Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-12
SPEECH OF WILLIAM F C. GREGORY, ESQ

UF NOTTOWAf AND AMELIA.
On the bill for the reiisf Of the Commonwealth from
htsfree negro population.
Is House, OF DELEGATES, THURSDAY, FEE. 1858.
IRepor,ed for the Enquir.y by p. Kean.l
Mr.. GREGORY said: Mr.. Speaker il is with gren:
dfildsnce that present myself before this House
after the eloquent address OF my friend from the coun
ty Of Smyth lMr. PREsroS,l 10 which We have just
listened. stand here, not the enemy of the free
negro: stand here the friend of the white man, the
friend also OF the slave and the free negro. am not
here for the purpose Of contending for moment that
Injustice shall be done to the free negro Of Fir
gnia: that feel would be work of sHperfluity; for
no intention of the kind is implied in the bill. look
At this bill as no new and startling question before
Virgins Legislature. No, sir the history OF the past
the legislation of the past. points me to the converse
Of the proposition. Ths is no new and startling CUES
ton; and intend to show, il can. and think can
that this ia simply continuation and contamination
Of legislation commenced early az 1893; and when
refer this House to that period, hope they will not
consider that intend to occupy them with two days
speech. No. sir, it ia foreign IN my purpose. hope
the House will givs me ia attention while present
The question in my humble way, and, in doing go, ex:
poet to occupy not more than twenty minutes or ball
an hour of their tins.
ask this House to look to the record of the past
10 turn their attention TO the time Of Washington,
from whore last will and testament the gentleman
from Smyth. bas read. in the course of his eloquent
address. ask this Legislature to pause for a mo
ment, and 60 with me 10 the year 1882. And what
do We find in that year We there find the first Law
authorizing masters, by will or deed, TO manumit
their slaves. 1t i. true that prior to this period
ther- were emsncipsions, the manner OF which
!. not now known. But there was law passed
in 1871, to which viii call the attention of
the gentleman from Smy;h, (Mr. PREsToS.) who
talks of Injustice and cruelty in reference to the
free negro And VIII t was that lawl II was
that any emancpated negro who fhought proper
to remain in the Commonwealth OF Virginia
more than twelve months, should be cold oy the
he ban. fnft he -
Are we more just thal our forearhers were! | wish
10 show that slavery is the proper condition tor the
negro and I, for ons, would not own slave for one
moment, were I convinced that freedom was nus
proper sphere. Yes, cir If was convinced lnat me
God of nature who smiles upon this land, intended
that freedom should BIZ the lot OF that race, AND
union with the whits man, | should cease TO hold
slave. And let me tell my friend from Smyh that
when he portrayed in such glowing terms the agony
the pain and the horror of seeing the sheriff OF
county dragging forth the free negro to be cold upon
the block | wondered hil mind had not REQUIRED
to the time when our ancestors drew for'h the
negroes from their native homes in Africa. where
they enjoyed comparative, if not absolute freedoE
such as il wa, and sold them into slavery why d'd
the gentleman stop hare1 l know that ne is soand
on the slavery question; know that he l. a. s'und
As am; but say that the argument which he has
here made extended TO the emancipation OF every
slave in Virginia; such AT eas. would be the Iesti'
mate inference from his course OF argument.
Now. Mr.. Speaker, come 10 this proportion, thai
these free negroes not naturally free They Claim
not this RICH; o. natural right, but by special legis
lstion had In 1893. And call the attention OF this
| House TO what that enactment of 1873 was. IL YVES
that no free negro should cnme into the Common
wealth OF Virginia. Sir il they were this valuable
population who should constitute an intermediate
class between tho master and slave, why do yon nd
so far back q. 1893 law providing that no free ne
gro shall come into the Commonwealth Of Virginia =
| If we go on, cir, will find further that in 1870 90
great WAS this evil conceived to be, that law was
pa,s.d prohibiting any emanclpated negro from re
manning in the Commonwealth more than twelVe
months AFTER the period of his emancipation. Ii th's
be that worthy population which the gentleman rep
resents them TO be, why they not then permitted
to remanl II the fathers of the revolution cry OUT
TO US from their tonbs, "stay these ruthless bandt
I ask whers the spirit of these fathers in 1910
when that law was passed which prohibits emancipa
tad slaves from remaining in the Commonwealth i
Perchance the spirit heard, and was the cause ct
the passage Of the LAYS Of 1915 which permitted me
county courts to say, they might remain. But, SIR
what was the consequence OF this law We find thai
this very negro population increased at the rate oil
| about 10 900 in ten years. Then. sir, whata was
the enactment We And the Legislature of'ha period
regardless Of the spirit OF our ancestors, or the prompt
ing of conscence it you will have il passing Law
maintaining the law Of 1893, which provided that when
free negro into III. State he should oa carried
out and the expense paid for 30 doing. In lSlo mat
inv was confirmed by An enactment somewhat slml'
lar in its character and he is be kept from the
Commonwealth | would ask if this contains any.
thing revolving to humanity bumbly conceive
not But what do we find at later periods that IL ~.
gsrdess of the spirit OF the age and the aocalicd
whsperipgs of conscience We find that in 1917 this
evil had grown 80 great that law was passed provl'
ding that any free negro who should 20 beyond the
limits of the State, should b. placed upon the same
footing az negro born outside the limits Of the Com
lnonwealth Look at this law and see it It is calcu-
lated to cause our fathers to rise from their graves
and Tighten us from our proprisfy.
But sir, this is not all. In 1916 We had me'sage
which wAs followed up by enactmen's. In what way.
sir, and how Followed up by the Legislature of
your State No. sir. We find That the people OF Fir
gnia had assembled in the city ofRchmond in the form
Of Convention of gentlemen coming fresh from their
constituents, 10 form IN organic law for the State.
Where the spirit of our forefsthers then, and
where the whispernga of conscience; when prohi..
btory provi.na in regard 10 this class WAS embodied
into our orgsnc lsw1 Under that provision, no slave
emancipated after the adoption of the Constitution,
aha remain within the limits of the Stats But the
gentleman from Smyth enquiries where must they
got Whers did that Convention intend that they
should go7 | say let them go into the State
of slavery. What more did that Convention do in
regard to the r6e negroes who were then entitled to
their fraedom1 II passed p Inv which stands upon
the statute book in the form Of conventional Con.
sttu,on empowering You to provide BY law for send
ing or removing them from your midst; and yet wa
are told that are advocating harsh, novel and
startling proposition. Why, the gentleman comes
and teils u.s. that the bill ID not only novel and cruel
stead of these negroes hiring for $50 head accord
ing to the estimate of the gentleman from Gooch
land tMr. RurHERFooRD,) they would not be worth
five dollars head. Then, air. let me AK this House
il the gentleman be correct how ia il possible that
the free negro live upon five dollars yearl II
he cannot, how then ia he TO live, would ask the
| gentleman!
| Mr.. PRESTON.-I pat the hiring rate at seventy
dollars head, but in doing So, merely referred to
the proportion Of efficient and active workers among
the number, which | stated 20 bs about one to four.
| stated that the worthless portion Of them would not
be worth f We dollars head.
| Mr. GREGORY.-l would cay, air. that mistonk
not the gentleman. He ssid if my memory ia not
very much at fault, that they would not average five
! dollars head
Mr.. PRESTON.-Ths gentleman must certainly
have mistaken my meaning. referred TO the mat.
| ter, but not directly rs the gentleman states.
| Mr.. GREGORY.-I would ask the gentleman
whether am to understand him this morning
maintaining that these free negroes, if hired out.
would bring no revenue To the State, but actually
| byiIg the hirers in debit
Mr. PRESTON.-I stated, that if my suppo.itIon
true. that but one in fnur was the number actual
ly 10 bs hired out, tho aggregate available number
| would amount to thirteen thousand asven bundled
and seventy seven, and these, averaged At ssvrnfv
dollars head, would yield a eurn of 1884 900. Bn
stated that it would require thirty dollars head Ia
support those who would not be able to work. Thesr
you must support If you require the efficient and
available lsborers among that class TO be- hired out:
from this operation.
! Mr.. GREGORY.-I wish to draw the gentleman
attention to the question in this form. Do under
stand him to contend that the hiring of the tree pe
groes would yield nothing, but that the support "f
the wives and children would consume ALL did
not hear The genilemans remarks very distinctly.
Mr. PRESTON.-l do contend that.
Mr. GREGORY. Then, sir. bis argument seems 20
mean this that W. have in midst fifty four thous
and three huDdredsnd thirty three negroes who when
left 10 themselves. capable of making livelihood,
may in come instances more but who, when managed
by white men, yield nothing. Then, I ask. eau free
, negroes manage labor better than white men Ii
the white man can make the negro's labor pay moth
ing, how in the of God the free negro make
his labor profitable when left TO himself This
that the labor o! the negro is more protita.
| bic under the MANAGEMENT of the Yhifa man