Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-07-24


of the free, the elective franchise, and other
privileges Of citizenship, are confined to free
white men. But this question naturally arises
in mixed free population, composed Of whites
and mulattoes of all shades, viz: Who are tchite!
Superficial thinkers, inexperienced in the prac-
teal workings of the black codes, may imagine
that no such question could ever arise; but
Southern Legislators and judges are better in
formed on this point, as we will proceed to
show. We have not had time to make
thorough examination Of the Statutes and Re-
ports of all the slave States in reference to this
point, but we cannot doubt that in each there
must exist legal definition, either legislative
or judicial, upon the terms white and mu-
latto Cases must needs occasionally present
themselves, which give rise to doubt about
the class to which an individual belongs and
hence the necessity for legal definition. But,
in the limited examination which we have been
able to give the subject, we have only found
such legal definitions in four Of the slave States.
They are as follows:
Every person, other than negro, Of whose
grandfathers or grandmothers any one is or
shall have been negro, although all his other
progenitors, except that descending from the
negro, shall have been white PERSONS shall be
deemed q mulatto; and So every such person
who shall have onefourth part or more of
negro blood shall in like manner be deemed q
mulatto.n-T ate's (Virginia) Digest, p. s43.
All negroes mnlattoes, Indians, and all
persons of mixed blood, descended from negro
or Indian ancestors TO the third generation in
elusive, though one ancestor of each generation
may have been Q white person, Uhether bond or
free, shall be taken and deemed to be incapa-
bic in law to be witnesses in any case whatso-
ever, except for and against each other."--
Clays (Alabama) Digest, p, 600.
All free mulattoes, descended from negro
ancestors to the fourth generation inclusive,
though one ancestor Of each generation may
have been white person, shall come within
the provisions of this actn-Rev. Statutes of N.
Carolina, Vol. I, p. $50.
Every person, other than negro, Of whose
grandfathars or grandmothers any one is or
shall have been negro, although all his other
progenitors, except that descending from the
negro, shall have been white PERSONS shall be
deemed mulatto and go, every such person
who shall have one-fourth part or more of ne
gro blood, shall in like manner be deemed a
mulatto.n- Statutes Of Mississippi, p. 157.
In the case of Virginia, if we mistake not,
the definition of mulatto has been made on
the authority of legal decisions In the other
cases, the Legislature has settled the question.
We may assume, upon these promises that the
general and common LAO Of the South defines
man of color to be one aoho has one.fourth or
more african blood in him. and that a man
Nth less than one fourth Of african blood as to
be reekoned white man, and invested with all
the rights and privileges of the Anglo-Saxon
race.
Where two races of men are thrown togeth-
er in greatly different proportions, it must
necessarily follow that commingling will
seem to destroy the lesser, when in fact it is
only absorbed. The compound race will ex-
hibit the characteristics Of the predominant
element, while the less numerous race will
seem to disappear. 1t is on this principle that
the Auglo-Ssxon race has absorbed, first the
Danes, and then the Normans, notwithstanding
that the latter were successfully conquerors of
the former. Moorish blood is largely infused
into the veins Of the Spaniards and Portuguese
traces of which are still observable, but not in
a sufficient degree to destroy the predominant
Caucasian element. The Jews have in all ages
been peculiar people, bound together by a
feeling of nationality, Of religious conviction,
and spiritual pride and intolerance, which has
never had parallel in the history Of mankind
They have always been as remarkable for
thrift and the love of money, as for the tenacity
with which they have held to their religion.
They have undergone great prosecutions in
former ages and hundreds Of thousands of
them have been swept from the earth by the
hand Of tyranny. Still their prosecutions viii
not account for the fact that they have not
multiplied in any degree Commensurate with
the ordinary natural increase Of mankind. If
they had 80 much as doubled once in century,
from the time of their dispersion to the present
day, they would now far outnumber the whole
population Of the world or If they had increased
during the last two centuries in the ordinary
ratio Of the increase Of tho species, they would
exceed the population Of the United States
perhaps twice told. But notwithstanding their
intelligence, industry, and thrift, they are now
less numerous than they were two thousand
years ago. What is the nc ceesary inference from
these well-known facts Is it not evident that,
in spite Of their pride of race and religion, they
have for the most part been absorbed or ANAL
gamatcd with the people among whom they
have sojourned!
We have called attention to these historical
facts to show that where races Of men are
mingled in different proportions, the less nu-
merous will seem wholly to disappear, and the
compound viii Of necessity carry the predomi-
nant characteristics Of the more numerous race
The admixture Of the whites and blacks in this
country forms no exception to the rule. The
6rat result of comminrl European and AZ