Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-04-15
SALEM CoLUMBIANA COUNTY ONO SATURDAY APRIL 49, 1854

,.ss.
girls and the like, fancy prices were paid Just as
they are now in the southern States for uuudroor
girls. In Greece as in Rome, the masters right
was absolute. lie alone could free his slave. No
legal tribunal had that power. 1t is related that
the people Of Rome demanded Of the Empetor
Tiberius the freedom Of u great actor who was
public favorite. This the Emperor could not grant
ill he obtained the consent of the actors master
BY the Grecan and Roman, as by the American
law, the slave was not person. but piece of prom
orty, a chattel--a thing.
BY the Roman law likewise, slaves were bound,
under penalty of death, to protect their master
against his enemies among their own class, and if
the master was killed by slave all his slaves were
put TO death. Tacitus relates that Pcpanius, who
owned four hundred slaves, being killed. all four
hundred were legally put to death, though tie
people of Rome petitoned and protested against
such Wholesale slaughter The question came
before the Roman Senate; the law was defended
by c. Cassus, who insisted there would be no safe
ty to masters if the law in this was not enlor
ced So its majesty was vindicated, and the rufled
pumage of the gentlemen Of that day who'protcct-
ed the peculiar institution, was smoothcd the higher
law gentry rebuked, and the blood of four hundred
innocent men and women poured out by the pub
lie executi0ner The fugitive slave law likewise of
that period was model Of tender regard for the
interests Of the master and of demoncal disregard
for the rights OF humanity in the person of the slave
Diodorus relates that the rich Demophilus own
cd 'an army of slayes--saycs for work and slaves
for luxury upon whom, aided by his wife, Me-
gallis were praetised the most dreadful crueltes"
Every day some one of them," says Dodorus
was unjusty sub heGted to torture till at last they
were goaded on to revolt They seized Demo
philus and Magallis and conducted them to the
arena, where the men put Demophlus to death
and thence the women took Megallis to the top of
tower, from which they hurled her to destruction
The crucltes of masters not unfrequently led to
similar rctributiye justice. In this the revolt
ed slaves Of Demophius found leader, and some
ten thousand others hocked TO their standard of
freedom, but after numerous sanguinary engage
ments with the Roman troops they were all cut tc
pieces in battle or taken prisoners and delivered
over to the executOners.
We have omitted to mention. while treating OF
the household of the Roman chivary, another class
of slaves, the Gadiators these were prisoners OF
war, or slaves OF all kinds condemned as punish
mcnt to fight one another, or be torn to pieces by
wild beasts in the arena. their death-throes being
the recreation Of the delicate, sensitive aud re-
fined Roman ladies and gentlemen. Against this
class when they reyolted to the number Of 10000
Crassus led arm les for three years. and their leader
Spartacus, being killed. the remanant of the in
suTgents, to the number OF 10000, were on one
day cructed, the crosses being planted for several
miles on either side of the road from Cupua 10
Rome. According to Pliny, the agricultural la
borers, the field hands were "branded on the fore
hcld, were WOrkeu IN gangs uNuer OVerheSfs, hS
arc the slaves of our southern brethcren," and
were driven home at night, and chained up for
tho night" like beasts Of burden.
We see from this cursory survey Of Greek and
Roman Slavery, that it differed in two important
| points from our modern American kind. 1t allow
ed the slaves to he educated up t. the highest
point, adorned with every personal and mental
grace putting within their reach the consultations
III divine philosophy and the pleasures of the
| al and most beautiful arts In America we do not
! dare to open such humanizing and elevatng OPP
portnnitics TO q slave we do not dare TO let
our bondman learn to read; and ifa benevolent
woman overilowing with charity. seeks to serve
! God by teaching n few black children the alphabet
we hale her to prison for the crime. But while
antique slavery thus opened brighter vista to the
mind orsayes,i &c cndoN Q with transoendant genius
It was far less humane than VIC in their physical
treatment. Greece and Rome constantly required
new wars aud large importions to keep up their
stock Of slaves. The physical treatment these
wreched creatures received was so harsh and in
tolopab.e as constantly to reduce their ranks by
DEATH while in America we feed and cloth them
so well, and pay so much care to production, that
/ Ia City years, we have increased their numbers
fvefold. The reason i very simple and is familiar
TO every student of political economy Our laws
have gone to tho very utmost IN protecting the
home production Of slaves. We have given an
absolute monopoly to our native breeders, by pro-
hbting under pain of death, the importation of
4 the article that might else be furnished by the
dealers on the Guinea coast, But for this We
might have used up our slaves as rapidly and
fercely as did the gentlemen of Greece and Rome.
It is true that this ultra protection is now become
ing disagreeable to southwestern planters, who
but for it, might buy African negroes for 500 u
piece instead of paying $1,000 for the product OF
Virginia and Maryland They think, and not
without logic, thatit is rather unreasonable for
free traders like the Virginians to force thcm to
pay so heavc tax by way of protecting domestic
o,,d 6acira tho rnOnnl of this
peculiar tariff. Should they succeed in re-cstab-
fishing the old system Of free trade In negroes
they will not only have bettered their own for
tunes, but have brought American Slavery one
step back toward that of Greece and Rome
The other step, that of educatngs slaves, these mod
orn patricians will never venture upon. Slaves
that can read and write and are versed in the
, arts and sciences will always be too formidable
for their cowardice, and they will continue still to
: cast into dungeons all the Mrs. Douglasses and
! other messengers of light, who may venture tC
offer the lasts mental instruction to their bond
> man Tyil1IIe.