Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-01-30
PICKENS COURT HOUSE, S. C.
The London Timos ON Slavery.

"Pon V'Ie supJect ol slavery In England s
1t requires no great foresight to perceive
that great contest is approaching on, tile
subject ofSlavery and the Slave Trade
The battle of the Negro will have to be
fought by the philanthropists with a great
diminution of prestige, the orcsult of falsified
predictions and blasted hopes. The Broug.
hams and Wilberforces of the present day
viii have to adopt a somewhat hunlbled
tone. The manifestoes of Exctcr-ball must
for once be defensive and apologetic, fol-
| the world is now wiser than when the pull
| pit and platform resounded with indignant
appeals to humanity five and twenty years
ago. The touching descriptions of philan-
| throplc novel writer's will go for little now
as far as regards our own colonies. Those
who are old enough, may recollect the ira
ditional portraits of the West India proprie-
tors, their wives and children, which arc
to be found in the "moral tales of the last
gencratou. The owner of Jamaica proper
ty was always lying on a sofa, drinking
sangaree and swearing at Sambo, fine mu-
latto youth, whose quivcring lips and flash
ing eye told how much he felt.
The lady of the house, always reprcscdts
ed as faded beauty with her brow wreathil
with pearls, was, of course, being famed ~
two female slaves, whose delicate fofts
bore recent traces of the lash. The youtiS
full heir wandered about the house cxor' 81
ing whip given to him by his mothers rs
pressly to beat tho little negroes with
faithful and pious Pompey exposed to evt 4
kind of i'll usage because Dinah, who loyll
him--oh, how fervcntly would not list a
to the unmanly proposals of Drive, tNe
overseer completed the picture. by suab
representations as these body of rs ha1l
working and loyal subjects as England ever
possessed were held up to obloquy, and ne
gro emancipation was effected without ne
gard to the interests of men who were pop
ularly supposed to be rcvelling in ill-gotten
gains. But politicians and the public, and
even the friends of the slaves themselves
have now begun to sec matters in clearer
light. Our own colonies are impoverished,
but the sum of slavery is not diminished !;
it has only been transferred from us to more
grasping, pitiloss, and unscrupulous hands
Never was the prospect of emancipation
moro distant than now that foreign slave
owners are establishing monopoly of all
the great staples of tropical produce. The
islands which in the old times supplied so
much sugar, coffee and cotton, are going
out of cultivation while Cuba, the United
States and Brazil arc every day extending
tho area of their cultivation and the num-
Der of their slaves. So valuable, indeed
is the slave in Cuba that, in spite Of treat
les and penal laws, cruisers and blockades,
thousands of Africans are yearly carried
across the Atlantic to work on the sugar
and cotton plantations The wealth of the
island is such then, in spite of misgovcrn-
ment, oppressive taxes, and Spanish army
of 25,000 men, its proprietors are among
the richest in the world
As to the United States, it is, indeed,
folly to expect any change in that quarter
Slavery on the North American continent
has extended, isextendng, will extend. AS
long as the supplies of cotton are below the
demand in all the market, of the world so
| long viii slave labor be too valuable to be
parted with. Even the Northern Slave
States, which but few years ago were dis,
cussing the gradual abandonment of the
system, are now silent about abolition, i'm
mediate or prospective. Their slaves are,
at present, a great, perhaps their greatest,
source of wealth. If they cannot cultivate
their ownlands they breed Negroes to sup
Iply new plantations in the South. 1tmay
be declared that the attacks of Abolitionists
and the. interference of tho North are the
cause of this determination touphold slave
ry; but no sensible man win believe that
mere irritation and obstinacy could lead 10
such great results. Theexistencc of slave
is an economical question, and SO long
as the system is profitable we cannot doubt
| that it will be maintained. Much che same
may be said with respect to Brazil, where
tho institution prevail with features of
cruelty unknown even in the worst of times
under English rule ,1f + = 9 &. g.
Now, to these countries we have given q
monopoly Of products which are the chief
basis Of cur industry or among the chief
basis Of our revenue. They are becoming
! rich, powerful, arrogant, eynv day less IN,
clined to BE guided by English c6pnscls or
moved by English interference. With ell
the readiness which sclf-interest induces
they have learnt the arguments against ltn,-
ting slavery and slave importation, from
our mishaps, our acknowledgement Of fail
tre, from their own prosperity, aud from
our dependence upon them. They have
the law of nations on their sido, and may
quote it ia answer to any assertion OF our
rights to interfere in the cause of humanity.
I ''ehey are free nations, and Africa is a free
ebast Negroes are necessary 10 raise the
cotton, sngaro coffee aud tobacco u hioh the
world wants, The white men cannot work
andeg o tropical snu, and, uoless The Afri-
can ho need M a iahorap Tho faSrnst teeiss,, =