True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-12-12
RETALIATION.

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vii in Georgia, which we read over rath,
er carefully when it was first reported,
and resolved TO say nothing about il mn.
I'll il should pass; but our cotemporaries
have commenced ventiliaing it. and will
doubtless in time discover its true drift
and necessary consequence so we have
no adequate motive for further lorbear.
ance. II is substantially as follows.
A Georgian goes before proper tri
bunal and swears that one of his neg gru
slaves has run away--ora a dozen of his
slaves, as the case may be--that said
slave--or slaves-has made his way TO a
Free Slate-say New -York-and That he
cannot recover him: whereupon the trib,
unal gives him legal authority to sieze or
attach any property belonging, or debt due
in Georgia, TO any citizen of said Free
State wherein said fugitive is sworn to
have found refuge, and pay himself the
sworn value fsaid fugitive Slave or slaves
out of said property or debt There are
good many clauses and much yer.
hiage but the gist of the bill is here Civ
en-.
This bill had not passed when we last
heard from MilegevilIe, but was deemed
likely To become q law. We sincerely
hope it may, for these reasons:
|. Il will strike damaging blow al
our inflated system of Mercantile Credit.
A Southern retailer of dry goods rarely or
never pays for them when he buys them,
He obtains them on credit of the jobbers
Of New York or Philadelphia, expecting
10 pay for them out of the proceeds Of
their sales, unless he can find some more
advantageous investment for the money.
Should the crop Of his section fail, or the
plce of cotton rule low, or The river fail
to rise SO that it can be noated 10 market,
he won't pay if he has invested his cur
rent receipts in Government funds, or a
new house, or plantation, he probably
won't. 1t is a gambling business, this
supplying the South with goods on credit,
in good part extended to men who have
neither the property nor the established
character which could alone entitlc them
to such credit. 1t multiplies retail mer.
chants enormously, and foods the plant.
ing States with goods which are neither
wanted nor paid for. We believe this
Mercantile Credit is a curse both 10 the
North and South, and hail the advent Of
anything calculated TO break up. This
foolish and unjust Georgia bill will tend
10 do it; so we hope it will pass.
II. Our merchant princes" who job
goods on credit to Southern retailers, are
nearly all Union ravers, who think slavery
either good thing in itself, or necessa-
ry evil with which the North has nothing
~ do. When one of them shall have
been called upon to pay. under this Geor-
gia law, for ten or fifteen slaves whom he
never saw nor heard Of till he found them
in his little bill, it may possibly crawl
through his hair that we have something
TO do with slavery. 1t may even occur 10
him that it is not exactly the right thing
for man 10 sell his slfbrolher into The
most cruel and brutal bondage in the cane.
field or riceewamps, merely because that
brother has one eighth African blood il
his veins.
III. This act will tend rapidly 10 di
minish the slave population of the States
adopting it, and so weaken The impedi-
ments TO emancipation. Every slave
holder who has particularly vicious, in
lraclAble, Improbable negro, whom he
cannot sell, and does not wish 10 keep,
will conlrive to have him run away, Ia
king care only that lie runs into some
Free State. Thence he may 60 tn Cana
da, or where ever else he may choose ;
the master will cnly track him to some
Free State trading with and trusting tht
South, and then proceed to levy on the
property debts of citizens Of said State fo'
his Literally estimated value, So long al
there shall be any property liable to at
tachment under this law, so long, W.
may be sue, will the slaves keep running
away. . ..H'a laH
Nv. Our neighbors who sell goods ia
the South on credit, sometimes get ricl
very fast, counting their bills payable a
securities or realized profits, and TAX
| TO building each his palace on Fifth Aven
he, or ihcreabouts, on the strength q
such good fortune. By and by the South
elm promises fall due, aud are not paid
not then nor ever'-and the half hui
palace has TO be sold, aud the mechanic
are sometimes losers. Let this Gecrgi
bill pass, and our merchants will estimal
their profits and build their palaces on III
basis Of their payments received, rath'
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