Daily national era., 1854-01-07
WASHINGTON, D G.
DEBATE ON EMANCIPATION,
IN THE LEGIsLATURE or VIRGINIA. IN 1882


lCoNcLUDED.
Extracts from the speech Of Henry Berry Of
Jsfsrson s,1
Sir, believe that no cancer on the physical
body was ever more certain steady, and fatal
in its progress, than is this cancer on the po
litical body Of the State Of Virginia II is eat
ing into her very vitals. And shall we admit
that the evil b past remedy Shall we act the
part Of puny patient, suffering under the
ravsges of fatal disease, who would say the
remedy is too painful, the dose too nauseous, !
cannot bear it; who would close bis eyes ia
despair and give himself up to deatha No,
sir would bear the knife and the cautery,
for the sake Of health.
| believe it is high time that this subject
shoMd be discussed and considered by the
people Of Virginia. believe that the people
are awakened on the subject, but not alarmed
believe they will consider it calmly, and de-
cide upon it correctly. Sir, have no fears
now, for any general results from any efforts
at insurrectioD, by this unfortunate class of our
population. knoiO that we have the power to
crush any such effort at blow. know that
any such effort on their part, at this day, will
end In the annihilation Of all concerned in it;
and believe our greatest security now, is in
their knowledge of these things-in their
knowledge of their own weakness
Pass as severe laws as you will, to keep these
unfortunate creatures in ignorance, it is vain,
unless you can extinguish that spark of intel
lect which God has given them. Let any man
who advocates Slavery, examine the system Of
laws which we have adopted from stern ne
ces-ity, it may be said) towards these crea
lures, and he may shed . tear upon that, and
would to God, sir, the memory Of it might be
blotted out forever. Sir, we have, as far as
possible, closed every avenue by which light
might enter their minds; we have only to 60
one step further to extinguish the capacity to
see the light, and our work would be completed !;
they would then be reduced to the level OF the
beasts Of the field, and we should be safe; and
/ am not certain that we would not do it, if We
could find out the necessary process-and that
under the plea Of necessity. But sir, this is
impossible. And can man be in the midst of
freemen, and not know what freedom is /? Can
he feel that he has the power to assert his lib
erty, and will he not do it Yes sir; with
the certainty Of the current Of time will he do
il, whenever no has the power Sir, to prove
that the time will come, | need offer no other
argument than that Of arithmetic, the conclu-
sions from which are clear demonstrations on
this subject The data are before us all, and
every man can work out the process for him
self Sir, u death-struggle must come between
the two classes, in which the one or the other
will be extinguished forever. Who can con-
template such catastrophe as even possible,
and be Indifferent!
Extract from the speech of Thomas Marshall Of
Fduquier
Wherefore, then, ubjeo4 20 Slauorya Racansa
it is ruinous to the whites-retards improve
nd Skx-
ishes the yeomanry of the country, deprives
the spinner, the weaver, the smith, the shoe
maker, the carpenter, Of employment and sup
port The evil admits of no remedy. IL is in
oreasing, and will continue to increase, until
the whole country will be inundated with one
black wave covering its whole extent, with a
few white faces here and there floating on the
su, face. The master has no capital but what
is vested in human flesh the father, instead OF
being richer for his sons is at a loss to provide
for them. There is no diversity of occupations,
no incentive to enterprise. Labor of every spe-
cies is disreputable, because performed mostly
by slaves. Oar towns are stationary, our vii
lagos almost everywhere declining and the
general aspect Of the country marks the curse
of q wastefuI, idle, reckless population, who
have no interest in the soil, and care not how
much il is impoverished Public improvements
are neglected, and the entire continent does
not present region for which nature has done
81 much, and art 50 little.
Extracts from the speech of James McDoweH jr,
Of Rockbridge.
Who. sir that looks at this property as
Legislator, and marks its effect upon our nation
al advance, but weeps over it rs the worst Of
patriinonies Who that looks to this unhappy
bondage Of our unhappy people in the midst of
onr society, and thinks Of it's incidents and its
issues, but weeps over it as a curse upon him
who inhicts as upon him who suffers il (?
IL am to Judge from the tone OF our debate,
from tho concessions op all hands expressed,
there is not man in this body--not one, per-
haps that Is even represented here--who would
not have thanked the generations that have
gone before VS., IT, acting as public men, they
had brought this bondage to n close who
would not have thanked them, II, acting as pri-
vate men, on private notions, they had relin-
auished the property which their mistaken
Kindness has dcvolyed upon us. Proud as are
the names, for intellect and patriotism, which
enrich the volumes Of our history, and revercn-
italy as we turn to them Mt this period of
waning reputation, that name, that man, above
all parallel would have been the chief, who
could have blottcd out this curse from his coun-
try--thoee above all others, would have re-
ceived the homage Of an eternal gratitude,
who, casting away every suggestion OF petty
interest, had broken the yoke which in on evil
hour had been imposed, and had translated, as
a free man, to another continent, the outcast
and the wretched being who burdens ours with
his presence, and defcs it with his crimes.
But, SIR, il has been otherwise appointed.
Slavery has como down to us from our fathers
and the question now IL, Shall we, in turn,
hand il over to our chldren--hand il over TO
them, aggravated with every attribute Of evil
Shall we perpetnatc tho calamity We deplorc,
and become to postcrity the objects, not Of
Kindness, but Of cursingt
Sir, you may place the slave where you
please--you may dry up to your utmost the
fountains Of his feelings, tho tsprings OF his
thought--you may close upon his mind every
avenue 10 knowledge, and cloud It over with
a~t;eo;.I n;cbt-vou NAV woke him to your