The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-12
MITIGATION OF THE SLAVE CODE.

INITIATION OF THE SLAVE CODE.
The following bill, in relation to the sale
and division of slave mothers from their chill
dren, is now before the Legislature of Georgia:
=" SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and
House of Representatives of the State of Geor-
GA in General Assembly met, and tits hereby
enacted by the authority of the same that the
children not exceeding five years of age of any
woman slave, and such woman slave shall not
be separately sold, or exposed to sale under
execution or other legal process, order, or de-
cree, or at any sale made by an executor, ad-
mnistrator, guardian or other trustee nor
shall they be separated in any division made
by any executor. administrator, guardian, or
other trustee, but shall be placed together, in
one of the parts into which the estate to which
they belong Is to be divided, unless such divis-
ion cannot in any wise be effected without such
separation
\ csc 2. And be it further enacted by the
authority aforesaid, that by consent of the or
binary slaves living in different county from
a deceased owner may be sold in the county
in which said slaves may reside, upon applica-
ton being made for such purpose.
"SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, that all
laws and parts Of laws initiating against this
act be and the same are hereby repealed"
This proposition serves to bring more dis
tinctly to light, what we all know, that under
the Slave Code, as it exists in Georgia, chill
dren Of any age, mere infants at the breast,
may be forever separated from their mothers :;
and that this cruelty is too often practiced is
proved by the attempt to prevent it. Were not
the evil such as to call for remedy, no bill of the
kind would be introduced. At best, it is small
concession to humanity proposition to pre-
vent children under five gears Of age, from be-
ing separated from their mothers Children
over five, are not to be the subjects of such
| benevolencel
1t were well if the Legislature of Georgia
would modify the bill, SO as to embody in it
the recommendations of the Governor of Ala
bama in his late annual message. These we
have already published, but so important do
we regard them, that We again solicit attention
to them:
The Code very properly provides that slave
| children of tender years shall at judicial and
some other sales, be offered with their mothers.
where the defendant in execution, &c. is the
owner both Of the mother and children and
that, at such sales slaves must be offered and,
if practicable, sold in families. But it is al
lOwable for either of the parties in interest to
impair, to great extent, these very salutary
enactments. These provisions in my Judgment,
should be absolute, at least as it respects moth
ers, and children of ten years of age and under,
and husband and wife, where the latter rela-
| ton is admitted by the owner of the slaves.
These are relations which moral duty requires
US to respect, and it can be no violation of pol
| icy to conform municipal law to good morals
1t is universally conceded that slaves are rea-
sonable beings-with the moral feelings it is
| true, often obtuse, but susceptible of improve
ment. The husband and wife generally cher
| ish affection for each other, and the mutual
attachments of mother and child are usually
strong. The mother is not always wise coun-
sellor; but she must be presumed to be the
most constant and sincere the child has Let,
then, the latter enjoy this parental oversg ht
during childhood that it may be the better
prepared by good principles and industrious
habits to act Its part afterwards
However far short these views fall of the
standard of Right, still they manifest respect
for relations, sacred in themselves but which
the Slave Code has always ruthlessly disregard
cd. The Governor would have the law moke
the marriage relation undesirable, and the parties
TO 1T tnSepGrG6le, when it has once been admitted
by the master He would have the law to pro-
vide absolutely against the separation of chill
dren under ten from their mothers, and that
where families Of slaves are sold, they shall be
sold together. He asserts the Humanity of the
slaves, and the sacredness of the Family reta-
| tons
| These are relations, he adds " which moral
duty requires US to respect and al can be no
violation Of policy 10 conform municipal lar to
| good morals"
| We hail such sentiments, cmanatng from
the Governor of savchoIding State He
gives utterance we doubt not, to opinions
quite prevalent among the more intelligent
classes of the Sou h. The Raleigh Register
lRalcigh, N. CO. cordially responds to his rec
concentrations, remarking:
"This proposition of the Governor of Ala
bama will be responded to by every humane
| breast. 1t is an important movement in the
| right quarter, coincident in spirit with that
which peryades the address of the Southern
Agricultural Association, which we published
a few weeks since.
"The general adoption of this humane rec
ommendation by the Southern States would
| prove the wisest and most efficient defensive
measure against the assaults of Abolitionism
| that has ever been conceived of The abuses
! of Slavery, or certain unessential though bad
features of the system, have given point and
force to the attacks of its enemies, which ameli-
orations such as are suggested by Governor
| Collier would render harmless.
| awe arc firmly convinced that these salu-
4 Tn
prejudices against Southern expansion, where
1t can take place consistently with the rights
OF other nations"
1t is perfectly immateral to us, whether the
buying and selling of slaves separation of
slave families, denial to slaves of the means of
education, Ne, Nc, be regarded in the South as
abuses OF the system, or not, provided the law
| interfere to correct them. Let what the South
regards rs the abuses, and zoe, the essentials of
Slavery, be remedied and Abolitionism will
! have nothing to do.
| The ISLAND OF CUBA.-Two proclamations
lately issued by the Captain General Of Cuba,
are described as declaring-the first the Free
dom of the emancipadoes found on the various
prizes made prior to the year 1885, alleging
that they are at liberty TO serve any master
they please, at wages not less than six dollars
per month for each male, and four dollars per
month for each female, subject to a deduction
to indemnify the master for freeing him or
her and the other denouncing the foreign
slave trade, and closing with an authority for
the introduction of free laborers, consisting Of
| Il