The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-06
THE SLAVE TRADE.

THE SLAVE TRADE.
When some bold fre-eaters preached the idea
of reviving the slave trade, three or four years
ago, the " Democratic press of the South went
into ecstacies Of delight. The Missouri Com
promise had been repealed, and the enthusi-
astic propagandists began really to dream of
filling the whole Western Territories, up to the
49th parallel, with negro slaves. Even the
Virginia journals, with few exceptions, fell into
the snare, and aided and abetted in the agita-
ton. The Enquirer, the South, the Examiner,
and we believe the Wing also, famed the
fame by opening their columns to the discus
sion. 1t is surprising that they failed to see
the consequences of such step, upon the do
nestle slave trade, in which Virginia is so
deeply interested. But, for the moment, their
ardent imagihations were carried captive with
the pleasing prospect of overshadowing the
continent with the black pail of Slavery, and
they forgot the local interests of Virginia. But
a sober second thought has at length overtaken
them, and they are beginning to apprehend
that their favorite free trade, in its application
to the trade in slaves, might operate to the
detriment of the home producer. The Wash
ington Union, which is at once an organ of the
Administration and champion of Slavery, is
explicit on this point 1t contained on the first
Of January an elaborate article upon this sub
ject, in which are embraced many statements
which year ago would have filed the whole
South with alarm. 1t not only denounces the
foreign commerce iii slaves as dangerous and
disastrous to the South in general, but insists
that the Northern slave States, as slave pro-
ducers, are entitled to complete protection, by
prohibitory laws, against foreign competition.
The Union says:
"Those portions of the South in which the
majority of the white population is found, are
grain and tobacco-growing regions and their
people could never be induced to incorporate
new swarms of Africans into their communi-
ties. Not only would they resist their importa
ton for such "A purpose, but they would regard
any countenance given to the measure, by the
cotton and sugar-growing States, breach
of faith towards themselves as a part of a great
section of the Union having with them com
mon interest, suffering common wrongs and
ndignitieS from the outside world, and bound
By common destiny i'll regard to their com
mon domestic institution. The theory of this
| portion of the slaveholding section of the I'm
! ion is, that it is the owner Of the slave who is
/ the real servant, and not the bondsman him.
! self They beiiere that tile institution of STA.
Uegy, so far as Hey are concerned, as not profit
! able an an industrial point Of oie,c. They be-
| lieve that, owing to the original importation
into their community, by the North and Great
! Britain, of Africans in numbers vastly dispro-
pOrtioned to the necessities of their country for
labor, and in opposition to their constant and
earnest protest against it, much larger slave
population exists among them than they could
Safely liberate, even if.the highest precepts of
Christianity and philanthropy did not impera-
lively forbid such step, and also that much
larger number Of SldceS has resulted than they
can employ IN their local industry. They be-
Lere that 6m for tie yearly emigration Of a
large per ceRtage Of THIS population from their
borders, southWdrd, into ne,C cotton and sugar
gJo'cing regions that are opening up the dccat-
mutation Of the negro population among them
'could most iJuTiOosiy affect their interests, and
| u hhiS emigration 'cere pTecented By the intro
d'tcttoR Of natiUe africans III the cotton regions,
| az the stead cfemigrant negroes from the higher
| idtfudes Of the South, most disastrous cOnse-
que,tceS icOuld ultimately result not Only TO the
localities Immediately affected by the stOppdge
| Of this emigration, Int to the lcltOle SlucehOId-
ing section Of the Jnion-taking no account of
| the great reeoiution an the prices Of slaUes and
| Of all commodities affected By their labor, ,chich
acOuld result from the introduction of large
numbers of n0tiCe Aficd,is at nominal prices
| from their natire coasts.
"Nor would the people of the cotton States,
in all probability, be found much less averse TO
the project of importing Africans, if it we're at
tempted in earnest on any considerable scale,
and for any other purpose than mere political
agitation and personal notoriety. If ace COM
pare the negro and ,ohite populations of these
Sf@tes, 'ce shall find that the prepOndeTance Of
the former IS already sufficiently great for per-
mdnea safety and stability. The effect of new
importations would be to unduly increase this
preponderance of the blacks without proper
tionally augmenting the product of the labor of
the negro population.
As the circumstances attending the landing
of the 'Wanderer and the spiriting away Of
her sable cargo may be conceived to have
thrown suspicion upon the South of infdelity
to the Constitution and laws that section prob
ably owes it to itself to vindicate its real senti-
ments, by expressing them in unequivocal and
emphatic terms through her State Legislatures.
Her best and wisest men may, however, be OF
opinion that her real sentiments on a project so
monstrous and preposterous ought TO be pre-.
sumed by all rightthinking men, and that the
| declaration OF them Is no more incumbent upon
her than is the formal expression of her belief
in bene6cent Providence or the righteousness
of good works. -
We have said enough to answer the object
we had in view-that Of showing not only that
the people of the South, as community, do
not look with the least favor upon this mon
strous project of reviving the African slave
trade, but that it is morally impossible that
! they could do so consistently with a wise regard
for their industrial and SOCIAL interests. They
iooald be found on actual test as bitterly oppos-
ed TO this trade as their fathers ire,S before
them, icho protested against 1t for centuries, and
scho brought about its abolition by long and per-
sepering effort, an despite Of the most energetic