Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-08-18
For m, EH9hsrS'
REMOVAL OF THE FREE NEGROES


Messrs. Editors ST. WAS not little gratlled To ---
in the Enquirer OF the 9Th met. the rst Of sere- at
articles upon the necessity oi REmo,iSo on Rrr.
| CHG TO sLAvERy THr fRrE srGRoFs Of tho Com.
monwealth." | claim the credit OF having fli6us,.
the same channel nearly II year ago, invoked HE
earnest attention 0i The people ol Virginia tJ ius
subject, and reoiced 10 see, what desired. tlat
abler minds are dsposed 10 investigate II. II sul
are inclined to cry out ST the Threshold. against sued
proposition, upon The ground Of humanity. war
them to be cautious; for il is upOn that very DIur
that We are perfectly willing 10 rest tbs IA, uurri
and they may find Themselves Sin the vocaiiys 90.
Everybody is estOpped from oven mentioning INA
enable and natural rights. m this or any orhei con
nectoD; tor in this day aud generation ,yeIybOiS
seems 10 be veing with everybody else in scouting
and ridculing this sentiment OF MIR. Jefferson II .
not fashionable now twenty years no. ts re'a'loL
was rs necessary to a complete Fourth vi Jui, 'i
stump-speech, as Vt is now TO denounCr II. Prr!nt
me to say in passing, that do not believe Mr )et
erson meant any more by it than what s liz lsg
mate meaning n0I.. and ihGir l will venture to de
fine, as natural right TO all privileges cousister,
with our duty to God and our obligations 10 soc;st
No man could have acted Ar jefe-son's part in n.
construction of this Government aud held any oito
doctrinei and, therefore, say that he is magned
He was not understood there was 10 occasion =
anayse bis language unit; its literal interpreta;i1r
wss found to open the door TO abo,Onism and
dyiam of every hue, The abuse II the doctrines
Vi the Holy Bible taken literally, each in It's isolated
meaning. would brog contempt upoG tbs Dach: o.
ts Divine Author
But TO return Ia The SUBJECT IN hand Does not ?
due regard to the rights Oi all Glasses, 10 Tho best ia
terests u society. and to the welfare G! lss neSrc
himself, as we'll III tho wbta msn demand 1i H.,
state OF Virginia the immediate removal or sale int,
slavery OF the free negro population ~ ] contend
that it does and palpable i. it IN every po.sibi,
aspect in which il may be considered that scHiI6
y know how to begin the discussion. Suppose Nh.
question originally proponndcd' Cnn nm ers7v''
al, a a.
with portion OF the same race free. side by s,i"
mingled togeibnr In theit enpioyients. thoiI ,1i
nections their social amusemcni-i Who will dare
| answer in The atiirmave' Would not moment rs
Election suggest the very resns which have obViDds
ly grown out Of the practical experiment. Wer" goa
asked 10 point out what course would be most Ct!
tain to render the slave discontinued, lazy, lnriibot
dnste, vicious in his habits, &c, would yOn n"
unhssifstingy: Put him 10 work along eide oi th>
free negro who earns his dollar TO day and to mo-
row spends that anL his time he lisls let hi~.
have tree accrss to the society oi his free broth"
who has none to make him afraid and who nOfo
riously lives IN great extent upon the irus oi lie
| slaves dishonesty. II If comparatively rare %"
currsuce to detect the freq negro IN theft. Hs he
occasion to run the risk oil the soves around him
are caterers for his wants and IN return hs aEofjs
them conceament and SUPPORT when they run 7"1L
Ii must be too manifest to need argument that rid
| dance Of this serious disadvantage TO the slave
would be worth Thousands 10 the State.
Scarcely ess s.roua ia the effect Gi tLis c's';
upon the whites, who dependent for support upon
| their own labor They monopuIizs to some extent
those occupations which would otherwise 6iiOrd Ell
ployment to the poorer whites. They Corrupt thcm
| and are used as accomplices by the vicious.
Thot il would be measure of unquesli0nsbis M
| manty 10 the free negro himself 10 remove hun 81
| give him master, is obvious upon q moments
tectiop. You deprive him Of no right, because H..
hss not the right TO that which he knows not bow =
use and cannot enjoy without detrment TO the i2b's
of the society IN which he lives The control result
ia he III
for the government OF the negro here. The free n
gro would be ten fold greater nuisance than ne l.
were he not virtually under something OF tdst verj
kind of control. He ia kept within bounds by ieal
Of that irresponsible authority which sslf'protection
compels us to exercise over him. the freedom which
he thinks be has is mere mockery. He never ri-'1
above-rarey attains to the respectabiity OF We.
treated slaves. If he accumuates propery--s verJ
rare circumatance--he derives no benefit from It. He
never seeks education or elevation in society IL !,
NOT remarkable that though they have ample mean.
OF might have. with q little industry, they never -
Liberia or provide fer their children being taknr
therei
Now il our position upon thia subject ls susceptible
of refutation let have it. Bat If il Dc admitted
that the existence Of free negroes among slaves 10
an evil to the white, evil to the slave, and even 0!
no material good to themselves it is contend, ON
manifest duty to arrest it at The means OF dc
ing 30 10 simple and practicable. Let H." l.oS.st'H's
enact that by some fixed time, cay ~'thin hs pr,"b
of year, the free negroes throughout tne sh's
,h all make their election whether 10 70 10 LDei ~
be sold into slavery. Let those who cho"s. the 'ntt"f
s,,erna,ive he nermited 10 select their mAssrs, st
moderate prices and tho proceeds o such saie De a
proprated 10 defsy the expenses oi those VINO elect 70
,o If,bia he not suficentet all the a0e bodied zoe:
| who remain he hired upon public works until in'
| naadtnl amount be raised to carry them snd the:
families At the present price and hire OF negro Is
hor needs no arithmetic prove that by such
ororess az this in less than FIVE years the State will
| he rid of a grevous burden, without taxation, with
| out Injustice inhumsnity and with decided bensrt
| IN all of the three classes which now make up
population.
ground that slavery is either blessing, thar i IS
| s FIXTURE evil it may be, which cannot be remors1
In either aspeci, il certainly is the part OF wi=dom
DO all that is practicable to render it much Of Tia.
one as little of the other possible. Why would
be the greatsst act of reckless folly that civ!sl
people committed, to smancfpate the slave popa
lation Because It is impossible for the two race 10
dwell together upon terms Of equality. Why then.
in the teeth Of this admitted truth. should We be m
sensble to the danger and TO the dsyfet eviis OF the
approximation We have already made to the eIpe.i
| menti
| have but imperfectly, Messrs Editors presenIe
| my own views upon this important question trust
! it may be mstursly considered and thoroughly j!=
cussed, for desire nothing but the truth. II TIA.
| shall be found upon the side advocate, then IL. ~
the lsud shall decide Otherwise, then am conieut
| Yours, 4. +.
| KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE.-it appears Ia
American party have majority OF one in the Zen
| .ucky Senste Thirteen of that party hs,i Over sn
six Democrats held over, ing, with thirteen ihe.
lave elected, but nineteen. The DsnocI siic m.ior
~ in the House is eighteen; AID Joint ballot ss"e
teen.