Washington telegraph., 1858-08-04
CIR C U L A R .

To the People of the State of Arkansas.
The undersigned, committee, have
been directed by the citizens of Little
Rock and Of Pulaski county, to prepare
and publish circular, calling your atten-
tiUu to serious evil that aliiicts the State.
expressing their opinions upon it, and iu-
yIuu@ Your cooperation to effect its
removal.
The evil Is the existence among us of
class Of free colored persons.
These persons are not, and by the sol
enu decision Of the supreme court Of the
United States, cannot be citizens of the
United States. They are uuu Ctli-eIs Ur
tine State. they do not vote, and their
testimony IS not receivable against a white
man,
Their feelings and their syupathies are
wholly wi;h .hJsy OF their own color, who
are ..heId to labor aud service among Us
for life. As to Us, they are foreign body
of persons encamPeI among us, CALLED b.
the CONSCIOUSNESS Of IN inferior position,
with no love for Us, aud little or no com.
muuitv Of interests with Us. They in
stinctIvesy take the side Of those under
uur government, cOndOle with them when
they complain, harboT them If they es-
cape. tell them they are entitled 70 be
free, and encourage them in insubordina-
ton, and TO pilfer aud defraud, if not to
con nit offences more serious, and do acts
more dangerous still.
Even il tLey do nothing actively, their
very existence here, and their condition
as Tree men, make them constant, though
silent preachers to the slave of notions
that are dangerous in the last degree to
as, aud injurious to him.
The justification Of the institution of
slavery rests upon the intcriorlty OF the
negro race. its unfitness to be free, its IN
capacity to take care of and govern itself
1t Is insane in us to teach the slave by our
acts. by allowing the free man of his own
color and race, no more than his peer in
intellect or capacity, to be free, to deal and
trade as a free man, to hold property and
sue in court, that he IS fit to be free, and
can take care of and govern himself
while in words we preach different doe
trine.
He would be deemed insane, who should
fling fre-brands into vessels hold, or
into 4 magazine of powder, and stand by,
confident that no fire or explosion would
follow And yet we, through mistaken
kindness and clemency, see with perfect
unconccrn these preachers to our slaves OF
discomfort and sedItion every where set
tied among US, eloquent even silent, and
dangerous even if well disposed.
The submission and loyalty Of the slave
must come from his conviction that his
condition of servitude to a higher race Is
his natural condition that such is the
law, and that the law is right. If you
set constantly before his eyes the living
contradiction Of the doctrine of his un-
fitness to be free, what can you expect but
dissatisfaction, murmuring and sedition-
If, therefore, ouI free eolored popula-
tion lcerc fit to be free; if they behaved
with propriety, and refrained from instill-
ing into the minds of the slaves, notions
injurious to our and their own welfare, it
would still be suicidal policy to permit
them to remain among us.
But the truth is, as we all well know,
that with few exceptions, they are lazy,
worthless. immoral, impudent and un-
principled population, Intentionally ex
erting the worst influences on the slaves
encouraging them in all their evil habits
and inclinations, hating us who den,
them equal privileges with ourselves
ever ready to receive stolen wares and Il
harbor the fugitive and wholly UNIT t.
be free.