The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-09-07
For the Nations Era.
TEE AMALGAmATIoH OF RACES.

"Tho Southern States, since their earliest
colonial history, have been peopled by two
races, Of different color aud of different civil
zation. We hold them in bondage, because we
are unwilling to smalgamsts with them, and
desire 70 keep our Teutonic blood pure and
uncorrupted by any baser admixture, because
We prefer that their untutored labor should be
directed by the superior intelligence of our
race to useful industry, rather than that they
should be freed from ell wholesome restraint,
and lefs without coercion TO pollute our blood
and destroy our progress. 1t is not within
our comprehension to diviEe the cause which
has made the Ruler of Nations establish this
order Of things"
The above is a paragraph of the Hon. BIZ.
PrestOn's answer to Gerri Smiths remarks
upon Slavery In the discus Son On the Kcszta
question, on tho goth of d .cember Last. Mr.
Preston was no doubt in earnest when he
uttered these sentimsnts and yet, one ac-
q1ainted with the true sta Q Of the case can
hardly help believing that his language was
purely ironical. Slavery >erpetuated in the
South, to preserve the pure Teutonic blood IN
mixed with the African ra,e! And does not
Mr.. Preston know that it is this amalgamaton
OF the two races, 60 rapidly progressing in the
slave States, with its conse luent moral degra-
dation, that makes Slavery so abhorrent to all
unprej JUDGED and correct minds! have tray
elled, more or less, through all the slave States
with the exception Of Florida and Texas, and
have no heeitaticn in saying that there are one
hundred mulatto children born in the South,
to che in the North, among the same number
OF blacks. In many places in the South, it is
not even disreputable for white men of wealth,
if not Of standing to keep colored mistresses
and raise families by them. Such thing is
unknown in the North. | have lived In one
place, in Ohio for fifty years, where, during
all that time, there have been O number of
coiored persons; and in that fifty years have
heard of but three children with colOred moth
er5 and white fsthers-that is, nulGttoes.
do not, however, include in this cstimate chill
dren of mulattoes married together, and hav.
ing children of like color. There were some
OF these, at different times, but in every in
stance, except c few more recent cases, these
mnlatto parents came from slave States. A
few have married with each other here, but
their parents were from the same fruitful
source of amalgamstion.
Again: | have known, in the county in
which | have lived at least six families Of mu-
lattoes brought here from slave States, by their
white fathers and masters, with the avowed
purpose of enabling them to obtain an educa-
ton, which was prohibited in the South and
at this time, | know q colored lady here, the
daughter of y late member of Congress from
the South, of high standing and talent, and
who fer years, while in Congress, looked TO
that daughter for q supply of those articles Of
gentlemen's dress which few could furnish, 30
exquisite is her use of the needle
If any one will travel from city to city in
the South-from New Orleans to Baltimore
as | have done-he will be struck with the
immense numbers of colored persons of all
shades, from the muatso to the quarteroon,
and even lighter, and the very few purely
black young persons. In country places ANAL
gamstion does not go on SO rapidly and gener-
ally, though even on plantations you will ocea-
sionally find planter living with his slaves,
without any white woman, and raising chill
dren BY them, as regularly as if legally mar.