Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-08-04
.,.,irr ard delightful OCCASION We regre: that We
will not be able to accept the committees polite '"'''
| ,aon.
For he EMYNil
NO. ! !

| Those who have watched tho growth ana ceVg"p
ne,it # public sentiment for the i"S' w. -, ,,
ears in respect 10 The tree t'-'" ianr,,, III.
| State. will not dem us prec,ii'ne W. az a,;I III
| v;pu,s spygs.tsd nv tho caption oil our hi','o' ",
| ,,,n,,u. ,vn,ch W., entertain, ana 10 "iTu VIC sna
| I'VE u,,.rnnce, arc rapidly b.I"g aa"p,on W
| ;nri,v or the citizens OF thi' Io'n''"n" a. 81
! nnyI commemorative "f that senlmeh'-as a." auN u"
| ,a Of oninions which the progressive Necessity W
hs ,nos requires should become iawS We s.ai VIII
n ,,.r. be nught Of value or utly W "ha' we St'
adyance-if shall succeed III dehons. n''.s .ne
| tru,b -. our propositions aud in showing 'he pra'S
| cshilty. eXpediency and legality OF WHAT tney al
firm then we shall hope that Legislative e""G.h
sill sanction and eDforcs measures anu poiI'y ne'
handed by the best interests ot tue Co'e"o
by true regard for the peim"net' y. ,,' ee
| negroes themselves and 10y unr duy 10 pos'erhy'
As knowledge OF historical facts ana VI our co"'
nia legislation concerning free negroes may oe co
sidered german to or subject ana necessary 10 our
argument, shall present an ePoe y, ;no 10 ~;
nj IN. pust That a rev iew ana tAdinhation Vi 'h'S
Kind sopfJ he nerf-ct aud unbruken III all its parts.
IA no, practjcabie on account q! inc ume anu epace
u would consume; nor is II deslraos ot 'equ''"e 'o
| b- enforcement OF our views we shah eAnuuis an"
produce Just enough of the thousnS' """
aYs Of 3ur ancestors rs will bring TINS whole ques.
,o, of onr tree negro population before The eyes OF
,nr nsonle. that by the past they may read the
| future. ,,.,- ,,,,o. "a
Ne need not tel! the people bow slavery commerce.
by the introduction of African negroes into the Colony
| ~ VIRGINIA from Dutch man OF war In lo-l. we
ns.d nor Iell them how black sarery, after that, rap
j,y supplaited nhite siarery or The system VI WINE
njepted servants No; We shall seek TO tell then no"
the unwse humanity Of our oFeis,n1 aret how whsn
too late, seeing their folly aud lie fruits .ey s'n
TO mitigate and prevent the evils that sprung iro'n
| their intended good. -. ,o, od
when their neriiorious services We're eA'raotnualf
| and devoted rewarded them with what Anglo oaSons
deem the most valuable gift aud highest n1oh-ifee
dom. The colonist had not then leerned' hor n c
history then demonstrated, that the negro was uin.
ted for freedom and that so far from oei'G oess"s'
:, 49, -, lin and 10 society, an evil aud CURSE
(,nfs,oniaor of III. negros character ana lnshc's'
no matter where he is found ana unuet ~n", ~. 49,
stances now proves that the worst ana HUE, sa'ue
I.s, reward for his services is manumisson' ou' our
| rorsfatbers moi having our lights and experiences 10
| puds them, did not see this, ana contihueu W &C.
| them free till continued emancipation anu een $50
natural increase, rendered their NUMBERS " io .'''
| ny large enough to be annoying. ;.,..;o, .hou,
Until about the year 1860, we see no aoou
irps neproes on our statute book nor until 10" ye
after this do attempts appear TO have oeen laIe'
| ,a,ng and restraining, within certain oounus t
emancipation The right 10 n'anun,t SEEMS U
1up time to have been regarded as any 9tner 1
ri,-Lr of property with the exercise or dispos'u "
which the legislature had no power 10 n.e.:e .
| 1852 tn. number of free negroes 10 .ms'," h.s
about 1900. Small, comparatively. as .ii.' f tHo
was il was sufficient to create, in the minus VI tne
I.o.aor, of that day. soictude for the iuture, ana
TO arouse desire to limit and restrain, as lar as prac
ticsble the further increase of population
| vicious and abandoned in its character. Accuru'ue
~ the House of Burgesses in 1854 passed the iolo"
mo law which We give with the old photography un.
altered: .o. ,,ov hor,or
"Eorasmuch as great inconvenience Hlay nhppen
10 this countrey by the setting OF negroes ana huat
toes Free by their either entertaining negro
thsr matters service, or receiving stolen goods or
bejnp grown old, bringing charge upon tns coun'
trev: for prevention thereof, Be enacted lhet no
negro or nullatto be- after the end Of tns
sion of Assembly, set free by any person or persons
,r r sd,nins,rators pay for the transportation OF
snch nc1ro or negroes out Of the countrey "i'hi sA
mnn,bs inter such setting them tree, upon pensty OIL
having of tenn pounds steri!ug 10 lho ctutSn
| Of the parish where such person snail a"ei'' WIN
,h;cb ,noney or 80 much thereof az Sha' % necessa-
w. ,ha aid church wardcus are to cause the said he
proe or muato be transported Out OF 1he couhrey'
and the remainder of said money to impioy TO the
use of the poor of the parish" Henings STATUTES
at Lsrse from 1852 to l7lO. vol. $, page 81.
This old law speaks in language not to Dc msun'
ders,ood in it's recital Of the reasons tor It's passage
Our minds readily comprehend the evils "h,ch urged
its enactment, aud we appreciate that PfoViue Iae
and parental foresight which induced gu: gu aw
DIVERS TO watch over the interests vi posterity. oha
a he l.ss mindful, Of those who shall come AFTER US
Shall we, when the evil threatens us ana pos,eiiy
now more than then shrink from our respohsohi'es
The statutary enactment above quo'ee u, ,nu'ca.ca
change in the minds Of the cO!onsts OF 'irs'na To-
uardI free nlyroes--a change FUZZY warranted py
h.t,er Knowledge of tree negro character. Before
the passage of this act people had eu'a"clPaeu 'ne'
slaves SUBJECT 10 no conditions OF its''ItDis "!u
ih-y ts free negroes had been permitted 10 rchh'"
in the COLONY Bat the colonial Legislature saw 'he
nec.ssity of abridgipg aud uhecng to certain quail
ticstions this private right .. emancipation, WHICH,
before that tIae, had ceem absolute. f'Vate rsn's
have ever been ealously guarded by our Ansio
Saxon fathers aud Should never ne 'hVaae" %
- han YsNu
and the interests ui society Or spch necessary was
ll,e law to which we have alluded; s'G Is provisions
we're acG uiescrd in; because the grievance amd our
den of tls population to society was even .le" e''
aud any uHaeuge likely to dtiihisn Tue eN' VI Aeef
il stationary was earnestly desireu. u ~.
The next act We s.aii notice is that OF li2o Inns
act prohibited slaves ff0o; being Get iree save LOT
nerilurious services, TO be ai;ucSea oy 'ne Hofs'"
mr. aud coun,ii aud license iaereGron uo'ained -
Hsnin,s STATUTES at Large, vol. D. page }32, chap.
4 Sec H. This law was ra-enac.ed IN II 10 Ii. VOL.
u, psye H., chap. SO, sec 20 In l'o2 AL act was
passed to authorize the lnaIunsslun ot sia'es WIN
certain provisos aud conditions ~ nen. .'.a
49, This was followed by the act OF 1855. euianci'
mating those slaves who mad servtd ~ soldiers III the
war Id. 30S. In Rev: Code OF 1917, chap NJ, we
find summary oi all the laws aoout emancipation
aud free negroes in force at that Time Inc ny Sec
ton of that chspi.r 10 which shall alude al pre-
sent is tha, which euactS that emancpated slaves,
from the passage uf that ACT, slia forie their Tree
dom by remaining more than IL months IN the Cnh'
monw satb and may be sold by ,hs overseers oil the
poor for the buDeft of lls literary fund. But re-
cord of extraordinary good character aud acts OF e1
traordinary merit might, in The discretion oi lie
county or corporation courts enttle the slave 10 re-
iusin and this provision nulfed the act.
The principal features and PROVISIONS OF the laws
conce,nipg free negroes embraced in chapter Ill Of
Revised Code of 1872 ARE continued and Incorporated
in the Code cf 1859. But the latter s not altogether
as satisfactory AID efficient as the former for 1t makes
pu provision the salc Of tue negro in case he VIC
Io,,, h,r i'm tws lls
after his emancipation So 1t seems that our laws IN
hs respect, ure not good Under the Code OF loo'
rs they were under the act OF i0e', passed oy our
ancestors one hundred aud ScrcHty hfG' gears ago.
So detective and inefficient, carelsssiy ooeyed
and loosely administered we're the laws respecting
emancipation aud free negroes III our State that the
people, through their delegates, uttered Their woes
upon this moe; important and momentous question:
recognizing its graYs features sud Importance III
the organic aud fundamental law Vt the land. The
Convention of l250 ii did lie duty, in tGs following
sectious Of the 9Th article. We sba SEQ how the To-
gi.Iature has dous its da;y before We finish
SEC. ~. Slaves hereI er cinancipaed shall forfeit
their freedn,,l by remaining, in tho Commonwealth
more than - mouths after they become actually free,
aud shall DO reduced TO slavery under such reguia'
tious rs may be prescribed by law.
SEC % The Genera Assembly may impose such re-
,trc1ous aud conditions they shall deem proper Oh
the pVwer u slave owners to cmancpate their saves;
and may pass laws for tho relief OF The Common
wealth from the free negro population, by removal or
otherwise.
SEC. 81. The General Assembly shall! not emamcl'
pate sny slave or the descendant OF any slave either
before or after the birth of such descendant.
We huy. thus taken IL brief aud Imperfect review
of the laws concerning free negroes from lie earliest
legislation on tie subject down TO the adoption ut our
new Constitution. We have thought this necessary,
as n preliminary to what We shall hereafter add, in
advocaon of legislative sc;lou for their removal or
ens!ayemert. We invoke the nd and assistance oil
other aud ADLER pens in this behali. and solicit from
ali quarters Of the Commonwealth au expression of
sentiment the subject, and such light and ip'orma
tiun about ths degraded population III different To-