Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-05-29

1t is true" says my colleague, they arr
equal In tue sight of God they bear the same
relation to time aud eternity > but God did moi
intend they shoaid be equal in the sight of man
and the reason is, because Government does no,
/ proceed from God. Could ANYTHING be clearei
than this +? 1t is " clear as mud"
! As 10 whether jefferson. who framed the Dec.
lara'ion. meant what he said. whether he
meant something else, can bes: be judged from
reading his opinions Slavery, some of which
have here. and presently will read.
prominent politiclan-Mr. Douglas-has in
te'preted the Declaration TO mean simply that
God had created such British subjects "a lived
on this side of the water In l176 as equal t.
British subjects living in Great Britian-nuthing n
more. TINS Interpretation is about such as was
to be expected of man who declared that he
did not care -rhe'her (" slavery in the Territo-
ries voted up or down" AS my colleague
believes the Declaration of Independence 10
mean anything else than what 1t purports To
mean | will allow Mr. jefferson who was the
author of 1t, 10 say whether he in ended that the
people of color then residing in this country
were TO be regarded men or not We know
that IN many of the States they were then re-
garded as citizens. and allowed to vote. Before
the Declaration. and while Virginia was yet a
colony. in IVA. she held a Convention to ap-
point delegates to attend the first general Con-
gress, which was to assem- Die, and did assemble,
IN Philadelphia, in September of the same wear
exposition of he rights or British America, In
which he said
The abolition of domestic slavery is the great
object OF desire In these colonies, where it was
unhappily introduced in their infant stale But
previous TO the eRfranchisement of the slaves,
1t is necessary to exclude further importations
from Africa"
In the original draft of the Declaration of In
dependence, of which it is well know he was
the author. we find this charge against the King
of Great Britain
He has vaged cruel war against human ma
ture itself, violating its most sacred rights of life
aud liberty IN the persons of distant people,
whe never offended him. captivating and carry
ing them into slavery 10 another hemisphere or
10 incur miserable death in their transportation
thither. This piratica warfare, the approbrum
of nfidel Powers, IL the warfare of the Christian
King of Great Britain. Determined TO keep a
market where men SHOULD be bought aud sold.
he has at length prostituted his negative for sup
pressing auy legislative attempt to prohibit and
restrain this execrable commerce"
Hear him further he says:
We hold these truths to be self-evIdent: that
all men are created equal f; that they
dowed by their Creator with certain lnalIenahle
rights that among these life, liberty, aDC
the pursuit of happiness that to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among men.
deriving their just powers from the consent of
the governed.
Under date of August I. l7S5, in letter to
Dr. Price, of London. he says:
Northward OF the thesapeake, you may ind,
here and there. an opponent OF your doctrine,
you may find here and there, a robbie. and
murderer but in no great number. EmancI-
patton ia put into such train. that in few
years there will be no slaves northward of Ma
ry land. In Mary land. | do not find such dis
position to begin the redress of this enormity rs
IN Virginia. This is the next State 10 which
we NAV turn eyes for the interesting spec
Icf
preston a conflict wherein the sacred side is
gaining daily recruits from the influx into Office
OF young men grown up and growing up These
have sucked In the principles of liberty, as IT
were. with their mothers milk and 1t is 10
them look with anxiety to turn the fate Of the
question.
In another letter, written to friend in 1911
he made use of the following language
Your favor of July 81 was duly received, and
read with peculiar pleasure The sentiments
do honor to the head and heart OF the wilter.-
Mine on the subject of the slavery OF negroes
have long since been in the possession of the
/ public, and time has only served to give them
stronger root. The love of justice and the love
of country plead equally the cause of these peo-
pie, and it is a reproach to that they should
have pleaded 1t so long IN vain.
Again he says:
What An incnmprehens sible machine is man,
who can endure toll, famine, stripes, imprison
| menl and death itself. in vludicatlon of his own
| liberty and the next moment pe deaf to all those
motives whose power supported him through
! his trial. and infiict on his fellow man a bon
| .iage one hour of which is fraught with more
/ misery than ages of that which he rose III re-
! belhon to oppose
." We must wait with patience the workings
! of an overruliug Providence. and hope that that
! is preparing the deverence of these our brethren
! " hen the measure Of their tears shall be fuli
| when their groans shall have involved heaven
itself in darkness doubtless God of justice will
awaken to their distress Nothing is more GER
,ainly written in the book Of fate, than that this
people shall be free"
In a letter to James Heaton, on this same sub
/ ject dated May 30, 1926 only six weeks before
his death. he says
"Ny sentiments have been forty years before
the public. Had l repeated them forty times
they would only become the more stale and
,hreadbare although l shall not live To see
them consumated. they will not die with me
On the 30th and 40th pages OF his Notes on
Virginia, jefferson says:
And with what execra; ion should the states
man be loaded. who, permitting one half the cl-
liens thus to trample the rights of the other
transforms those into despots and these into en-
emies destroys the morals of the one part, and
the amor pdiriGe of the other for II a slave can
have a country in this world, 1t must be in any
other in preference to that in which he was born
to live and labor for another III which he must
lock up the faculties of nature. contribute, as
far az depends upon his individual endeavor.
10 the evanishment OF the human race. or entail
his own miserable CONDITION on the endle-
generations proceeding from him"
twill thus be seen that Mr.. jefferson not
only speaks OF the colored people citizens,
bnt also brethren"
As my colleague has declared himself in ia
vor of slavery and holding slaves. and believes
I, morally right to do SO. it may not e oct OF
place to commend further to him few more
opinions of the early fathers of the Republic
such men as Washington, Maids. n, Monroe aud
others.
| In a letter 10 John F. Mercer. dated SePten-
/ Der g. 1856, Gen. ashington says;
81 nevermean. unless some particular eIrcum
stance should compel me 10 1T. To ossess anoi b.
er slave by purchase. Ii being among my frs
.cish-s TO see some plaa adopted By which slave
ry in this country may be abolished By law.
IL letter to Robert Morris. dated April ID
1856, he says:
Il hope it will not be conceived from these
observations that it Is my wish 70 hold the un-
+ baony people who are the subjec, of this letter
+ in slavery. | can only say, tha, there IS not a
man living who wishes more sincerely than | DO
10 see plan adopted for the abolition OF 1t but
there IS only ons proper and effectual mode bv
which il can be accomplished, and that is by
Legislative authority and this, far my suf-
frsge -il r., shall nerer be Us ting"