Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-06-28

none expressed themselves with more
,i,or than Col. Mason. slave-mas,er
from Virginia. IN the debate of the
National Constitution. These are his
words:
SLAVERY liseourages arts and man
ulartures. The poor despise labor
when performed by slaves. They pre-
vent the emigration OF whites, who
really enrich and strengthen a conn
try. They produce the most perni-
eiou- efscst ON manners. They bring
the Judgment of heaven on coun-
try"
Thus. with a few touches. does this
.lave-ma,ter portray his class. put
TIM theln in that hateful list. which
according to every principle of Liber-
a.. must DC resisted so long a. we
obey tod. And this same testimony
also found expression from the fiery
soul Of Jefferson. Here are some Of
hi words:
There must lie On unhappy infu-
euce on the manners of our people,
produced by the existence of slavery
among ~. The whole commerce i.e
tween master and slaveis perpetual
exerrise Of the most boisterous pas
,ion-. the most unremit,ing despotism
on tho one part and degrading submis-
lion On the other; our chAsfren see this
an learn TO initiate 1t. = The man
b. a prodigy who can retain manners
AMI morals un 'epraved by such cir
cumstances. And with what exc
cratic n should the statesman lie load
ell. who permitting one-h half the citi-
yens thus to trample on the rights Of
the other. transforms those into des-
pots. these into enemies, destroys the
morals of the one part. and the AMOR
pafride Of the other With the
morals Of the people. their industry it
also destroyed"
Next comes the philosophic author
ity; ant here the language which
quote may be less familiar. bnt it Is
names hardly S. commanding Among
II such weight, | shall not discrim-
mate. but shall simply follow the Or
der Of time in which thsy appeared. =
First i John Locke. the great author
IF the English System of intellectual
Philosophy: who though once uRhap-
PLY concc.iing indulgence to Amer
lean Slavery. IN an other place de-
scrii,cs il. in words which every Slave
master should know, a
The state Of war continued between a
lawful conqueror and his captive.
So oppo-ite to
the generous temper and courage of our
nation, It's hardly to be conceived
that an Englishman. much less a gen
tlenan. should plead FORT. Then comes
Alan Smith founder of tn, science
vi Political Economy, who. in his
work OH Morals. thus utters himself:
There Is not a negro frop the
coast Of Africa who does not possess
degree Of magnanimity which the
soul of his sortlid master is too often
scarce capable Of concerning. Fortune
never exerted mo cruelty her empire
over mankind than when she sublec-
tel these nations Of heroes to the re-
fuse OF iails OF Europe, to wrctches
who possess the virtues neither of the
countries which they came from nor OF
those which they go to. andwhoSe lev
iry. brutality. and ba>enesS, so justly
expose them to the contempt of the
vanpuished-l Theory Of Moral Senti-
ments, Part V, chapter ,.
This judgment. pronounced just a
century ago. was rspelled by the slave
masters of Virginia, in feeble pub
!iration which atteSts at least their
own consciousness that they were the
criminals arraigned by The llstin-
guishel PHILOSOPHER This was soon
followed by the testimony fthc great
English morali>t. d.. johnson. who
in letter to friend, thus shows his
opinion of slave-masters:
=" To omit for . year or for day, the
most ellicacious method of advancing
Christianity iw compliance with any
purposes that terminate on this side
tho grave. i a crime of which know
not that the world has had an exam
pie except IN the practice of the plan
ccrs Of America a race of mortals whom
I suppose. no other man wishes to re-
sembic. - Letters to William Drum
monl. Aug. l3. 1866. { Boswcll's
Life Of Johnson. by Croyer
With such authorities. American
anil philosophic. | necd not hesitate
in this ,ngracious task; but truth
which Is mightier than Mason and
Jefferson. than John Locke. Adam
Smith. and Samuel Johnson. marshals
the evidence in unbroken succession.
Proceeding with this argument,
vhich broadens as we advance, we
shall see slave-masters II in the law
at Slsvery(2). IN their relations with
slaves (3). in their relations with each
other AMI with society and (4) in that
INCONSISTENCIES which renders them
insensiblc to their true cha actcr.
(D. KS in considering the character
Of slavery. so in considering the char
acter of siave-masters. we must begin
with the lawof slavery, which. as theil
work testifies against them. In the
face Of such an uuutterable ab0min
alton. where impiety cruelty. brutality
snl robbery all strive for mastery, il
j. ia vain TO assert the humanity or re
iineu,ent OF its authors. Full we'll
know that the conscience which speak,
so powerfully to the solitary soul is Of
ten silen, in the corporate body, anc
that. in all ages andcouutrieS, numbers
L.. ..aALorol M cam ,nrniti.n o.