Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-05-10
PHE CURSE OF SLAVERY.

Slavery curses all classes. the rich and the
poor, the stakeholder and the slave. 1t benefits
nobody. Kentucky is crashed by q load, which is
wearing her out. Instead Of a nursery of virtu-
Gus, intelligent freemen, she is fast becoming n
great stock farm for the propagation Of cattle, hor-
scF, mules, and slaves, controlled by II few wealthy
tyrants, almost as ignorant and moro ~depraved
than their negroes.
We love and admire Kentucky. The natural
character Of her people is frank, manly
and generous. The history of her early
settlement as a State, is one Of hercism and
manly achievement. The pioneers of Kentucky
were brave and honest. They have left to their
children an honorable name and a glorious inheri.
lance.
Bat in TN evil hour, they permitted a few Ct
their fellow citizens to introduce into the green
hills Of the West a class of degraded and ignorant
iaborcrs, and to employ them in competition with
their poorer neighbors. In a new country labor is
scarce. Tho owner of slaves could plant more
corn and tobacco, than the man who had only his
own honest hands to rely upon. The farmer who
worked men without paying them, could undersell
the farmer who had to pay for help. Gradually
the POOR man became discouraged and dissatisfied.
Gradually the rich man became richer and more
avaricious. The poor man wanted schools for his
children. Slavery wanted nc schools. He wan
ted the society Of his equals. Slavery ~despised
him because he owned no slaves. The slavebold-
eT's wife refused to associate with the laborers
VIE. Inc planter 5 uuupuVcr fcIuSeu Tue uuuress-
os of the loboror's son and the visits of the labor.
er's daughter, Except in some instances, and then
the planter grieved with bitter lamentation and
sadness to see his own children fall into the arms
of that ignorance his peculiar institution had ere
ated.l The noble quality of early Kentucky life
has disappeared. Society is divided into classes,
with embittered prciudices and opposing interests.
The stakeholder despises the slave, the slave des-
pises tho poor white man, Except where each sees
THAT the system makes them both slaves alike to
the same MASTERY the poor white man regards
both as his natural enemies. What is the conse-
puence of this unhappy and unnatural decision {?
10 where you will over the beautiful, undulating
surface OF kentucky, and you behold deserted
farm houses falling into decay. Everywhere you
meet the long professions of wagons laden with
household necessaries-of cattle, of horses, of
sturdy farmers, with their wives and children. all
vending their way to the Northwest; but among
these professions you never see a negro. Ken
lucky spurns the best blood Of her children. She
hugs the negro to her bosom. There are indeed
professions of negroes. Disgraceful and scandal
Gus Observation-Disclosures and fettered, with
fearful eyes and sorrowful countenances. These
victims of a barbarous and bloody despotism
march southwark to the music of their own chains.
Their feet kept time to the death march of their
withered hopes, Of their murdered joys, Of their
despairing memories. Torn from their families,
severed forever from the scenes of their humble
pleasures and early associations, with no hope OF
reunioni they go to the pestiterous swamps and
dense forests Of the southwest to work in gangs
beneath the cruel lash of the overseer, till fever
and excessive toll put a period to their sufferings.
Meanwhile the cornfeld and the garden give
place to the blue grass pastures, beautiful but sad
evidences of social deterioration. We ride fol-
miles amid solitudes broken only at long intervals
by n distant view Of some lordly mansion, with its
pillars ard pia2zas, overshadowing its cluster Of
negro cabins and cattle-stalls.
Such is the suicidal movement Of Kentucky So
ciety. 1t exports its white children to the prairie
of Illinois and Iowa and the frosty lakes of Wis
consin and Minnesota. 1t exports its black chill
dren to the delta Of the Mississippi and the vast
tropical plains of Texas,
Meanwhile the mechanic arts are neglected, the
schools are neglected, labor is falling into contempt
Our cities grow but slowly, even on the confines
of the free States. Our country towns languish
and decay. Enterprise is checked, manufactures
perish. The young man of energy and enter
prise finds nothing to do.
The children of the rich first shoot their school
masters with impunity, and then vary the enter.
tninment by shooting each other. The young men
grow up ignorant and dissipated. A swarm Of
mulattoes bear testimony to their degenerate af6li-
alton with the race they despise. An army of
drunken idlers, round our taverns and groggeries
replace the hardy virtues of their manly ances-
try.
The young women grow up idle and frivolous,
fl wives Of a debauchcd and spendthrift aristocra-
cy.
Slavery curses alike the white and the black,
the master and the slave. Especially it curses the
poor white laborer.
In the name of God and humanity, we call upon
Kentuckinns to shake off the letters of habit and
of prejudice, and to become the pioneers in a no.
bier work than that Of their fathers-tLe pioneers,
who will redeem the moral wilderness and restore
the inspiring and animating influences of q free
and republican society.-kehtucky Netos.
<