The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-02-24

dren OF Israel, and maketh tnei cha Ddse OF him
or Seeth him. then tha, thief shall die. e."-( Deu
xiv. ~ Which seems 10 me to prove that there
were regular slave markets in Israel otherwise
the kidnapper could not make merchandise not
his stolen brethren. and could have no temptation
10 steal him Tor sale And, lastly, in providing
Tor the moderate punishment Of slaves with rods,
the law declares that, il The slave die OF his
beating after day two, yet his master shall
net he punished for, saith The text '' he is his
money" The learned commentator ciled be-
lore remarks on this passage E" In any nation
where slavery is established, mnsler must baVe a
right TO chastiSe his slave. Ii they obsiinnte
and provoke bin into passion, his blows may
prove fatal, contrary to his inclination; hut pre-
determination to xiii slaYc will not be imputed
10 him." for he is money.
Now, if mans slave was his inheritance, and
his chiIdrcn's inheritnnce, aud his money, and if
in the whole Mosaic law there is TO be found but
one enactment agaist selling--that is, forGiddng
to sell his wife if she was also his slave
forbiddrg it not because she his slave, but
because she was his wie--then clearly we are en-.
titled TO assume that slaves were n ma arkeiabc
commodity among the Jews, as they were among
all other nations of antiquity.
hope, therefore, you will tell your hearers at
your next lecture that you have been msrepre.
senng Moss all this time; and that, in fact, The
Mosac law imposed no restrictions upon slavery
at all, except IN the case Of Israesh sldVes-a
class OF restrictions which are happily unneces.
sary, as no American citizen can sell himself into
slavery, or become a slave even for debt, as a
Hebrew citizen might.
So much for authority. And as 10 the nature
of liberty itself, believe is thing little under
stood in these Times. Liberty requires new def.
nitIons,' saith Carlyle. The true liberty Of "A
man, you would say, consisted in his finding OUT
or being forced TO find out, the right path, and TO
walk thereon 10 learn, 10 be taught, what
work he actually able for; aud thus, by per-
mission, persuasion, and even cnmpuISioD, 10 set
about doing Of the same. That is his true bes.
sedness, honor, liberty, and maximum OF well.be.
ng. Wisely, as it seems to me, the same writer
again excIaims Surely, of all 'righs of mali,'
this right Of the ignorant man to be guided by The
wiser, 10 be gently or lorchly held in The truo
course by aim, is the undisputablest Nature her.
sell ordaias it from The first. Society struggles
towards perfection by enforcing and accomplishing
1t more and more. Ii is sacred right and duty 4
on both sides; and the summary Of all social du-
ties whatsoever between the two.'
Thus the ideal Of shareholders position is a 4
true patrlarchaIe. He is the father of family.
And how much higher are his duties and responsl.
bIIIties than those of employer for money!
wages, between whom and his laborer the sole
"e1US is cash payment! If he DO his duty, how
much higher be stands in The scale Of Gods crea.
lures, than the man who merely poys his workmen
their wages on Saturday night, and dismsses them
to the og.shop! If he 90 not his Duty or if he
abuse his power, may God forgive him
Before closing this letter, | shall quote for you
a sentence or two from another keen observer OF
he world, Father Kenyon In general, he savs,
regard The whole question as one whose impor.
ancc is much nggcrated by fancy-perchance
~ fanataclsm. We are all slaves, in a thousand
senses oil the word slaves TO time, 10 place, 10
circumstance; to the habits OF our great grand.
atiers either side, and 10 the whims Of our
Maternal ancestors in all their nonsensicaI genera.
IONS; 10 fire, air, earlE and water throughout all
heIr analyses to iallors-a most Calling yoke;
nuf, washer-women, quacks, policemen, umbrel.
IS, Lordon merchants, native mIllers and royal
nginecrs. II to all these saveries there be su.
eradded one other-namcIv, slavery to slavehold.
RS, cannot sec that position will be very
ssentially deterioraled'
Now, your reverence is a slave: slave 10 ccr-
IN words and phrases, which have got the mas.
ry Of your poor mind, and thus over your body
70. You are as one possessed by them. They
axe you cry out, and gcsculate violently, and
II and sweat, and revile passers-by. Who will
you, unhappy congregational pastor I
ou Call these noisy spirits that possess you
lnc'ples and you ask me where IS my princ.
e. You tell me that you ihOIght had risen .
against English dominion in Ireland for a
InciPe.' God forbid | trust that have no
IncIples Of this sort; but who knows his own
art Who can tell whether he is truly cman.
'atcd or not Yet | do latter myself lIal, in
skIng TO throw of the dominion Of England. I
rs nc'uatrd by no other principle than intoer.
ce OF insoIrnt and ignorant oppression; nv
ncIp!e was SIMPLY that Irishmen were fitted for
l'gher destiny and sphere, and that they oil
9ht t" feel British dominion as intolerabIe as [
. My principle was, that even If all Other
shmen chose 10 submit 10 that mson tyranny,
Tor my part. would choose rather TO die
GU see am but narrow minded Nv thoughts
not world wide and sky high. like your reve.
lce's. Yet submit that you have no right TO
me { a Pretender, (see The independently bo.
lse never did pretend 10 anylbing higher,
Ter, or deeper than the above. Spare me,
refore, your righteous Indignation. As am
lar behind the age, do not Try 10 drag me on
1n never keep up with you. Your reverence.
eed. will soon be clear out OF my sight; and
n you good journey. Adieu
JOHN Mitchell.
HEw. YoRK, January 90, 1854.