The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-16
The Negro, Bond. and Free.

I.l
The fact which announced last winter that certain
manumited negroes had applied to the Legislature for
permission to take has excited the greatest
ishment among the abolitionsts They cannot
for it upon any supposon consistent with their pecu
liar opinions to the snfulness of slavehoiing We
must add another item to their troubles The same
thing has occurred before the last winter and since that
time we have become cognzant Of two other instances
more recent date, where similar applications to their
white neghbors have been made by manumtted negroes
The only explanation of this circumstance which has
been attempted at the North il unworthy OF credit and
unsustaned BY fact 1t has been alleged that the
dtion Of the free negro, who is compelled to remain
slave State is ptable and intoerabe subsection to
we're and oppressive laws and customs. This is not
Is granted that the free negro does occupy inferior
position, and one that cannot consist with happiness
In the nature Of things this must So and it is no
true Of every State in the Union than it is of Virginia
But must be borne in mind that however abect the
state of the free at the South he is not
as the same class at the North However Southern
society may doom him to degradation he is in better
situation than he would be among the hypocrtca ana
tics Of New York and other Northern States.
this were not go why do these negroes prefer slavery
10 residence in some Northern Slater The alternative
with them was not degraded position n Southern
community but home in some of the free States or
home with Southern master; and they chose the lat
ter That they madea wise choice will be doubted by no
man who will contrast the happiness of our saves with
me and poverty Of tho free negroes in the
Northern states of this Union More than thatwe do
not believe there this day in Virginia free negro who
would not initiate their example If the same alternative
was forced upon him. and he truly nfoxmed as to
this confederacy.
Once LOT all let us vindicate Virginia from the
sion of severity towards the free negroes within her bor
ders The history of her legislation with respect to
them the best reuaton of this SANDER She has re.
peaedy refused to do what several Of the free States
have done erpel the free negroes by force Of law and
far az she could safely do conferred upon them
all the privileges accorded to citizens the common
wealth If her Legislature has conferred upon
the privilege of voting 1t has been consistent because
has always been held in Virginia that they we're in.
competent TO discharge the duties of citizens And
in this they have not been alone but been followed
by all the free States so far know. But the law
protects the free negro in the of his property
and shields him from the hand OF lawless violence
How then II may be asked, do you account We de-
sire expressed by manumitted negroes to put theves
again into bondage. The is at hand These
negroes are strongly attached to the soil, and
the law provides that manumitted negroes shall be
sent out Of the State and they know by expert.
they know by observation that the condition Of the
free negro Is inferior in respect to that of the negro
with master they yield to their local alta chments in
stead Of being governed by that instinct for freedom
which the abolitcnsts assure is inherent in every
human bosom. This is a plain and simple solution OF
the difficulty and we commend IL to all honest anti
slavery men. They are fighting shadows when they go
to battle against the evils Of slavery They arc making
themselves ridiculous by their mad crusade against an
institution Heaven ordained and sanctioned and should
they succeed in securing the emancipation Of all the A
can slaves In the South, would only heap misery upon
those they seek to The Southern slave is
tented and compared with the free negro North or
south, happy being. His daily recurring wants
met and the bread Of life Is within his reach Labor and
toll are more his lot than they the portion of other
nortsls, and where Internal ntermedder interferes
the slave lives and dies upon the plantation where he
was born, without moments dissatisfaction or discon-
lent. v