The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1857-02-07
save Exemptteu.

I We notieSu, lew o"ys skv, "ts""s WV
Of oar -.sAsness that the Legislature Of
Mis.issirpi hsd passed IN act saemising
one slavs o. sors from forced ssls by en-
scs.ien y oshss lsssl p.oesss. A siniIs'
proposition n before .hs Legislature Of
FLORIDA. In Lcsisisps the subject 10 under
scussion by the press, and A. the Legs>
lsture OF that State Is now In session. III.
question will dcsbil-.s be soon brought up
Tor action. Bn, it, agitation does not snd
here. The entre press Of ih. south seems
to hsvc entered the discussion. AVID We re>
gre, 10 perceive that msuy Of the most able
aud Influential papers favor the polio,
adopted by Mississippi.
II may well be ssked, Why should slave
prop.rt, DO exempt from .eirur- and sale
ia preference 10 other property Would
DOT such policy create prejudice against
slavery Instead of afording protection 10
the institution. Ibs Lynchburg \irgiuisn.
very wisely remarks
at would be well for Southern legisl,'
tors to think long before adopting, a. law.
such = measure ~ thu The last - thAt u
very large proportion OF the Southern
people. Il all their world, goods were
converted into money. could not purchase
a slave that would be worth having aud
It would be the worst sort OF class i-g.las
II. ~ \. In
iur their debts. white ia. slave Of n wealth
i,r man would Toe exempt Such = law
would IusIly arouse 4 deep aud general di.
content with the poorer glasses, and do
more to awaken prejudice agalns, slavery
than any thing We eau imagine. We trust
that 20 such scheme will hnd favor 10 the
South, and especially IN Virginia"
The reasoning urged Ia favor Of such
law is as falls. as !, ia dangerou' It is as
sumed iha, II slaves were exempt from
forced sale, every family capsule OF doing
So, would make !, point to purchase one
or more, aud thus much larger number
would become directly Interested in the
protection and preservation OF the ins,i.u>
ton. This 10 ~ much ~ TO cay. that the
p'sla,ehold'og portion Of our popuA>
ton are no, TO be relied on, which we
should be very 10th 10 admit, much less 10
publish TO the world II il were true. we
should say at once, hat slavery was doom
ed institusion; for. ut the present time. not
more than one man IN ten in tho South
perhaps, is a STAKEHOLDER. and no sort OF
legislation sbor, Of division by those Own
ing large forces with others having none,
would give the Shareholders majority.
But the premises are wrong. SO far as
our experience goes. some OF the most uarc
the most consistent and devoted friend.
OF the South. md Of negro slavery, are 10
be found among those who own no slaves
Take tho count, for instance. Who have
preached up, on all occasions. submission
to Northern aggression, and inserted, nj
the ssme time, tia. the institution of slave
y could no, rely for protection on those
who were not directly interested in it So
Ear Ms our recollection serves ~, they were
slsvehoijcrs. Aud We have found i, the
case not onlv here but elsewhere. \ mans
owning slaves Is no proof Of his devotion
to the institution. Ga the contrary, we
have found many Shareholders whom we
consider little better than freesol.,s aud
abr liloni.ls
Blu, we are opposed not only 10 negro
exemption but to ,vety species Of cSemr
ton which will keep man from paying his
homes, debts. Il i, lhls class Of legislation
which ia running the South. Such laws no
doub, originated in motives Of philanthropy;
but their effect has been deuoralIx,ng to All
alarming extent. They have operated
more ssa cloak ior rsscsliiy than ~ n pro
lection Tor ihe weak and innocent. When
man can. to all intsats and purposes
own property and live upon i, in apparent
responsibility, aud owe debts which be will
not pay both he aud the society which up
holds him in it. have los, that nice sense OF
honesty and honor which they ought to
possess. We must confess that we would
be glad To witness a change in the charac>
ter Of our legislation. 80 tina, the laws Instead
Of enabling a man to cloak his property,
will force him to give up 10 the last iarthIng,
The homestead law may perhaps be a salu
tsry enactment--of This we have our doubts
hut beyond this II seems to US lsgisls.
ton ough, never to hav" gone. !, is un.
quesionably great hardship to take all
man has, and To turn hun and h. family
on, upon the charities OF cold world
Bat wonld II no, be better than the present
system. with all its shifts aud frauds,
and family ieuds about pfopefty' The
truth is, mankind have set themselves up to
he wiser than the teachings OF the Bible.
solomon, in their estimation, was an old
fogy our fathers, n set of beings whose
great misfortune seems to have been that
they were unacqua:nted with the idea OF