The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-11-16

ever! Could anything short of the latent spir-
it and influence of the peculiar institution
have inspired so peculiar an exception?
/ AS to the effect of this exclusion clause, and
, the laws made in furtherance of Its object-ai-
though it has not corresponded with the lnten-
ton Of their authors-although we have heard
of but one case arising under themT-although
the statute requisition of registry is, we believe,
very generally and very properly disregarded
and condemned by our resident colored popula-
tion-although, in short, this clause is to be
considered, to good degree, simply as proc
lamaton, at once gratuitous and impotent OF
the inhuman and anti-Christian spirit OF our
people-its latent influence upon the colOred
population, both within and without the State,
is doubtless, nevertheless, very oppressive,
though no overt manifestation of its power may
indicate the fact
The same observations applicable to the
colonization scheme. As yet. it has been far
more imperative And who can doubt that it
will remain so? The idea of sending our col
ored population to Africa, of founding an
empire there, with the means provided by our
Legislature-not to say by any practical means
whatever-is too supremely ridiculous to be
worthy of serious notice. That it is a most
transparent deception is known to all intelli-
gent minds, and could readily be demonstrated,
were this a proper place to do 80. Yet it is
but too evident, that on the shrine of this mon
strous chimera, the rights of the colored people
have been offered up! 1t is true that the colo
nization scheme is ostensibly designed to oper-
ate only upon those 4" who may be willing to
emigrate." But the whole series of oppressive
acts with which we are now dealing seem
clearly designed to cOerce the desired degree
Of willingness" To apply the language of
another, " these or kindred enormities must
extend over the land-persecution, abuse, bar
baritv at which the mind revolts, to induce the
consent of these people to go to Liberia"
" Willing to emigrate :" ay, the willingness of
the convict, who-one or the other being inevi
table-chooses transportation instead OF hang
ing Such is the mode by which our En-
pire in Africa is to be built up! Such the
principle upon which the civilization and Chris
tianisdtio, of that continent, of which we hear
so much from the advocates of colonization, is
to be effected.
TESTIMONY EXCLUDED.
Our new revised code failed to exclude the
testimony Of colored witnesses in our courts of
justice, whether accidentally, or by design, we
know not. But, as we have seen, by act of
the last Legislature, they are now expressly ex-
cluded, where white person is party in in
terest.
AT time like the present, when the spirit of
legal reform, going upon the most rational idea
that the object of all testimony is to get at the
tdets-the httth-in order to the furtherance of
the ends of justice, is sweeping away all disa-
bities of witnesses leaving the degree of their
credibility, ike any other fact, to the jury-in |
some Of the States permitting even tbe parties to
testify, and in our own State not excluding wit
nesses on account of crime or interest-what can |
be more absurd and shOrt-sighted, even with ref |
erence to the true interest of our white pOpua- |
ton, than the enactment under consideration |
Surely, the prejudice against color never ex !
hibited itself III more egregiously uni ust and |
impolitic rs well as foolish form But as re- |
spects the coored man. its folly is swallowed |
up in its atrocity. For it leaves his person and !
property, family and home Il prey to whatever |
abandoned white man may see fit TO avail him |
self of this legislative act of impunty to An |
glo-Saxon crime and outrage. And loudly and |
often have the wrongs of the haplcs5 victims
of this state of things borne testimony" |
alas, how vainly to the readiness of such |
fellows of the baser sort " to avail themselves
of such license
EXCLUDED FROM THE COMMON SCHOOLS.
Asin the case ofthe testimony of colored people,
their exclusion from the common schools was
an afterthought of the Legislature, and sought |
to be effected by an amendment to the revised
code as originally adopted. 1t is quite natural
that the pro-savery spirit which seems to control
our legislation, should adopt the policy of the
stakeholder, of keeping in ignorance the victims
of his oppression. But the most obvious con- |
sderations of shame, if not of honesty or honor,
would, it might naturally have been supposed,
have dictated to the Legislature the propriety
OF entirely relieving the class thus excluded from
said schools, from the burden of sustaining them.
Yet no such relief has been given. The colored
people are made to contribute towards the ed
nf no obi Cft bo;r
an uncomfortable amount, in the way of penal |
ties, to which they subject themselves chiefly in
consequence of that ignorance which the law
DEGREES shall be their portion!
The Constitution, however, seems to be more |
consistent on this subect-to contemplate no
such exclusion. Section lst of the 9Th article |
of that instrument makes it the duty of the |
General Assembly "to provide, by law, for a |
general and uniform system of common schools, |
wherein tuition shall be without charge, and
equally open TO ALL"
The law, therefore, would seem to be a clear
violation of the Constitution. As however, the |
trainers of the 18th article were guilty therein
of plain violation of the Constitution of the
United States, we need not be greatly surprised
that the Legislature should, az cases Of this
kind, initiate their example with respect to the
State Constitution. Such are but samples of
the manifold gross inconsistencies iii which our
lawmakers have involved themselves, in the
atrOcious attempt to trample under foot the
rights of portion of our citizens!
SUBJECT TO TAXATION
In the fact indicated by this title we find a
manifestation of the EXTREMIST point of infnites-
imal littIeness. That a great sovereign
State" while holding the colorcd man as an
"outside barbarian alien to all the rights and
sympathies of humanity, registering him like
cattle, refusing him voice in public affairs,
denying the protection of its laws to his person
and property, and shutting him out from all
the avenues of education and progress, should
at the same time fch from him portion of
his hard-earned pittance for its own exclusive
beneft-nay, worse-to aid ia the Sustenance
of the very measures taken for his oppression,
is certainly the superative of all comparative
degrees of meanneSsl What falling off have
we here from the wholesale villany of the 18th
article-from and-piracy to petty larceny
Such are the black laws of Indiana. We
have not spoken-t not falling strictly within
our province-of that other law. or rather
that source of law, which, as has been truly
said, is often more terrible and irresistible
than express legislative enactments-we mean
public sentiment. The colored people also
suffer severely from this unwritten code. I'm
der It's rule, they are constantly subject to
insult and annoyance in travelling and tho
other daily avOcations of life, are practically ex-
cluded from all social privileges, and even from
the Christian communion.
But enough. What better could be expect
ed of people guilty of such series of iniqu-
ties than that they should be found in political
and social sympathy with the slave power,
ready to obey with alacity its negro-catch-
ing mandate? Verify, our first work of re-
Pentance, of reform, lies within own Dor