Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-02-03

/. y.
which undeFlie our institutions had a VIZ
|tality and operating g ste which were man,
Iifssted ii the lives and actions Of our earl
I lier statesmen. The then newly announced
doctrine OF human freedom--that mans
rights were inalienable, being the gift Of,
God, and inherent in him by virtue Of his
manhood-+Yas the central idea Of our
Revolutionary struggle, and the forms Of
government established on its successful
termination.
tits true, slavery then existed in all the
colonies, and the infancy Of our county
and its weakness consequent upon The ter
lrible conflict through which we had just.
passed. rendered it inconvenient at that
| time, toultimate these truths in the forms
of law SO as to 'break the letters Of the
slave and let the oppressed 60 free" But
no one then supposed that slavery could
continue in any part Of our country for
any length Of timc. Every sentiment Of
the people was against It, and its utter an
Itagonism to the principles professed. and
the institutions they we're founding was
patent to every mind Alllooked forward
with confidence and esnltatibn, q q time
lin the not distant future, when tie hopes
Eof the patriot would be realized in q coun-
try whose very atmosphere should be free.
dom, and in whose language oppression
might be an obsolete term. So strong was
this expectation that Mr.. Madison declares
the convention which formed the constitu-
ton, carefully and persistenny excluded
from that instrument every term that in
after times would leave the slightesteyi-
dence that slavery had ever been tolerated
in the land. Hence the word "slave" Or
slavery is not foupdin that glorious in
strument And the few instances in which
by circumlocution it has been held to re-
cognizeits temporary existence, would leave
no blot on its pure pages when that tran
sient evil should be removed,
Under the influence of this yirtaous and
humane feeling one-half Of the States pro-
ceeded cautiously but determinedly to rid
themselves ofthe danger, and their respect
i've States of the inetiable reproach Of con-
tinuing q system Of bondage that must ey-
er be a standing libel on their professions
of regard for the rights Of humanity
They are now reaping the fruit of their
policy in the greater prosperity and higher
civilization which they enjoy. This any
one may easily sec BY taking the pains TO
compare these States with those which re-
tain the system;
In those States where no successful ef-
forts were made to free the slaves by law,
the patriots, philanthropists and christians
who found themselves unfortunately in
,rnluad in ilsaa axiL praaaaeS4 a.
possible to extricate themselves by ihdi-
vidual action in the form Of voluntary
emancipation Itis well known to every
one, that Washington, after earnestly stri-
wing TO induce Virginia to abolish slavery
in that State by law, provided for the eman-
cipaton of all belonging to him. His no.
Bile example was widely followed by the
great and good men of that day, and no
one then who hoped to leave name at the
mention of which his chilcren need not
blush, continued to hold his fellow being
in bondage. Consequently, for many years
emancipations being encouraged were nu-
merous. These freed men with their de-
scendants, with the few who have been lib
Grated since, form the present large free
colored population Of Virginia. UnfortI-
nately the opening Of new markets in the
new Southern States, made the raising of
slaves profitable business. Cupidity and
lust triumphed over justice and humanity.
Demagogues began 10 Gil the seats once
occupied by statesmen Distractions
were thrown by law in the way of eman-
cipation, The policy of Virginia was
changed. Her Democracy came to mean
,extorting unpaid labor from whipped and
fettered women, and her religion to con-
sist of crushing out the very soul Of the
slave, and foibidding him all means
Of improvement lest he should become
less profitable as an article of commerce !
OF course the freed men were looked upon
with jeasouly as sympathising with their
brethren. Every device that ingenuity
could invent was used to harass and drive
them out. Thousands Of them for want
OF legal protection have been kidnapped
and sold. Thousands more have fed from
persecution to other States, and yet there
are sixty thousand free negroes in yir-
ginia!
Now mark the last phase Of Southern
Democracy In the better days of our
government, Congress by law pronounced