The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-09
THE NATIONAL ERA: WASHINGTON D. c. JUNE g. 1859


themselves off as white people. They have
every ipducement which can address itself to
tie selEinterest, the pride, and the ambition OF
hanaf nature, to make their escape from the
parah class and it would be singular if they
failed to avail themselves of any and every OPP
pottunity for throwing aside the hated name OF
| fire negro.
! shis practice of transferring themselves from
the inferior to the superior class takes place as
rapidly at the South as at the North. There
arg hundreds of instances in which it has taken
place in the open face of day, by dint of energy
of character Every Southern man who reads
th Is will at once find an illustration of its truth
irshis county or State, in the presence of some
wealthy and pretentious family, which has
bravely lived down the damning fact Of its
African origin, and made it impossible for any
Insu to allude to it, except at the hazard of his
life.
But the change of condition is generally
m1de clandestinely, by removal to another
seton of country. How often do we meet
people in the streets whom we should never
suspect of being tainted with African blood but
frem some association in which they are thrown;
and how easy would it be for them, in com
manity of strangers, to seek and obtain the as
sociation of white people without suspicion
T.is is illustrated in the numerous cases in
wjch Southern slaves make their escape to the
fire States, by boldly assuming the prerogatves
on-white men and women. They not nnfre-
quently take black servant or two along with
them in their Northern tour, by way of adding
dig-ity to the enterprise, and showing their
hig breeding.
fnother class of cases, which are becoming
ven common in the South, serves to mark the
otherwise indefinable line which separates the
white and black races. We allude to the new
brApch of commerce which the enterprising ne
gt traders of the South have opened, in the kid
mapping and sale of the poor whites. We
re. .3rd case of the kind this week, from the
Ma Orleans True Delta.
is also to be noted that the laws, even of
thf Southern States, have fixed limit to the
teri Is /" free negro =" and "African descent"
which restricts them within very reasonable
boz nds. A man cannot be prevented from
vol ag in many Of the Southern States, because
he san be shown to have onefourth of negro
BIZ d in his veins and in the free States, we
be we that the definition in the practice is still
mC.e favorable to an unlimited suffrage.
I-ere, then, We have one mode of accounting
for she disappearance of the free colored popu
la N, or rather for its slow increase, which it
is )t painful to humane minds to reflect upon
W believe that it will in great measure ex-
p.l i the 4" facts dwelt upon with SO much
p sure by the Journal Of Commerce. The
r5- is not dying out, but fading out. Cruel
Ii q and usages have not prevented its increase,
have caused an annual crop Of assertions to
strong side; and it is not improbable that
t -Sham Democracy, and the Sham Christian
is.@~hich upholds Slavery, have derived more
t "a one of their leading advocates from this
e.lSs of deserters from the lower stratum.
sssut there is another drain upon the class of
/ fze.' colored people to be mentioned. We al
lude to the practice of kidnapping them, and
! selling them into Slavery. There is no Justice
! tor free negroes, especially in the South, and
/ De task of kidnapping has become an easy one !;
/ b6Sdreds are sold into Slavery every year. al
/ nest without murmur or complaint Occa-
! ss..sallx- annd men. shareholders step forward.
ID rescue the victims but, as a general rule,
SCH transactions are managed so adroitly, that
lsolhing is heard of them until too late. Men who
DIE to enslave white people, will not scruple
Erg at spiriting off the poor, helpless, friend
/ - free negroes.
We have no disposition to dispute the facts "
~ he Journal Of Commerce; but we have felt
| i .lue to truth to add the above to them, and
1-ns submit them to the judgment of the pub