The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-12-29
THE FREE NEGRO QUESTION.
Justice Catron on the Question Of Enslaping
Free Negroes.

Free Negroes.
A bill is pending before the Tennessee Legis-
lature, aimed against free negroes designing
to either drive them from the State, or enslave
them. Justice Catron, of the Supreme Court of
the United States, has written to the Nashville
Union and American the following letter, pro-
testing against the passage of this infamous bill
To the Editor of the Union and american:
DEAR SIR: | have for several weeks past
been anxionsiy waiting to hear what the views
of your leading journal were on the bill pend
ing before our Legislature, proposing to enslave,
or drive from the state, the free colorea popula
ton now amongst us. 1t provides that these
persons shall be seized and sold, if found here
after the first day of May next, if they are
adults-and that the children shall be bound
out, &c. the adults are allowed to emigrate to
Africa in which case some slight aid is to be
furnished by the State, to assist in their trans
portation; or, secondly, they may seek mas
ter and 60 into slavery.
Now, who these people? There is not
one in one hundred of them, to say the least,
that ever has been slave. Usually, their
mothers, grandmothers, or great-grandmothers,
were slaves, who were emancipated by masters
for meritorions services, or from benevolent
motives, by the courts of Justice, and accord
| ing to law. They all hare rested right to
freedom by the Judgments and DEGREES Of courts.
Under our Constitution of 1896, the free color
ed men voted at the polls. That the old Con-
stitution extended to them, and protected their
rights to certain extent, is free from doubt.
| But pass by this question.
| NY objection to the bill is, that IL proposes to
commit an outrage, to Derpetrate an oppression
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 helples portion of our popula-
ton is designed to be driven out, or to be en-
shaved 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 to leave the State or be sold !;
which means, that 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
unmxed negro blood. Some are half white ;
many have hafwhite mothers, and white fathers,
making a cast of 874l00ths of white blood !;
| many have third cross, in whom the negro
blood is almost extinct such is the unfortu-
nate truth. This description of people who were
born free, and lived as free persons, are to be
introduced as slaves into our families, or into
our negro quarters, there to be under an over
and sent South, there to be whipped by over
seers-and to preach rebellion in the negro
quarters-as they will preach rebellion every
where that they may be driven to by this unjust
law, whether it be amongst us here in Tennes-
| see or south of US on the cotton and sugar
| plantations or in the Abolition meetings in the
| free States. Nor will the women be the least
effective in preaching a crusade when begging
money in the North to relieve their children,
left behind in this State, in bondage.
| We are told that this free-negro bill is
polite, popular measure. Where is it popu-
lar In ichdt nook or corner Of the State are
the principles Of humanity so deplorabiy de-
feent, that majority Of the phole Inhabitants
aooutd commit an outrage not committed in a
| Christian country Of ,ohich history gices any
accountP In what country is it, this side of
Africa, that the majority have enslaved the
minority, sold the weak to the strong, and ap-
| piled the proceeds of the sale to educate the
children of the stronger side, as this bill pro-
poses? It's an open assertion that "might
makes right 1t is reopening 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.
| Al orer the State, those ,cho are responsible
| for passing the bill wM haze to contend Nth
| fearful public opinion, made up of all the
| scomen UhO hare moral characters and religious
feelings; backed By the clergy, and assurediy
by a Sery large majority Of the members Of all
| the churches; for zoe must carry along soih as
the important fact. that numbers Of the people
sought to be enslaUed or driuen ont belong to,
and are members Of, our uarious churches, and
IN full communion. That these great bodies Of
Christian men and ,oomcn wiU quietly stand
! By and see their humble co-tcorkers sold on the
block to the negro trader, is not TO be expected
nor Wiu any set Of men be supported, morally
or politically, toho are the authors Of such lar.
! Nor is this half the truth. Take all the free
States, and how will the matter stand2 There,
those stanch and upright men who are strug-
| Cling to uphold the Constitution and laws, and
to protect the rights of the South in the enjoy
ment of their slave property, will be met by our
| 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 rghtfully sold into