The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1857-02-21
Gbe felitiana Dtmotrat.
FyEMpTTON OF HOUSEHOLD SER.
VANTS FROM SALE UNDER Exc.
rsTYrvnN

CUTrON
A rood hill is now in nrogross before onr
Legislature tt is that intended to eycmpt
from se'znre one slave and her offsprings, (if a
fema|e)
Tho adversories Of the hill either wilfnllv
misconsfrue its effects or else nrp overlooking
the highly moral and beneficial tendency which
snrh law would have in the relative rosition
OF master mud s''vo. in political as we'll as in
a sncial MONT of view.
Let selfstvlod ntiltar;ans DENY as much MS
they please the nococstv of bringing all a
mans effects within the roach If his creditors.
yet no man. read and vnrscd in the moral and
actual history of slavery will for one moment
admit that the title which mon claims over
another is tn hc nssmatod to thnt hc posscs.
sps in nnv other renl or nprsonal property.
Going hack tn tho nros which even nrerednd
the 1irht of Christianity We find that the most
en~htennd states of Greece. even when nor.
mittnr the mos cruel treatments IN hn nhirt-
ed on their slaves. vet never allowed them 70
pass from the hands Of their mnstor. excent
when nv some snddcn political revolution. the
whole Of hiS nronnrtv was forfeited to the state
and himself oStracizod
~ nv''H'. W'WIP fN'H INV S'TN hD'lN W I'VE
debtor was the common nlcdgp of his crnditors.
no low can he fonnd which nssimilatrd slaves
to personal nronertv-thev passed from the
hand of thcir master only hv his own will. or
bv thc fiction of law called "d;m;nitio cap;tis,"
or in other words. when. nv some cansn or an
other. thor master was himself losing his status
and all his cir;c rights transferred to some
other nerSon-hnt in MI cases, and even in
case ~ insolvency, when done by amount. n
moro forn,alitv, or n few sncrnmcntal words
were sufficient TO sever the ties which bonnd
master and servant together Tn fact. the
relation existing hotwern those two classes,
flor thcv were 81 termed bv the ccnsors, was
Of n striclv political character ms Justninn
himself informs nc in his commentaries on thot
institution Tf from the stntn of sorvi'rAn wr
follow the slave into that Of cmancirNteu we
find that this emancipation lid not Scver tho
ties which mutual habit and n life often passed
together. Ind established between the master
and his slave who rnSnnctivolv became "patron
and client" under which title rcrinrocal dnty
was required and n comnoct of mutual assis-
tance formed. which, If forgotten or neglected
hv abe mannmtted, Mt once restored over him
the rights of his master. This mower was like
|HHI OI IIP Ei|HPT uN'T hIS 'H'H'TFN H1NV WI
fact. the whole household of n Roman citiZon,
including his slaves and his clients was inclu-
ded in one general mass, which he governed
as "Pnter FHmi'ios"
The object of such relation hcine created is
ohvions-slavc nroncrtv cannot be. under the
most rigid Interpretation, placed on nm equal
footing with surh other passive pronoriv rs
chattelS or real estate. Like Shvlocks Jew,
it has certain moral and physical instincts,
wants and passions. which no state Of society
can control, and IT is the boast Of the Southern
slave owner that he has mnistercd to those
wants in such manner as to have by degrees
raised the situation of the black man to level
of civilization which may. in future ages. per-
hars qualify him for selfgovernmcnt.
What will then be the effect of the bill now
proposed? Is it not to strengthen and endcnr
the reciprocal ties which exist between the
master and the slave, who, being aware that
no act of the former unless with his own free
and uncontrolled will, can force him to spend
the remainder of his days ont of the home and
family where from infancy his affections have
centrnted?
| Who has not seen, with tears. the deep ng-
ony with which the lovely child whom the
faithful slave has nnrscd and "raiscd," kissing
her snn-hnrnt cheeks, when the stern arm OF
the Sheriff snatchcs her from her master, to
satisfy the debt which he improvidently con,
tractcd7 And what are, in general, the feel,
ings of those slaves when sold unto strange
masters, separated from their early assocla'
uions? These feelings are, at best, complete
Indifference discouragement, when not norhaps
breaking ont in open resistance. This will
breed amongst us n Slove.holding community
body of happy, contcnted slaves, resembling
in their attachment to their master, the devo
ted vet Independent liege-man of the Scottish
Chief, which should he the object of every ju
dicous law-giver, chiefly when we perceive
that the nature of onr southern agricultur'
and of our staple productions cotton and sn
gar, gives us already too great tendency tt
monopolize land as well as slavery in few
hands, thereby disintercsting great mass O
our feIIowcitizcns in the welfare and ultimat
fate of that population. Every one is awar
that although the slave population Of Lonis
ena is daily increasing, yet the number @
shareholders is decreasing in an alarming ra
tio-Whenever in our country parishes wher
large sugar and cotton plantations are located
q man of small means and large family die