New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-11
but don't believe there arc many who don't thinh

asked, who avOwedfy hated Slavery lie replied
that there were good many mechanics, all the
mechanics he knew, who felt Slavery to be great
curse TO them, and who wanted to see it brought to
an end in some way. The competition in which
they were constantly made TO feel themselves engag
cd with slave. labor was degrading 10 them, and
they felt it to be So There good deal Of talk
now among them about getting laws passed TO pre-
vent the owners of slaves from having them taught
| trades and to prohibit slave mechanics from being
hired out He could go out tomorrow, he suppos-
ed, and in the course Of day get two hundred sig
natures to paper alleging that Slavery was
curse to tho people Of Mississippi, and
praying the Legislature to take measures to
relieve them of it as soon as practicable He knew
| = poor Woodworking man who was lately offered the
services of three negroes for SIX years each II he
would let them learn his trade, but he refused the
proposal with indignation, saying he would starve
before he helped slave to become mechanic.
He considered coercive government Of the ne
proes by the whites forcing them to labor SYSTEM
atcay and restraining them from reckless destruc
ton Of life and property, to be necessary. OF course
he did not think it wrong to hold slaves, and the
profits Of their labor were not more than enough to
pay man for looking after them-nOt if he did his
duty to them. What was wrong was making
Slavery so much worse than was necessary. Ne.
groes would improve very rapidly if they were
allowed any considerable measure of the ordinary
indictments to improvement. lie knew hosts of ne
grOes who showed extraordinary talents, considering
their opportunities Of mental development: there
were great many in this part Of the country who
could read and write and calculate mentally, as well
as the general run Of white men who had been to
schools There were Colonel -'s negroes, some
fifty of them they almost as free as any people
in the world and he did not suppose there were any
fifty more cOntented people in the world, perhaps;
they were not driven hard, and work was stopped
three times day for meals they had plenty to eat,
and GOOD clothes; and through the whole year they
had from Friday night to Monday morning to do what
they liked with themselves. Saturdays, the gen.
orally worked in their patches (prvate gardens) and
the women washed and mended clothes. Sundays,
they nearly all went to SundayschOo the mistress
taught and to meeting but they were not obliged to-
they could come and go as they pleased all Saturday
and Sunday; they were not looked after at all.
Only on Monday morning if there should any one be
missing or any one should come to the field with rag
ged or dirty clothes he would have to be whipped.
He had often noticed how much more intelligent and
sprghtly these negroes all were than the common
run; great many Of them had books and could read
and write: and Oh Sundays they smarty dressed,
some of them better than he or his wife ever thought
of dressing. This was from the money they made
out of their patches working Saturdays.
Well then, there were two other large planta
tions near him, in both of which the negroes were
turned out to work at halfpast three every week
day morning--I might hear the bell ring for them
and frequently they were not stopped till nine o'clock
at night. Saturday nights the same as any other
One of them belonged to very religious lady, and
on Sunday mornings at half'past nine she had her
bell rung for Sunday school, and after Sunday
school they had a meeting, and another religious
service after dinner Every negro on the plantation
was obliged to attend all these exercises and if they
were not dressed clean they were whipped. They
were never allowed to 60 off the plantation and if
they were caught speaking to negro from any
other place, they were whipped. They could all OF
them repeat the catechsn he believed, but they
were the dumbest, and LATEST, and most sOrrOwful
looking negroes he ever saw.
As general rule, TIE condition of the slaves, as
regards their matera! comfort, had greatly improved
within twenty years. Otherwise, he did not know
that it had. 1t would not be bit safer to turn
them free to shift for themselves, than it would
have been twenty years ago. OF this he was quite
confident. Perhaps they were a little more intell-
gent knew more, but they were not rs free, not as
much accustomed to work and cOntrlve for them
selves us they used to be- when they were not fed
ard clothed nearly well as now.
Except by the excessive and incessant labor re-
CURED Of them some plantations he did not think
slaves, often treated with unnecessary cruelty
II was necessary to use the lash occasionally.
Slaves never really felt under any moral obligation
TO bey their masters. Faithful service wac preached
TO them as Christian duty and they pretended to
acknowledge it, but the fact they were Obedlent
Just so far they they must be to avoid punish
ment; and punishment was necessary now and then,
to maintain their faith in their masters power lie
had seventeen slaves and he did not suppose there
had been hundred strokes Of the whip on his place
for year past.
He asked if there were many Americans in Texas
who were opposed to Slavery, and if they were tree
to express themselves. / said that the wealthy
Americans there were all shareholders themselves;
that their influence all went to make slaye-servants
fashionable, and labor by whites dsreputable.
They were all partissns of Slavery, and there were
great many miserable, ignorant and desperate fel-
lows whom they could employ or encourage to bully
down anything that was given the name OF ADOLF
tiOrsm But are there not good many Northern
men there" he asked. The Northern men, l
replied, were chiefly merchants or spectators,
who had but one idea, which was to make money
as fast as they couM and, as nearly all the little
uoney there in that country was in the hands OF
tue largest shareholders, they never lost an oPportu.
ny TO establish their reputation MS zealoey loyal to
the institution.
II that was the way of things there, he said,
there was not much chance of its becoming Free
State. I thought the chances against it, but
il the Germans continued to flock into the country,
it would rapidly acquire all the characteristic social
features Of liee-labcr comuQpityj havinga abun.
dance and variety Of skilled labor homo market
for variety of crops, denser settlements and conse
ouestly more abundant social, educational and COM
mercial conveniences. There would soon be nu-
merous body Of small PROJECTORS not so wealthy
that the stimulus to personal and active industry would
have been lost, but yet able to indulge IN good
many llxuries and to give employment to numerous
tralesnen. mechanics and schOol-te .chers; and the
laborers who were not landhOlders would be init.
mstely interviewed in all their interests with them;
the two classes not living dssociated from each
other as WAS the case generally at the South out