Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-01-25
THE CRUELTY OF ABoLITIONIsM.

The slavery excitement, so much intensified by
late events in Virginia, is reacting with crushing
effect on the free blacks of the South. Louisiana
and Arkansas have already passed laws for the ex-
cusion of this class of population from their respec
tive limits, and more recently the subject has come
prominently before the legislature Of six other States
namely, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Ten
nessee Virginia, and Missouri. In the State last
named and also in Georgia. bill to compel the free
coored population to leave the State or be enslaved
has passed the upper branch. These are the alter
natives presented in every instance, so far as we
informed and determination is evinced to rid the
States named of a class who are now considered as
dangerous from their liability to be employed by
designing men agents for propasating insurrec-
tons. Thus, by the insane folly of abolitionsm,
the progress of emancipation is arrested through
thy people who have been liberated often at heavy
pecunary sacrifice on the part of masters, arc re-
turned to condition of servitude, or driven from
their homes. All the negroes spirited off by
the underground railroad and sent to Canada or
dispersed the Northern States, are few in com
parison with those who are threatened with op-
pressve legal enactments. The subterraneans who
have been so industrious in seeking to evade the OBJ
legations of the Constitution, and break down laws
cSScHttIl SOCidi tuat
they have been "saving at the spgot and losing at
the bunghole." To show more precisely the lcgs-
lation contemplated will here state some of the
provisions of the bills under discussion:
The Georgia bill, introduced in the senate, is dc.
signed to compel all free coOred persons to leave
the State by January, 1862. Any person of this
class desiring to remain, can do SO by selling him.
self into slavery to any citizen whom he may select;
the purchase money to go into the treasury of the
80
leave. This measure is regarded by many in the
State as unnecessarily severe. The Augusta Consti-
tutionaltst says:
1--WE believe that they ought eventually to dsap-
pear as an element in our population, and that mca
sures should be taken at once under the operation
of which the State eventually would be rid of them
but we do not believe that there is any necessity for
their summary and forced repatriation"
| The number of free negroes in Georgia is only
| $780,
The bill which has passed the lower branch of the
Mississippi legislature, with only five dissenting
votes and is likely to become law, is still more
rigorous. By this no free negroe remain in the
State after the LIST of July next without special
license from the legislature In the mean time he
has an opportunity to select a master, who shall
hold him for life.
The bill which has passed the senate of Missouri
ayes %, nays lois of the same general character
1t compels all free negroes to leave the State ire
spective Of age or length of residence.
The bill pending before the legislature of Tennes-
provides that all free adult negroes shall be seized
and sold if found in the State on the 1st of May
next, and that the children shall be bound out
The former are allowed to emigrate to Africa, in
which some slight aa is to be furnished by the
State, or they may seek master and go into slave
ry.
To such extremities as these are naturally inof-
fensive people reduced or likely to be reduced sole
through the mpertnent interference of their pro-
fessed friends Of the North whose assaults upon the
social system of the South have made this species Of
legislation necessary, in the opinion of those most
deeply interested, as measure of selfprotection.