Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-12-09
FREE NEGROES.

| hS EE " EG ROESs
Remarks of Hon. Wms Ewing, OF vii.
IiamsOn county, delivered i'm the G en-
nessee House of Representatives, Mon
day, December 5Lh, 1853, the second
reading of the Bill introduced by the
Committee on Free Negroes and Slave
population IH. X. I9l for the Expulsion
| Of Free Persons of color from this state.
Reported by w. H. DrapieF.
Mr.. EWlNG Mr.. Speaker. This question has
| come premstuTely upon me. l had idea this
bill would be called up to day, aud consequent
ly entirely unpTepartd to speak upon il but there
are sore positions assumed by the gentleman from
Sumner, Smith and Macon, Mr.. Barksdsle, who
has just taken his seat, that desiIe to consider
and answer, because | think they are wrong.
The gentleman says that negroes have rights.
He says emp phatically that they have no rights to
property, rights 10 person and no rights TO lib
| erty. | understand the constitution and the laws
| passed under ihat constitution, differently and
believe the supreme judicial authority Of this State
! understands it differently.
| In the case of Chss. Barret vs. The Corporation
of Nashville, the Supreme Court decided, that q
free of color mig ght sue for false imprisonment
ard was entitled TO recover dame gee In the case
of David and Moses it was decided, that although
in state of servlude, these men could sue both Ior
freedom and property under our laws
In the case of the freed servants of Harding, of
this county, the same high authority decided that the
slave has right 10 freedom under the provisions Of
the will Of his MASTER and further that he is en-
titled to inherit under said WILL both real and per-
sonal estate, althoHgh slave at the time Of such
oevise.
It's new idea TO me, that negroes have no rights
no vested rights know in early day in the
history of slavery hat slaves in sll countries had
40 rights, and that the power Of life or death be-
longed TO the master. ! concsde that even now the
power Of even life death tae slave is almost
lnseparsble in slavery under certain cireunotaDees
and that slaves negroes should not have the
right cf defence.
have noticed that the laws of this country, for
long series of years, have been erdeavorirg to
smeliorats the condition Of the slave until the ne
cessity no longer exists fer the master have the
power of life or death over his slave. In the pro-
cess CT smelicratitn laws have been passed allow
ing the master to free his favorite slaves, and
laws have recognized them as free men of color.
Our laws have vested in this free of color GER
tain rights. What are these rights They are
what the constitution ard bill OF rights declare in
the case of the white man to be inalenabe. The
right TO life and liberty are declared iDaenAbe.
Now, do not say that negro is Q citizen, and
that he is included in the privileged class named
in the constitution recognized " the laws of the
State of Tennessee ss a citizen for l acknowledge
that the Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case, has
decided that the negro is not citizen Of the United
States but do not think, that because the bred
Scott case has been decided that il does include
the other hypothesis, th at negroes being free have
no claim to those inaliensble rights pronounced by
the Constitution of the United States and the
raj States.
l do not think, as one and for myself, that free
man has right TO dispose Of his freedom by his
own voluntary act, any more than he has TO dispose
of his life, although we have q Jaw recognizing The
right of a free negro to go into servitude. deny
that any has the right to dispose Of his liberty
any more than he has to dispose of his lie. by his
own voluntary act and dare any man, by any
process Of reasoning known to ne, to prove TO such
q body Of men assembled for delibeIative purposes
that any man has that right Liberty is that thug
with which he is endowed by his Creator, and being
so endowed, he cannot, by his own act, dispose of
it. All our constitutions and laws recognize the
condition Of slaves On5 of Involuntary serVtude,
and that word is always attached "InVoluntary,"
not "vountary." II then it is true, if negro
being free has not himself the right to dispose
of his freedom ! would ask the gentleman, up
on this floor, whether we have the right to de-
prive any one of his liberty or in any other than
the cases prescribed in the Constitution to dispose
of this iuslienable right? The Constitution pre-
scribes that the liberty Of person shall not be Volst
ed except it be for crime Of which the party found
guilty and then it can be taken pre- bono pubLico;
under no other circumstances does the avs of our
country recognise the right of one human being to
deprive another of his rig to freedom. And are
we to roll back the tide of civilization and 90 back
TO the time when Bishop Wa5urton took his ships
load of Bibles and handouts to engage in the
slave trade? Who is willing tnat the State of Ten
nessee proud of her position in the United Stltes
shall do this thing and engage in the slave trade
Who is willing that she ehsl do this inhumsn act
Who is willing that she shall deprive those who
have vested rights Of these rights and sell them
again into Involuntary servitude?
The gentleman says that slavery is the natural
condition of the African race. l acknowledge it.
IL
inferior-the suhjectiOn of the Inferior is the
nal condition of every inferior race. And it may
be demonstrsbly proven that the subiectiou Of the
inferior to the superior is rule that holds good
with the inferior white and his supe-
rior 1t is as true Of the American Indians as it
is of the negro | acknowledge, sir, that the sub
lection of the inferior to the superior is the normal
condition of the inferior. But the gentleman says
that slavery has done more to civilIzs and chris
tianize the poor African than all other instrument
talities Is it true, my friend? If so, the propo-
stion would knock from under you your argument.
If slavery has done than anything else to chri
tianize and civize the African what does it prove
1t proves that if slavery and subjectOn be the nat
ural condition of the inferer towards the superior
that by the ameiorating process which goes on by
such contact there will eventually time when
the inferior stand alone and need no longer
protection. Do gentleman recollect that this proud
Angle-Saxon race, to which they and | belong
passed through this same ordeal Of slavery in COM
ing up to civilization. 1t can be demonstrated
from history, and is true of every nation that oc-
cupies g civilized position upon the face of
the globe, that it has come up through this
same ordeal from the inferior TO the superior Itis
so Of the French, English, Italian and it is SO o.
every race whose history we can trace. Some his
Iores Of Rome and Greece for instance are involv-
ed in mystery and are mystical
But, Mr.. Speaker, there has been great change
and in my opinion unhealthy change, come over
the minds of the people in reference to this very
institution. In early days in this country, when
this bill of rights framed by the fathers Of the
country, the word ''iree white" was put iuto that
bill of rights. After many days discussion "white
was stricken out 1t was stricken out after days Of
debate, showing that the trainers, many of those
who were engaged in framing the bill Of rights,
did look for time when every person beneath the
eagle Of our country should be embraced IN tAis
condition. Among those early founders, there
were men who would have joined issue with the
gentleman when he says that slavery is moral and
political and social blessing. Is it political bless
ing. Great God is it? Is it political blessiu q?
In view Of what may in few months trsnspire in
in our country, any man deem il q political
blessing? We speak Of the speedy severance Of
the bonds which bind US together as one people,
In view Of that awful calamity which good men
fear and traitors desire, can any man pronounce
slavery political blessingl
He says, we regard it moral and social bless
ing. | ackDoWledgJ it to be to the negro, both
But uLtil men can demonstrate to me that the su-
perior are benefited by contact with the inferior,
will not concede that to the white it is either
social or moral blessing ] think those who bave
children will bear out in saying they see
any good that results their children by such So
cieiy. 1t is to the negro 8 blessing, and men are
fanatics, mad men, FOOLS to attempt to distort the
relation, in the name Of philanthropy, bstWeen
master and slave. / heard . northern man once
who had became extreme southern man, or ra-
ther, northern vita extreme southern feel
ings, "a swift witness, ss most northern men wao
come here get to BEL detailing his plan for the
amelioraiOn Of the condition of the African
race; and allow me in this connection TO say
| 1t is this unhAlloWed sentiment both North and
South, in reference 20 and in oontradistincton with