The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-04
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SLAVERY ExPoUNDED
IN THE SENATE.

Andrew johnson, OF Tennessee, was once
poor man and an industrious mechanic. BE
gradually improved his condition, became an
active politician, was elected representative to
Congress, and signslized himself by advocating
Land Reform, the Homestead bill, and several
measures calculated to make more operative
the Democratic element in our institutions.
Next he was chosen Governor of Tennessee,
and lately he has taken his seat in the Senate
of the United States, a Senator for ak years.
1t might be supposed that such a man, self
made, the advocate of radical Democratic Prin-
ciples, having worked his way to the highest
political honors, up from the ranks of the in
dustrial classes, the classes who live by their
own labor, not that of others, would not feel
called upon to stand forth as the champion of q
system of labor which subjects one portion OF
the human race to the absolute will and sole
uses of another portion. But all speculations
as to the course of Southern politicians must
fail, which overlook the oppressive domination
of the SlaveholdiDg caste over the mind of the
South. No matter what the origin, the ante
cedents, or the general sympathies, of public
man from that section, he must recognise par
amount allegiance to that ruling class, if he
would escape degradation. Opposition, or even
indifference to its pretensions, in the present
state of public opinion in the slave States. viii
corsign man to obscurity, if not something
worse.
In the personal discussion which took place
last week in the Senate between Senators Bell
and johnson of Tennessee, Mr.. Bell intimated
that his deep pecuniary interest in Slavery en-.
titled him TO more confidence on the part of
Shareholders than could be claimed by some
Others. Mr.. Johnson, willing to consider the
remark IS personal, awaited himself of the &C.
cssion TO announce that he owned few slaves
:" have not got many slaves; have got a
few; but / made them by the industry of these
hands. Can the Senator say as much What
l own cost me more labor and toll than some
who own Thousands, and got them because
they were the sons of moneyed people,"
And so, this man of the People stands mn
before the world, boasting of his ownership of
few slaves, as if it were a patent of nobility I
Bot, not satisfied with the announcement that he
belongs TO the Ruling Order, he takes care to
inform it that he understands the philosophy Of
Slavery just as well as if he owned thousand
negroes-that he understands the reason of de.
nying wages to working men, just as well "a il
he had never been in the habit of working for
wages, and claiming them as his right. 81
think" be proudly exclaims, 81 understand the
basis on which the institution of Slavery rests:
and then be proceeds to present the philosophy
of the subject, as follows:
" Just so long rs men are organized "a thew
are, physically and mentally, one having more
brains and more intellectual power than anoth.
er, there will be different classes In society.
Take the physical man alone, without reference
to the intellectual, and force him in contsc,
with the principles of production, and you viii
see that, under certain circumstances, one i.
enabled to produce more than another. Thi.
results from our organic structure.
81 Let me Illustrate my meaning by an exam
pie: Here are two men, one of whom has double
the physical strength of the other. Let N,
talk about things plainly and homely. know
this may be considered in bad taste by some
but sometimes the simplest SMILES best explain
8 suhiect. Take these two men, the one havino
twice the physical strength of the other, and
put them to making rails. i know that is no,
q Senatorial term, but it is a common thing in
this country. The man of double physical
strength will make twice as many rails in thu
course of day as the other. Is not that diff
ference between men? The man of double tbs
physical strength will increase in wealth, il
anything TO which you apply his labor, twice a,
rapidly as the other man. So it is with the ex
ercise of his brain. This grows out of the or
ganic structure of mankind.
When you form q community out of indi
viduals, they commence the work of production
intellectual and physical and, as society move
on through time, we find some occupying tn
lower places and some occupying the highs
places. do not care whether you call it sla
very or servitude; the man who has mental OF
fees to perform is the slave or the servant,
care not whether he is white or black. Servi
tude or Slavery grows ont of the organic struc
ture of man.
IAN me talk which we hear in depreciation
of the existence of Slavery is idle, and q gres
portion of il mere twaddle. Slavery exists;
Is an ingredient of society, growing out of man
mental and physical organization and the onl
question for rs to discuss is, what kind of Sla
very we shall have; not the existence of Sla
very, for it is in society it is an element, 81
ingredient that you cannot get rid of, so lon,
as mans organic structure is what it is. Wi
YOU have white or black Slavery Shall it b
voluntary or involuntary? These are the onl
questions. As TO the great thing itself, abou
which there seems 10 be so much difficulty,