The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-28
THE RETURNED AFRICANS AND "THE ARTS OF
CIVILIZATIONS"

THE RETURNED AFRICANS AND 1.-THE ARTS OF
CIVILIZATION"
We cannot be mistaken when we characterize the
debate which occurred in the House on Wednesday
the subject of making provision for the support
of the captured Africans recently sent TO Liberia,
both unfortunate and Improbable. The Execr-
tive Of the Union is requ red by law to send back
negroes captured ON slave ships to the coast Of
Africa aud to appoint agents to look after their wei
fare for reasonable period Of time after the landing.
The law was founded on the ordinary principles of
humanity The thought Of landing them upon our
own shores as free inhabitants was preposterous.
We did not want to bring the wreched creatures
with their filth, their diseases, their barbarous su
perstitions their obliviousness and reckessness OF
all moral principles of conduct into contact with
welIto-do slaves nor were we willing to iniest
community with savages educated only in the
of life pursued in their native jungles, and fit only
for association with wretches sunk NSe themselves
in the lowest degradation. The plain dictate of rea-
son was to send them away from our own, back to
their native shores but if they had been dogs, and
not men, the common instincts of humanity would
have required ms TO make some reasonable proyis
ion for the temporary support of the poor creatures
after landing They were more, however, than dogs;
they were at least human beings and that fact made
it imperative upon u.s. from sefrespect at least, to
make such provision for their welfare as was due
from one human being to another Accordingly, our
laws ON the subject of captured Africans We're en-
acted on this principle and command the President
to appoint agents the coast of Africa to look after
the welfare of the forlorn creatures for reasonable
period after their landing
1t is plain that the principles which dictated the
laws decAng the return of these creatures TO Africa
do not depend on, are not identical WITH and in
no endorse, justify, sanction or yindcate an
Their set of the laws of the Union designed for the
suppression of the African slave trade On the CON
rary the laws against the African slave trade, II
enforced with effect and success, would render use
less and nugatory those respecting the return OF cap
tured negroes to the African continent. Ii is by the
violation of those laws that the Africans brought
to our shores. That is one affair, which concerns
the rights of the African. But whether shall al
low the captves to remain here is another affair at
Getting our national policy and wel-being. The
two sets of laws are distinct the principles on
which they are founded distinct and we are at
loss to know how the question of the disposal OF a
cargo of negroes kidnapped from the coast of Africa,
any more than that of the disposal Of many chill
dren kidnapped from the coast of Spain or Holland
wanld do has any logical necessary connexon
with the question of slavery in the United States.
The Spanish or Dutch children would be white,
whereas the Africans are black aud our nsgr9 sa we
can see between the two cases. But yet, notwith-
standing their color the Africans have more CON
nexion with our slavery institution in the United
States than the Spanish Dutch children would
have.
How unnecessary, therefore the Invocation of the
Banquo's ghost of slavery in the decision of ques-
ton foreign TO the subject this disposal Off wait
fotsam which we have picked upon the sea, of cargo
of foreigners which has driiied into our possession
from an outlaBdish region having no more relation
to southern slavery than the elephants, the lions,
or the mammoth ants which they left in their native
places. Generally it has been the northern fanatic
that has persisted in Juggling the raw head and
bloodybones of theslayery question into the debates
of Congress on every conceivable inappropriate and
unnecessary occasions but now, il is Of the
intelligent and leading southern members who have
forgotten themselves and embraced the occasion--of
making provision under the law for the support of
gang of Africans whom southern slaves would
not recognise OF associate with as companions for
brief period on the coast OF Africa three thousand
miles distant from the nstiiution--to invoke the
names of the slavery question for redscussion
The ground Of controversy is that the agents of
the government for taking care ST the returned ne
groes in Africa for stipulated iEle haye agreed
to instruct them for the time being in the 'arts of
civilization" The objection is, that this ID an I'M
constitutional object of contract which the federal
government cannot engage in. Certainly it would
be qaite difficult to prove that the federal govern
men au consatetippally set itself about the bust
ness of teaching foregn people the ''arts of civza
ton :" but yet, ifthe government IN iawisiIy pro-
viding for the taking care of q set Z. unfortunate
savages for prescribed time were to require tina,
while they eating the victuals and wearing the
clothes it furnishing them, they should be made
to use the plough, the spade aud the hoe, be EN-
ployed in blacksmith shops and carpenters work. and
encouraged to devote their leisure hours to acquiring
what instruction they are capable of from books,
il TO as Chat il would he no less difficult TO
find solid aud reasonable objection to an incidental
expresses warrant or il in the constitution of the Uni