The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-03-25
or TIE SLAVE TRADE.

RE-0PENlNG OF TIE SLAVE TRADE.
An article which appeared, a few weeks
ago, in the New Orleans Delta, saying
the slave trade had been rc-opened, and
several hundred negroes landed at the
mouth of Pearl river has excited a good
deal of interest. The Delta stated this
as fact, but it's rather a heavy dose,
and we entertained some doubts of its
truth when we first read it. Whether
this was intended as hoax or not, there
is certainly some grounds comprehension
lest it may be fact. The Legislature
of Louisiana has passed a bill authorizing
the importation of imdentured or appren.
ticed Africans. This, as every one will
see, is merely subterfugc under the guise
of which its advocates desire to conceal
its criminality or to evade violation OF
the international laws. In fact, the spe.
cial committee, to which was referred
the bill to grant the authority to the State
of Louisiana for the importation of free
black laborers within the State" in view
of the difficulty arising from their being
set at liberty when their apprenticeship
may expire, very coolly say they may
indcnture themselvc for a further time il
it should be for no longer time than
would be necessary to realize sufficient
amount of means to enable them to return
to their native country, or to Liberia p
1t would be delightful task to send these
Africans back to their own country, the
responsibility of which the movers in this
scheme might be induced to take under
some circumstances, but it seems very
difficult to get clear of what few free ne
groes there are now. 10 send them to
Liberia is no easy job and would it be
less troublesome were there several more
thousands or millions Of them We think
not. 1t is trne, no people on the face Of
the earth, furnishes a parallel to the de-
graduation and mental and moral debaSc-
ment Of the African in his own land, and
it is equally true, our wcll-ted, contented
negroes, are far happier and superior in
every respect to these benighted people;
but we think it is an ill-directed philan-
thropy that proposes the recommends
ment of a traffic which has for 50 long a
time been condemned as unjust. 1--WE have
slaves enough for the present when we
get Mexico, Nicaragua and Cuba, then
will be time enough to talk of re-opening
the slave trade. 1t may be urged, negro
property is eXtravagantly high, and large
Of Africans would cause it
to decrease in value; this may be so, but
would not other property, the value of
which is enhanced by the price ofnegroes,
decrease III the same ratio. Again, others
say it is such profitable business, the
whole nation will engage in it, the North
erners particularly, and thereby leave
them no room to shout free-negroism and
moan over the wrong of the down-trodden
slave. This would be neat way to stop
incendiary and abolition mouths Just about
as much so as man cutting his throat
to prevent people saying it ought to be
done. The statute of 1920, prohibits and
declares the slave trade to be piracy, the
punishment for which, on conviction, is
death. Did we not feel satisfied there
were a sufficient number of slaves in the
Southern States, We would favor repeal
of the law, but as it is, we oppose it as
being illegal and likely to result in ruin
to the South.