The same hand that prepares daily
food Of the master, prepares that also Of the
slave. They labor in the same field, drink
from the same spring Of water, and worship
at the same altar. The negro is enlightened
and enobed by the association, and an cx-
perienced Southern eye can tell at glance,
by the shining face, the more athletic form,
and iaunty air, that his home is upon small
farm, aud that the white man is the COM.
panion Of his daily toll.
Were Frce-Soilers permitted to carry out
their plans Of restricting slavery to its present
limits, the first effect in the South would be
to expel our poor white population, who could
not resist temptation Of high prices for their
lands; and the second would be still lower to
degrade the negro, and more thoroughly to
enslave him.
will now proceed to the argument urged
in opposition 10 this bill, which is drawn from
the assumed immortality, tyranny and exped-
ency Of slavery. 1t may be convenient 10 at.
lack a constitutional right by appeals to the
passions, but SO long as we are sustained at
all points by the authority oflaw, we are not
in very much danger from sentiment ltmay
be that slavery was originally morally wrong;
but we know that it existed before the Chris.
tian era-that it was sanctioned by our Saw
our, VINO enjoined upon servants obedience
to their masters; that it was to he found i'll
Greece and in Rome-tbat it has obtained IN
France, England, Spain, Holland, and Bra
iii. and other modern States, and that there
sponsibiIity af its introduction in these States
is upon those who have gone before US. 1t
NAV be that the sovereignty of these States
should have been surrendered to the Gener-
al Government, yet it was not done.
1t may. be that property in slaves should
have been prohibited by the Constitution; yet
the importation of slaves was authorized by
it until the year 1908, an import duty Of $40
per head was imposed, as on other species Of
imported property; and constitutional pro-
vision made whereby this property might be
recovered, Notwithstanding "any law OF re.
gulation" to the contrary existing in the State
where it may he found. 1t may be that the
equal rights of the States to the common ter
ritory OF all should have been constitutional
ly denied. Yet it is constitutional law. 1t is
too late to inquire what ought to have been
done at the time this Government was estab.
lished-our sole business is to know what
/ was done.
II the appointed dispensers of ordinary
statute law were permitted to question its
policy and expediency we would soon be
without law and if the dispensers of consti.
tutional law are permitted to 60 behind the
Constitution we will soon be plunged into
anarchy and disuuien.
Mr.. Chairman, this cant about the immo-
rality and horrible tyrrany Of slavery may
answer its purpose among the masses Of the
North, who have been Systematically deceiy.
ed, and for purpose, but it is out.of place