Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-12-28

il is sometimes asserted tha, the killing
negro is considered Q comparatively light
offence 9. the South. 10 Georgia it is much
safer to kill while man than q negro; and
if either is done in South Car olins, the lsw
is exceedingly sp. to be put in force. In
Georgia hsve witnessed q strong purpose
among lawyers TO prevent the murderer OF
a negro from escaping justice. There con
be no doubt that this disposition is on the
increase ! was in CoIumbi,, South Caro-
lima, when the Law Court of Appeals pro-
nounced sentence of death on two young
white men for the murder Of q negro who
had driven them from his garden.
The laws allow the master gres. extent
in chss,ising slave, as protection 10 him.
self and to secure subordinstion. Here room
is given for brutal acts; bsrbsrous modes Of
inficling pain, resulting in death, are en-
ployed; but il is increasingly the case ,hst
vengeance over,akes and Furnishes such
transgressors.
il is we'll for themselves ,h,. the blacks
do no, have the ,emp,a,ons which The lib
er,y Of tes,ifying ag,ins. the whites would
give them. While they are thus restricted
by law, for obvious reasons, from giving
testimony, their evidence has its jus, weigh.
with juree, when ii is known. Offenders
do not escape more frequently 9. the South,
by legal qnibbles, imperfect legislation, and
The ingenuity Of lawyers, than in The free
states. The whole impression with regard
10 personal protection extended over The
slaves, as compared with personal safety
eIse~h here, was far diferen,j m thai which
] bad been led 10 expect"
Among other apparent advantages of.sla-
very in Dr.. Adams view are the prevention
Of crime, The absence of mobs, popular de-
lusions, end pauperism. Thus he says:
"Preven.ion Of crime am ong the lower
class Of society is one striking feature of
slavery. Day and nigh. every one Of them
is amensbIe TO q master. If i'll disposed. he
has his own policeman, in his owner. Thus
three millions Of The laboring clsss Of our
population are in a condition mos, favorable
to preservation from crimes against society.
But the petty larccnies which swell our pub
lie records Of crime are, many Of them, at
The South, privately punished, and do not
enter into the public enumera,ions Of often
ees.
A prosecuting officer, who had six or
eight coun.ie. in his district, told me ,ha,
during eIyht years or SERVICE, ne nau muue
ou, abou. two thousand bills of Indictment.
Of which no, more than Twelve were against
colored people. ], must follow Of necessi-
~ that large amour. Of crime is prevented
BY the personal relation OF the colored man
to white citizen. II would be a benefi, to
some of our Immigrants al the North, and
TO society, il Government, could thus pre-
vent or reach disturbances of the peace .hro'
masters, oversee:s, or guardians. But tee
cannot rival in oar police measures the bsne-
fcial system Of the South in its distfibu,ive
agencies to prevent burglaries and srson.
One consequence Of the disposal Of the
colored people as to individual control 10
the absence Of mobs. That fearful element
in society, an irresponsible and low class,
is mol found al the South. Street brswIs
and conflicts between two races OF laboring
people, or the ignorant and moro excitable
portions of df1eren. religious denominations,
are mostly unknown within the bounds Of
slavery. Our great source Of disturbance at
the North, jealousy and collisions between
Protestant and Irish Roman Catholic labor
ere, is obvia,ed there.
There is another striking peculiarly Of
Southern society which is attributable 10
slavery, and is very interesting to North
erner q, the presen, day. While the color
ed people are supers,isious and exci.sble,
popular delusions and fsna,acisms DO no,
prevail among them. Tha. class Of society
among US in which these things &c. roo. has
substitute in the colored population. Stir.
i.u,l rsppings, biology, second-edven.ism,
MotmoDism, aud The whole spawn Of errors
which infesl US DO mol find subjects st the
South. There is far mare faith in the South,
taken as a whole, than Nth US.
Paupersm is prevented by slavery. This
idea is absurd, no doubt, in the spprehen-
sion of many a, the North, who think that
slaves are, as a mailer of course, psupers.
Nothing cen be more untrue. Every slave
has an inalensble claim in law upon his
owner for support for the whole Of lifs.--
He canno, be thrust into an sImshouse, he
csnno. become vagran', he cannot beg his
living, he cannot be wholly neglected when
he is old and decreps."
il was natural for Mr.. Adams, Us . clergy
man, TO take particular interest in the rei-
eious education Of the elave population, and
he seems to have observed the prosperous
condition of their churches with extreme
qualification.
"When, he says, religious instruction, the
pure, simple gospel Of Jesus Chris. is ex-
tended to our Iaboring classes generally,
adults, and children, as fully as i. is enjoy
| ed bv the slaves in such paris of the SDn,h
as visited, an objec. will be gained Of fsr
more intrinsic importance to our ns,ionsl
prosperity than oil questions relating to sls,
very.
Probably, in very many pieces a. the