Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-07-22


city, have heard that the white popuiatlGn !,
their neighborhood were moving into the Uh'
ed States to get away from them.1
But as have said the few who are scattere
among your large white population, can affor
no satisfactory test of the negro for freedom
Fortunately for the South our generous brother
of England have made the experiment upon
! large scale: and we have authentic evidence a.
to its success or failure. Three committees Q
the House of Commons of England have bee
appointed to inquire and report upon the condl
ton of the West Indies and Guiana. Lord Stan
lev seems to have been ut the head Of two 0
these committees, and Lord George Benticl
was chairman of the other. And we have TIN
reports of these committees. They describe tn
islands and Guiana as .desolation. Hundred
of estates, valued before theslaves were emancl
pated. at millions of dollars, have been abandon
ed entirely. In the islands the negroes have
gone off in numbers into the mountains, rathe
than labor on the estates, and in Guiana they
have retired into the interior; end they are II
fact sinking back into barbarism. This is tht
testimony of unwilling witnesses; OF men whose
hopes were disappointed, and who knew the!
testimony would disappoint the hope and grlev'
the spirit of the British people. Now sir, VIII
this example before us are we to follow ltf-
Will the society of the South discharge its duty
to the white or the black race, by converting
the whole Southern couLtry into desolatlon
and sending our slaves back into barbarlsm g
We are to sacrifice two thousand two hundred
millions of dollars, the present value, convert
our homes into fruitless wilderness reduce the
six millions of white population OF the South
n 30 fh0f
our slaves from well fed, well clothed, well
cared for people, conteDted and happy in Their
condition, many of them with the well founded
hopes. and all of them with the opportunities Of
salvation, into a miserable horde1f lazy, starv.
ing. licentious barbarian2 Sir, if We might
without sin infict such an injury upon ourselves
heaven, if not earth, would cry out against the
injustice to our slaves. Anti-slavery men OF the
North seem to suppose that our slaves have no
rights, except the right to their liberty. Ihey
are mistaken throughout. They have no right
to their liberty at present but they have
right to neutrality-suspicious. against them
selves, their own Incidence, improvidence. igno'
rance, and capacity to take care OF themselves.
And the duty of the master is correlatve. lie
cannot escape from it, and he is bound to per-
form it. As well might father turn his infant
son out of his house before he had taught him
how to take care of himself, as may masters send
their slaves into freedom, without capacity to
provide for themselve.
WHAT WOULD BE THE RESULT OF EMANCIPATION
But. sir emancipate the slaves and leave
them where they are, and they will not live long
enough to become barbarans. Homeless, pen
nyless, friendless outcasts, indolent and sensual
by nature, improvident by training, ignorant
and immoral, without counsellor or protector, q
degraded race, feeling no restraints from puolic
opinion, they would from the necessity OF their
nature and condition, render their presence a.
mong us IN evil too great to be endured, and IN
the frenzy aroused BY their crimes, they would
be swept from the earth.
Mr.. Moderator, what have said as to the ca
pacty of our slaves for freedom, will apply g.
oually whether we consider them rs remaining
among us, or removed to another land. In some
respect, possibly, their condition might be better
if removed But to that there is another o5Jec'
ton it is impossible. Take the State OF Virginia
We have in this State four hundred and twenty
two thousand slaves. in 1850, there were a.
bout nine thousand, twenty-one years Old. 1c
remove this number annually as they arrive o.
the age of twenty one years. would cost, for col
lecting them, outfit transportation and proVld
ing for them until they can make something fol
themselves, $2,250,000 year. This does moi
include any expenditure for their education, OF
for providing them homes or houses, or the ma
terias to enable them to provide tor themselves
Nor does it include the expense of their govern,
ment and protection, after being settled IN theii
new homes.
In the United States there are three millions
two hundred and four thousand slaves. o
these there are about sixty thousand of the age
of twenty-one years, each year. The cost OF
removing these at the rates above, would bs
SIG, 100000 leaving oat all the expense OF pro.
vidng them with homes, and governing ant
protecting them. H.s entirely within bounds
to say, that the removal of the mere increase .
our slaves, and providing, governing and pro
tecting them, until they are able to govern and
protect themselves, would require great er ex
penditure than the whole income of the United
States. Imay well say, therefore, that the thing
is impossible.
What God in his wonder-working providence
may hereafter do, it is not for short-sghted maj
to foresec The future OF this subject is to us ~
impenetrable unknown.
We must accept the present state of things a:
necessity, and act accordingly. Our busines:
and our duty is with the present. We may i'm
prove the condition of the slave. We may ele
vate his moral character There are practica
evils which may be removed or lessened. Al
these things are in progress now. They hay
been hindered by your agitations. | tell yot
here to-day, that you of the north have injured
the slaves more than you have injured theil
masters. One good thing you have done for tint
masters in Virginia, which possibly compensate
for all the evil which has arisen from this ex
citement You have brought them to thei
senses, and compelled them to investigate tn
subject anew. The results of that investigation
| have endeavored to present to you to-day.
have not given you the opinions of the extrem
men of the south. There are those there VIII
can see nothing in slavery but unmi1ed good, q
you of the North can see nothing but unmixe'
evil. In this as in other things the truth lie
between the extremes. If this were the tim
and the place for it. think could point ou
some great benefits, moral, social and political
arising from this institution. But however
that may be, one thing is clear to my mind be
yond all cavil or question, and that is, that tn
agitation of this subject, can produce nothing
but evil; evil to the master, greater evil to tn
slave; evil to the North and to the South evi
to the country and to the church ; evil whic
will be felt in all time and eternity. For thi
evil you OF the North must bear the responsible
| ity. 1t will meet you on earth, and it will NEE
you at the bar of God. In that day, these film
sy wells of ignorance and prejudice will be with
drawn, and your work and yourselves will b
fully revealed. 1t will be an awful day to U
all.
THERE IS A GENTLEMAN in Union, N. e., wh
was 10l years old on the 7th of July. His nam
is Ralph Farnham-and strong effort was mad
to induce him to be present at the Bunker Hi
celebration, in Boston-he having taken pal
in the battle. lie declined going on account {
the distance, and when his son, lad of go c
70 years, proposed to accompany him, reptile
''it he went he didn't want to be bothered wit
the care Of any childrsnf" lie says he don
remember of ever being sick, but, 'believes h
had fever or something, 80 or 90 years ago.