Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1854-11-23
while Cline and Hastings were trampling

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down right, and property and mercy, and
filling the land with horror, the mere DIS
cription Of which, BY Burke. caused the
women Of England to swoon in the CALLER
les OF the Commons--in the midst OF those
nearer and more tangible evils, of sudden
Africa and African slave trade, became the
grand objects of sympathy. The crusade
began with n falsehood. For Wilberforce
and Clarkson, though resolutely bent on
emancipation in the colonies, expressly
ayow ed their whole aim to be the suppress
sion of the slave trade. One moment Of
sober thought would have taught that
trade 20 enormously profitable, 30 easily
conducted, and 90 difficult to abolish, repair
ed not the hand of extreme legislation,
which by increasing the risk to the trader,
would make him only the more reckless and
cruel, but those moderate measures, which
would at once legalize his interests, yet
protect their prosecution from brutality
But fanatcsm, acting, us it ever does, with
idea alike visionary and destructive, declar-
ed the African SLAYER an outlaw and pi-
rate, cast him from the pale of humanity,
and made him = desperate man. He was
compelled henceforth to conduct the trade
with all the secresy and remorselessness of
every pursuit where failure and detection
involve the consequences Of crime. II is
surprising that the hostile laws on this
point, were, from the frst,a sheer mockery!
That the slave trade has gone on in spite
of fleets and fanatics, and is this day not
only aggravated in its seventies, but undi-
minished in its csrgoes. The facts are
with US. When ut its height. and before II
was declared piracy, the number transport
ed did not exceed $4,000 annually. And
now it is far beyond that. Mr.. Hume sta
ted in late speech in Parliament, that TO-
600 had Teen imported into Cuba alone dur
ing the last six months. The testimony
from all quarters is, that the trade is still
unchecked. The report made last winter
in the Senate upon the proposition to with
draw the African squadron. gives mos,
humiliating account of the failure to effect
anydimnution. Mr.. Wise, in his recent let.
ter. says:
"The philosophy of Theirs was true
The contraband increases the crueltes Of
the trade, and don't in the least diminish
the number of the victims. That number
amounted to 10000 per annum, at least
when / left Rio in l847, from the coast &c
Brazil
Such are the fruits of governm ent inter.
ference dictated by a morbid sentimentali-
ty. Are they not enough to make the world
pause! Isit not time to look at the matter
as involving questions which, stretching
beyond the narrow visions of dreamers, de.
mand for their solution calm inquiry and
sober discussion! Does not the slave trade
in supplying TO many fourishing States
the labor needful to their development
in abundantly furnishing to the world the
most useful products Of human labor, in
bringing the savage within the pale of civ
llzation and christianity, and, lastly, by
still progressing in its work, in defiance OF
all attempts at its suppression, by all these
titles, rightly claim for itself an origin high.
or than mere avarice, and recognition at
the hands of government other than is ac-
corded to the buccaneer and pirate! We
desire to see this question taken out of the
hands of empty headed fanatics, who have
all alone usurped its control; and, wher
this 10 done, we confidently expect to see
the slave trade classed among those mys
teries, which, however repulsive to fastid
ious eyes, are yet, in the hands Of God, the
instruments of mans progress.