Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-03-31

There 10 In Virginia population OF AL 900
souls OF these, possibly forty or fifty thou
sand are slave owners. We will take the
highest number For the benefit of this num-
Der of slave owners, all the legislation Of that
State appears to be conducted The right Of
property in these slaves is declared, and guar
antied, and protected by peculiar laws, even
to the prohibition of teaching them to read the
Word of God The law Of matrimony is not
permitted to apply to them. Their children,
in violation Of the laws Of nature and of reye-
lation, are not held to be theirs, but are taken
from them at will. And not only this, but free
negroes lest they may induce dissatisfaction
among the slaves, or lest their labor may come
into competition with that of the slaves, are
put under great disabilities and even required
to leave the State under such circumstances as
would constitute no objection to the continued
residence Of the white man.
The slave owner is thus protected-the slave
is thus oppressed--the free negroes and mu-
lattoes, $500 in number, are thus prescribed
and ostracised! The white man who has need
Of hired labor, is thus made to suffer inconve-
nience and loss And this is all for the pro-
lection Of the interests of let us say, $4,000
slave owners, who constitute but about one
shirtieth Of the whole people, or one-twentieth
Of the white population, or one-fourth OF the
heads of the white families in the State.
But, it may be replied by OK Governor Smith,
the great prosecutor of the free negro popula-
ton of Virginia, or some one else, that the de-
graded character of the free negro requires his
removal from the State Is the free negro SO
degraded in Virginia Who made him so
We quote the following from warm advo-
cate of the institution of Slavery, the Richmond
Southern Era. That journal says
Since our paper Of last week was issued
from the press, we have received letter from
an intelligent gentleman in Eastern Virginia,
from which we give an extract:
1T is undoubtedly true that the free blacks
are comparatively harmless, inoffensive, and
Industrious when they are not habituated to
the use of whiskey and other liquors. In my
neighborhood there are many of this class and
my observation fully accords with your state
ment Of last week. My attention has been
specially directed to this matter, because Of
the movements in the Legislature looking to
the forcible removal Of the free blacks. |
doubted the policy, and determined to examine
for myself There are near me thirty families,
twenty of whom are sober, honest, and indus
trious. They do me no harm, but, on the con-
trary, are very useful at certain seasons. They
ing, and whenever from any cause there is q
da6oiauny &c f,raa unop NV forp, Thu other
ten families use whiskey, and are frequent Wis
tiers to the adjacent grog shops. These are
nuisances They will not in general work,
even If employment is offered them, and they
earn their scanty support by driving an illicit
trade with the slaves on the neighboring es-
tates The slaves steal from their masters
whatever they can get without detection, and
in return for their booty receive supplies of the
meanest whiskey which both makes them dis
orderly and shortens their lives These free
negroes in turn carry on trade with the
whiskey shops, or, when these facilities fail,
they resort to thefts to get enough to support
nature. Thus it comes to pass that the free
negroes have gained bad name. Those among
them that are whiskey consumers are corrupt
and corrupting; but as you say, let US rather
remove from them the indictments to wrong
doing, and keep them where they are. have
never been in o temperance society, but am
certainly in favor Of suppressing the whiskey
shops that abound in this and every county in
Virginia They are pest houses wherever they
exist, and the law ought to declare them such.
Not only do they make the free negroes vi
cious but they are highly injurious to the
slaves and, in my estimation, more than all
other causes are retsrding the progressive
movements Of our Commonwealth
awe are glad to find ourselves supported by
such an intelligent farmer in our views of the
deleterious tendencies of whiskey shops. The
observation which we had been able to make
in this city and in Petersburg, led to the re-
marks of last week; and now we have voice
from the country that enforces our views with
power. Bot we want more testimony on this
question. 1t is one of vital Importance to the
people Of Virginia and the entire South. For
one, we would preserve our population as it is,
as far as possible devoid of that element which
makcs society in the Northern States 50 liable
to popular convulsions and mobs. To do this,
we shall be obliged to retain our black popula-
ton; and it is an interesting inquiry, whether
the free blacks can be kept in our midst, with
out these evils which now attend their pres
enee. Or, should it be polite to remove the
free blacks ultimately, many years must elapse
before IL can DC uuuc III uicou siuio, -
the liquor shops do exert the influence which
we charge upon them, they ought to be extir-
pated. With the view Of settling this question
satisfactorily, we invite further communica-
tons from gentlemen throughout the State"
1t will here be perceived that two-thirds Of
the free colored people in. certain neighbor-
hood in Eastern Virginia, and most probably
throughout the State are sober, useful, and
moral people. IL will also be observed that
thoee who are otherwise are lcd astray by
whiskey shops, which no colored person can
possibly keep twill also be noted that even
the best Of these people, though highly worthy
and useful, are so far prescribed that they are
desired only in those seasons in which extra
and temporary help is needed. And even the
humane temperance editor we quote has no
a.