The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-12-24

4 q
3 the enslAvament Of the free negroes. The
proposition has besn mads il nearly avery
, south0rn state; some Of The states have IL
ready adopted the measure, we think, and il
several others, it's pending. The Tennessee
Legislature j. now considering : bill for the
snslavemsnt o. expulsion Of the free people
Of color in that state, and for the 6rst time
IN influential southern man has raised hia
voice against the Ubiquitous scheme judge
Catron Of lille, Justice Of the United
States supreme court and one Of those who
joined in the famed Deed Scott opinions, has
addressed the following communication tlro'
Nashville paper to tie people Of that state.
The appeal il strong one ,and, in the preseni
excited condition Of the slay cholders, bold
one. Il should make powerful impression
throughout the South, and viii If that se;-
ton il mot clean gone in the fanaticsm 81
wickedncss. We give the letter 10 fall
| DEAR SIR: l have for several weeks past
been anxiously waiting to hear what the
views Of your leading journal were on the
bill pending before our legislature proposing
to enslave, or to drive from the state, the free
colored population now among US. II pro-
| yides that these persons shall be
seized and sold If found here after the first
day Of May next, ifthey are adults--and that
the children shall be bound out, &c.; the
adults are allowed to emigrate to Africa, ia
which case some slight aid il to be furnish
ed by the state to assist in their Transports
ton; or secondly, they may seek master
and 60 into slavery.
Now who are these people2 There is not
one in one hundred Of them, to say the least,
that has ever been slave. Usually their
mothers, grandmothers, or great grandmoth-
| ers we're slaves, who were emancipated bv
masters for meritorious service, and according
to law. They oil have vested rigt to Free
dom by the judgement and DEGREES Of courts
Under our constitution Of 1896 the free col
| ored men voted at the polls. That the old
constitution extended % them, and protected
their rights to q certain extent, il free from
| doubt. But pass by this question.
My objection to the bill is that 1t proposes to
commit an outrage, to peypetrGte an Opprcs.
sion and cruelty. This is the plain truth, and
it is idle to mince words to soften the fact
Let US look the proposition boldly in the
face. This depressed and helpless portion Of
our population is designed to be driven out,
or to be enslaved for life and their property
forfeited, as no slave can hold property. The
mothers are to be sold, or driven away from
their children, many Of them infants. The
children are to be bound out until they are
twenty one years Of age, and then leave the
state or be sold, which means they are to be
made slaves for life, in fact Now Of these
women and children, there is hardly one in
ten that is Of unmixed negro blood Some
are half white; many have half white moth.
ers and white fathers making cast Of S74
lOOths Of white blood many have third
crop. in which the negro blood is almost Ak.
tinct Such is the unfortunate truth. This
description of people who were born free,
and lived as free persons, are to be intro
duced as slaves into our families, or into our
negro quarters, there to be under an oycrseer,
or they are to be sold to the trader and taken
south, there to be whipped by overseers, and
to preach rebellion in the negro quarters-as
they will preach rebellion everywhere that
they may be driven to by this unjust law,
whether it be amongst us here in Tennessee,
or south Of us in the cotton and sugar plan
tations, or in the abolition meetings in the
free states. Nor will the women be the least
elective in preaching crusade, when begging
money in the North to relieve their children.
left behind in this state, in bondage
We are told this "Frce Negro Bill is
polite, popular measure. Where is it popu-
lar? In what nook or corner Of the state are
the PRINCIPLES Of humanity so deploringly
deficient, that majority ofthe white inhabi.
tants would commit such an outrage. not
committed in o Christian country Of which
II Il
10 it, this side Of Africa, that the majority
have enslaved the minority--sold the weak to
the strong, and applied the proceeds Of the
sale to educate the children Of the stronger
side, as this bill proposes2 1t is an open as.
sertion that might makes right 1t is re-
opening the African slave trade in fact In
that trade, the strong capture the weak and
sell them, and SO it will be here if this policy
is carried out
All over the state, those who are response.
BILE for passing the bill, will have to contend
with fearful public opinion; made up Of all
the aconten who have moral characters and
religious feelings, backed by the clergy,
and assuredly by very large ma
iority OF the memgers Of the churches for
we must carry along with us the important
fact that numbers Of the people sought to be
ensaved or driven out, belong to, and are
members If our various churches and in full
communion. That these great bodies Of
Christian men and women will quietly stand
by and see their noble co-workers sold on
the block t. the negro trader, il not to be ex-
pectcd; nor will any set Of men be supported
morally or politically, who are the authors
of such a law.
Nor is this half the truth Take all the
free states and how will the matter stand
There, those staunch and upright men who
are struggling to uphold the constitution and
laws, and to protect tho rights of the South
in the enjoyment Of their slave property, will
be met BY your law will be tainted before
the million; will have it put to them squarely
whether they sanction this cruel measure as
part of the southern creed-to wit: that all
negroes, and those Of negro origin, can be
rightfully sold into alayery, or driven from
their children and the place Of their birth, OF
the unrestrained will Of the southern white
man2 What northern man that has manhood
in him, will not exclaim, Il abhor such q
law |" II cannot be otherwise than odious in
the North.
IL such measure or persecution was the
work Of some new weak state, and this thing
done in q oorner, it would not be so bad; but
Tennessee il . proud, successful community,
that has for thirty years exercised control
ling influence in the affairs Of the nation
she has made Two presidents: has long stood
in the front rank Of the great party that has
governed the country SO successfully for
nearly sixty years, and therefore her legisla-
ton may well be cited before northern crowds
as declaring the sentiments of the south. |
put it to any fair minded man to say, wheth
or this law, if it be passed, will not 60 far to
crush out our friends in the North, and yet
more strongly mark the black, sectional line
between the free end slave states? MOst
respectfully, your obedient servent
]. CArRoN.
SOUTHERN DEcEKcY,-The Virginia paper,
we believe, take considerable pains in the in
| tereet Of Southern society, to avoid publishing
advertisements Of Abolition books and newspa-
pers. What If they extend the rule of private
advertisements Of subscriptions to reward any
body vino will assassinata certain citizens OF the
United States, designated BY name, and under
no legal ban whatever. We know that these
/ .Aa.,.1 nnthinn lint tho disUuat M