The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-04-02
slarery and the POpular Consclence.

slavery and the Popular Conscience
There has been, in all time, a strange |
parallelism between the tenderness Of the /
popular conscience in respect to slavery
and the profits which accrue from the |
employment Of servile labor. The New !
England colonies could make nothing out
Of slaves, and consequently the wrongs
Of the oppressed African grew quite
early q fayorite subject of complaint es-
pecially when those wrongs were inflicted
by others than themselves Virginia
having a strong interest in the home pro
duction Of negroes, became, at An early
day, greatly exercised in regard to the
guilt Of the African slavetrade, which
her statesmen denounced with all the el-
oquence they possessed, and endeavOred,
as far as possible, to prevent About in
proportion as slaves have been profitable
az the South, have tho qualms Of the
North increased in intensity, and in pro-
portion as they have been Improbable
has been the readiness Of the people Of
the South to admit that Slavery is great
moral evil" ..... .-
At this time there are three interests,
and three states Of feeling. Slave labor
is unusually profitable and hands pro-
portionably high, A good laborerisworth
1880, and the best range from 81, 750 to
$1,000 This state Of things, while it is
generating unusual disturbance in the
Northern conscience, is producing CON
trary effect upon the SOutherner The
principles of Virginia are still immovably
grounded upon the home market; but the
farther South, which once made her the
keeper of its conscience, has baokslidden.
,, In the eyes Of the moralists Of the States
of tho Gulf and the Mississippi, to bring
! a few lazy barbarians from Congo OF
: Ashantee, is no great crime after all and
/ 10 well established is this doctrine, that il
has been carried into practice, the strin
, gent laws of Congress to the contrary not
|, withstanding, and there is but little room
: to doubt that the African slaye.trade il
about to become, as Of old, fixed institu
:. ton of our country. The difference be
i tween two or three hundred dollars for
r laborer and twelve or fifteen hundred, i
= !. one that will tell strongly upon the popu
!, lar conscience, and cause q good deal o
. the irregularity of the proceeding to b.
overlooked When Providence sends
n blessing upon the basket and the store
!: and money and the instrumentalities Il
, make it are blessings-how can MAJ
seriously believe that the means through
' which they come to him are wrong an,
! wicked? ...
/ Now we know that some will say tha
il is not the conscience which changes il
= this matter, but the people, who, unde
J, the influence of avaricious motives, sii
against their consciences, and do thi
: great wrong with their spiritual eyes wild
;, open This is, to say the least, yer,
!. unoharitable view Of human nature. w
r are inclined to think that there is YER
y little Of human action which is not pred
, Gated upon belief We do not see how
i is possible for any man who differs fror
4 us to entertain such an opinion as he e1
r r presses. He thinks of us precisely as "
'' do of him. Our belief is our conscienc'
: his belief is his. Suggestions of intereI
= prompt men to exercise their reasonin
:, powers: they may reason themselves int
!. right or into wrong conclusion; BIT
]. whichever they may reach it will be sir
!; cerely entertained and they will act upo
3 it as upon principle Of right
|
4: Truly the pleasure y as great -