Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-06-15

heView has Tor its leading article one enti- |
tied, Slavery in the United States" the
basis of it being review of Mrs. Stoves
celebrated work, "Uncle Toms Cabin" |
Like all other Englishmcn who write on
American affairs, its author makes some
plumbers in his facts and his opinions but
as whole the article is unusually fair for one
on that subject and coming from that quarter.
W hoover reads it will learn some things
about slavery and its influence in this
country which he had not thought of before
lie commcnds Mrs. Stoves work for its
intrinsic cxccllencics. After giving some
good reasons for its great popularity in Eng
land, he is frank enough to own that there
were some bad ones also.
The evil passions which Uncle Tom rrat-
lied in England were not hatred or vcnrcan,e.
but national jealousy and national vanity
We have long been tired of hearing America
boast that she is the frcest and the most
enlightened country that the world has ever
seen Mrs. Stowe taught us how to prove
that democrats may be tyrants, that an aris-
tocracy Of caste is more oppressive than an
aristocracy of station and, above all, that
a clergy SUPP ortcd by their Aocks is ready to
nerrert the fundamental principles of Chris
tianlty to suit the interests or the preiudices
of their paymastcrs. Tho malcvoicnt emo
tons, as is the case with all our instructive
feelings, have their pleasures, but in civilized
life we seldom can fully enjoy them. This
explains the delight that men feel in battle
There is something Intoxicating in the vent
suddenly given to passions that have always
been smothered, In the power suddenly
acquired to kill and to plumber, to crafty
anger, revenge, and rapacity with a good
conscience. Something like this is felt when
the sins of a rival nation are held up to us
TO the qualification of our indignation VIC add
the gratihcatiun or our pride We look at
the atrocities of the internal slave trade and
OF the Fugitive Slave Law, and rejoice that
no such crimes stain the British Island We
read the laws prohibiting the instruction,
prohibiting the acquisition Of property, and
prohibiting emancipation, and congratulate
ourselves on the reception which such legis-
lation would have encountered if it had been
rendered by British colony, for the appro-
baton Of British sovereign. We thank
Tod that we are not even as this publ
can.
Tho following extract furnishes matter for
"ii -tion on several distinct points Speak
ing OF the cessation Of the foreign slave trade
in lSOS according to the provisions of the
constitutions the Review says:
Few of our readers can oe ignorant of the
means by which the demand was met. 1t was
do,,r'33; " Nv" a.',u 'l"uc, iiTrc cruel more
w. ItI'ns' ,'Jio "irocious' than that whlch
."u oc.' auoIisned. me total number OF
",ts II. 'rs'llla IN lHfo was as ,oHC'-
iinS Wv &c" years chuinS looo the slave
ipPua''ol VI the ohi'eu states increased at
t,le rate OF - per cent. The number of
saves IN Virginia. therefore, IN 1901, ought
W t nav peen o'f'o'+ II was only 4l3,O26.
instead oi increasing at the rate of % per
',,u saws III ,ls'lh increased at the
ioI Gss o,ay ~ P'. eent. instead OF AIDING
si,iIu. W nat pccamc OF the mi ssiIGp lQ3HiN
53s 1t cannot be answered that they were
not born or that they died. The climate of
Virginia is one of the best in the world ; the
labour in the plantations is LIGHT tho
negroes are well taken care of. Every trny-
eler admires the number of healthy children
If the natural increase of the slaves in the
whole Union was % per cent. that in Vir
ginia was probably 35 or 10 per cent.
The question, what became of the missing
l0l, 54S is answered when we look at the
rate of increase in the States which are con-
sumers instead Of breeders, when we find
that in Louisiana the increase was "a ner
cent, in Mississippi 81 per cent. and in
Arkansas 1876 per cent. 1t is to these
States, and to Texas. Alabama, and
Florida, that Virginia hasexported her
human crop it Is from thcmthat she has
received, at the low average price of 400
dollars per head, fifty millonsof dollars
for her 100 900 souls 1t was to preserve
this trade, that Mexico was robbed of
Texas. and afterwards of California and
Na,,.
NowIMeAico that Cuba is to he snutchcd
''' oaiIn'ca 10 DC annexed ana that every
INV ''''c ~ ",l'cn the climate Is suited to
',ic NERO Is admitted into the Union as a
''",e ''".c'
Few things have more surprised the world
than the deterioration of the political men Of
America. When the United States were a
mere aggregate Of scantily- peopcd colonies
when their principal citizens were planters.
shopkecpcrs, and traders, trained up in the
narrowncsS and rreiudiccs, and petty en-
Payments of provincial life. they produced
statesmen and ncgotlators, and administra
tors, and legislators, whose names will be
Tor ever illustrious in history. Now that
th"y form great empire, that they possess |
large class of men born in opulencc. to ,
whom all the schools and universities of each |
hemisphere are open, who have leisure to
pursue the studies and to acquire the habits
OF political life, few of their public men
would pass in Europe for tolerable second
rates. This downward progress, however.
seems now likely to be arrested We do
not expect to see the present tenant of the
W hite House succeeded by n first magistrate
inferior to himself in knowledge, in ability
or IN craftsmanship, or the American dinlo.
matists now resident in the Courts of the
Continent followed by men of less tact or
temper or good sense
We believe that tho o,nloo,;o r. Az.
strange depravation is ~ ho c'nna u =; .'is
on American norties ~ tha y, no,; ;"'
cal questions connected ,r;,h s,o' VIC poh'i-
party which a;ms a, Wv" nrnt I,aiely
result nv onIv ana ,'' f'puuons oniy one
ADVANTAGE over ;ts r;rais ,,I "s al , enormous
mote the General ,aicnro wy SYN 70 pro-
Sncorol,, $50: "eaic Vi '"cir country