Eastern times., 1855-11-01

holders, and end by misrepresenting both the
moral and physical condition of the slave.-
The dominant classes of the south, among IA
natics at the north, are almost invariably rep
resented as sinners above all men-heartless,
selfish, cruel, ungodly; men habitually and
wilfully violating more than one of the great
principles of eternal right-men who neither
love God or fear the devil Wholesale de-
nunciations Of this sort form the principle sta
pie of which anti-slavery lectures, speeches
and editorials have at the north been concoct-
ed; and worse still, not unfrequently, of long
sermons in which God and heaven are totally
forgotten, and only intense hatred of the south
remembered. Do intelligent men, men who
do their own thinking, believe these denunci-
ations merited Would the masses believe
them so, if left to their own study and obser-
walton! Certainly not. Cool, rejecting men
of the north everywhere, opposed as they are
to the whole system of slavery, and ready as
they will be found at any feasible moment to
sacrifice much, if necessary, for ultimate
emancipation, in connection with emigration,
know that these lecturers, speech-makers and
editors grossly misrepresent the great body of
our southern brethren. There is not an un-
prejudiced man living, who has ever visited
the south and there remained long enough to
judge fairly of the people, but knows that as a
whole, shareholders are as conscientious, as
pious, as moral, and as philanthropc as any
equal number of men in the non-slaveholding
states. Their churches, other things being
equal, are as well supported; their manner of
life as scrupulously correct; and their sacri-
fees for the good of others as great as in any
other geographical section of the nation. Nor
Is it true, as a general fact, that slaves are
harshly treated or otherwise i'll used. In
stances can be cited, it is true, in which they
have been outrageously abused; instances
where life has been wantonly taken by brutal
masters but such cases, it is well known,
are exceptions, and exceptions of rare occur
renee, to general observance of great hu-
manity. Very few slaves are physically over
tO"Oi oiAl olO OduIy lCu, anu uOHC Die
neglected in the hour of sickness-none when
age disqualifes him or her longer to be profit
able to the owner. Undoubtedly the slave en-
dures many hardships and privations incident
to labor everywhere, as well as some peculiar
to his own civil condition; but none, or next
to none, which justifes the high drawn pic
lures of suffering so often presented to the
public, and gloated over by northern Journal
lists, and anti-slavery lecturers. Mrs. Stowe,
in order to the compilation of tolerably sized
Key to her world-famed novel, was obliged
cases of outrage and abuse perpetrated during
the last quarter of century, and many Of
these, there is reason 10 believe, rest on au-
thority such as she herself would have reject
eds could the case have been made out with
out them. A larger book than her key would
be required to set forth in detail outrages COM
mitted in the north for a much shorter period
of time. Such recitals, however, prove moth
ing to the purpose, and very little any way,
except that there is still great amount of
wickedness in the world, some of which is
unquestionably attributable to southern sla-
very, but great deal more to the truth con-
tanned in well known dogma of general ac-
ceptation, to which Mrs. Stowe, 'pre-eristently'
or otherwise, is understood to give her assent.
These misrepresentation have produced
their legitimate fruits throughout large por-
tion of tAe non-slaveholding states. No in
considerable number are now ready for nullif-
cation, not only of the rendition provisions of
the act of 1850, but of the constitutional re-
quirement itself. The body may not be large
which would go these lengths entire, but it is
sufficiently large in Massachusetts to require
a military force on the ground whenever fu-
gitive slave is to be returned and was suffi-
ciently large in our last Legislature to effect
the passage of law, over the ueto of the gov
ernor, in direct conflict with the congressional
enactment of 1850. The philosophy underly-
ing these proceedings, seems to be this no
natural right exists by which one man can, by
purchase or otherwise, hold another in bond
age; but that, on the contrary, entire personal
freedom to the utmost extent of public safety,
is right inherent in our God-giyen manhood,
of which no individual, except for crime or
want of reason can be deprived, nor of which
he can divest himself if he would. There is
nothing new in this language, or in the idea
intended to be conveyed by it; and as an alb
stract proposition, it is as readily assented to
at the south as in any other part of the repub-
lie. 1t is not there admitted, however, that
practically, under the circumstances, it can by
any human agency be made to include, OF
rather extend to, and bring into social and po-
litcal harmony two eminently distinct varieties
of our race, existing together upon the same
soil; one of which, besides presenting many
unique physical disabilities, is deficient in
those large Intellectual ehdowments necessary
to successful competition with the present
dominant class. This, in brief, is the view
taken of this branch of our subject at the south
A majority of northern readers will undoubt
ly dissent from this conclusion, especially to
so much of it as implies necessity for holding
men in bondage. Be this as it may, the con
fiicting positions above stated constitute thu