Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-05-02
For HE Enquirer.
BISHOP MEADE ON SLAVERY.
WE CALL FOR THE PROOF!

already recognized CA'E'
For Tie Enquirer.
BISHOP MEADE ON SLAVERY.
WE CALL FOR THE PROOF!
Your third charge against slavery is, that II has
been injurious to the political interests OF Virginia
| This charge is both vague and comprehensive pu'
will endeavor to reply to it in all its conceiV"oic
| breadth.
The census statistics show that less crime is COM
mited in Virginia than in the sO-caled free States
Wa disturbed by no riots, mobs or armed resist
to the law. Suciey is quiet and conente!' anu
threatened by neither social or political revoiul'"h
from within Property is Secure, law falrly at!nnsrT
ed, corruption in office unknown, and life and liberty
adequately protected. Taxes, till now, have been
very light, and now are imposed not to support an
expensive government, or numerous army Out 10
construct improvements, which will advance the pr,
vate wealth and we'll being of the State. No cruel
| conscriplion or more cruel impressmcnt tears onr
free citizens from their peaceful homes, To ensavs
them sailors on the high seas or as soldiers III
some foreign cline. The habeas corpus, never slS-
pended, protects the liberties OF all What more
would YOU havel What Platouc Republic, what
visionary Utopia, are you signing for that YOU are
not content with political State at least rs gOod ~
| humanity hus yet attained to.
| Let us now attempt TO lift the veil That conceaIs
the POLITICAL future and compare probable tale
with TINT which nwas other forms Of Society.
We know, from the history of ancient republics and
from that Of Judea, that was both republican ana
military proves, and length Of national existence,
may coexist with domestic slavery. Can modern re-
pubcausm, based universal suffrage, endure
without slavery In Virginia, so long rs we have
slavery the governing class will be Of property,
professional and their cunnexion. aud depend
ants. Men Interested in the protection Of property,
aud conservative in their feelings pre- JUDGES aud ill.,
teresis, will compose majority Of society and CON
| troll the policy of government.
| In free countries the mall the railroads, steam
BOATS and other facilities of ntercumnuncatIon aid
ed by trade and commerce aud the banking and ere.
dit SYSTEM are fust pauperising the country aud CEN
trulizns wealth in few large cities. When transfer
red to those cities the same agencies are ennblng tho
large capitalists to eat up the small The freer
las freedom is popularity understood the country the
more rapid this process OF pauprrising the millions
and making ni0nares OF the few. The mass of
free society will be Interested Ia abolish the right
TO private property. Will they neglect Ia do when
SOCIALISM, the prevailing philosophy of such society,
advises aud approves il, and it becomes the refrain
Of every speech, pamphlet and lecture Of distinguish
ed and wealthy phanihropi-ts, like Gerrt Smith =
No, sir; social and political revolution is near n, hand
| throughout Western Europe, and, unless cous-r"H.
tives become more active and Unlon-lOvlng at the
| Morrill, not very distant there. Learned, scieutihc
enlightened opinion i, almost unanimous on this sub
jrct. The puus, learned and conservative Chateau
briaud snys: Society, such rs il now is i'll England
will not continue to endure" And Carlyle, couser-
| vatIve socialist, exclaims ave must have new
world il we are to have any world at all :" The
| North British Review. in able article un the "Ln.
Dor Question" in its February No, 1854 after show.
Ing ut socialism is the all absorbing subject of dis
custom in France, proceeds give account of ita
prevalence in England, and concludes that ave shall
soon have no literature AT all but literature of 3D.
cial reference. Now, cir, you know that ''Sucla LII
terature Is but declaration Of bankruptcy on the
part OF free sUcety-an express assertion that all eX
isting social and political relations utolerable and
must be abolished. Without slavery, the political
condition of Virginia, and her future political pros
poets, would be such we have just described. Dis
inss, sir your regrets that have not attempted 10
| be wiser than Providence, and established n social
System in advance Of the Bible! That book contains
| the wisest system Of politics. and combined with
slavery, is better imminent OF property than mob
| suffrage or Shapes rifles.
We have ever been the advocates OF universal SUI
frage liz Firguia. We believe it both safe and saluta-
~ because it eSvates and equali2es white men, and
| preserves broad mark o. distinction between the
whites and the slaves without enGaDgerng property,
government any Of the valuable nstlt:tions OF
| ciety.
| Your own standing is 30 deservedly high, tie sub-
ject ard the OCCASION momentous, that We will cite
| more authorities to fortiiy our position Our first
quotation will be from AIR. Kay graduate of TrIn-
| ~ College, Cambridge, Barrst.r,at law, who was
commissioned by Cambridge University, ''to travel
through Western Europe, in order 10 examine the
condition Of the poorer classes of the different
tries" Speaking Of England, he says "ln the
year l71U there were, it is said, in England alone
80 O0n freehold estates in the hands OF $50 600 d
erent families. In the year 1872 at the close OF the
revolutionary war, the whole of the lands of Eng
land were concentrated in the hands of only 81 00H
| p.Lsr.tcrs." What think you of the political pros.
| poets md political condition OF England How long
would her goYeintsrt lact. property be respected
if the right of suffrage were extended to the misses
Whit is 10 prevent similar stn:c Of land ownership
at our North aud, withnu; slavery, what would pre-
! vent il in Virginia How long would Republican
| insti:.t:ons last, with such state OF operiy hold
ing with u1:ye-snl suffrage and no standing army.
We will now give vivid description of the civil, POI
| ltical and social consequences o. white emancpa-
ton from Robert Gu Var, French Soc.H.:at. He
shcws that they were set free from human mastcrs
| to be RENTED 10 the far more cruel and exarinS
| slavery Which capital exercises over labor. 1.-The
| French Reyclutc. IVES an abortion. The trading
classes IN bourge0isir organized THEMSELVES in the
name oi capital and instead OF becoming man, llc
serf became pruletaire. VIVA. then IVES his s,ua'
ton The most pn!nful of ALL the most iGtocrable
which can he conceived. Like all tbs prolefsires,
| the trading classes had shouted, Liberty, EduaIiy
| Fraternity The result has beep that everything
that was not prolrtare-hat is to say, all those "ho
..aje no capital-groan under the most crue! usage
fcrni0,tg,A.g They Cannot be freemrn nor brothers.
nor euua!. Not f.ne because their daily bread de.
! pends on thousand acclhHia p..d:ced and engen-
derct by the competition al cnritas's .H""T I'm:
selves: not brothers, because win hearts clisn.9 ana
! ,l:erried by The evils which urerwhelm them. they
cauno, u, lose whose greed is fatal to them; not
equals, because esn,i, icing the supreme law 1t Is
only through il chat any phtiii6s|r pr concurrence
! in social power il possibIs''
I
what is coded a-Serisln, this this ulcer, which
iufests, aud more bird icuu consumes the body so
uisj cDgd pot exist fr tie sa;Ee Gegroe amongst the
nations II Rrtquity. II is phSnon.%fon %iIc'
could only arise consequence o: tbp Fsr7lqTmf-
ton Of slavery into sertdo, AID "a .srfdom INTO free
| labor iprnIetrrint.l In antiquity, o.E:y
one free or not, citizen slave, was always CONNECT
& 9Th some center, which ensured AT least HIS ma
| terial sng.L.. , .
In another passage; iTCniur up the objections 10
| he rr5tu o. .lL.J. !
| But say that system which tlus -it.s rorai-
~ the poor against eac.i other, is barbarVus sysss
and cu.:t -: ;" civilization; il is barbarous innsnucn
as il devei0pes ah iGc bad tendencies OF the human
heart it is contrary to CiYili;son, BECAUSE Instead
of facilitating harmonious relations sIgcDg men, II
| iuclincs them to mutual repulson and hostii:s. -
/ In: reverend Author Of Alton Locke, who we be-
lievc 10 an Erg;sh Episcopal Clergyman, concurs eE
nctly in this moral VCcqi estimate OF free society
IL is the doctrn, Of all socialists, an5 all reading anu
! ;hukIng are fact becoming socis'.eis, where
| slavery G1ss rct beget harmonious, prCtechve aht
| II ntural Relations. ia -0l;ety,'
We may probably address you ONCE rore I? snow
that your positions 10 deadly hostility Elin Tue
rrlg ion which you profess and adorn. as goVefh-
mental institution. we believe christianity indispcu.
sable in civilized society and Il - our dlty 10 sus'
tain and de.ud it from all ASSAULTS direct or Indirect
| That abolition doctrines eudanger religion, French
Revolutions and Northern abolition papers, Lectures"
| end conventions, equally attest
/ Correspondence OF tie St. Lcus Republican,
ARRIVAL OF THE KANSAS COMMISSION
kansas April IA, ls56.-The lrensas Commission
ers arrived last night They arn gfca:ly 81 loss
where to begin, what do aud where 10 20 to G" it.
The COMMITTEES have been treated with marked pc
E.lness, and doubtless the majority of Them are sur
prseS 1. rrd the Border RuihHns decent n Sci OF
fellows. feirH Introduced to the Chairman. be
| proved to be gentlrinc.y = hs bearing aud appa-