Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-10-09

( enclosed letters of Thomas jefferson. on the
: all-absoTbing topic of the day. when among
his protested followers there is so much ig-
norance respecting his real opinions on the
subject of African slavery.
1t was mainly through the fundamentally
OF this apostle of liberty-,he founder and
foremost leader Of the old Republican party
that every foot of Territory owned by the
States at the formation If the government
was consecrated to freedom; and it was dur
ing the last month of his glorious admins
tration, that the noble Stale oil which you
and | are proud 10 call ourselves citizens. was
constituted a separate territorial government,
with Edward Coles, OF Virginia as its first
Governor.
MONTICELLO. Aug, %, 1914.
DEAR sIR:-Your favor of July 3lst was
| duly received and read with peculiar pleas
! ure. TIE sentiments breathed through the
whole do honor both TO the head and heart of
the writer. Mine, on the subject of slavery
of negroes. have long since been ia possession
of the public, and time has only served 10
give them stronger proof. The love of JUS
tee and the love Of country plead equally in
the cause of these people, and it Is a mortal
reProach TO us that they should have pleaded
so long in vain. and should have produced
not single effort, nay, fear not much se1i-
Gus willingness, to relieve them and ourselves
| from our present condition OF moral and po-
| lItlcal Reproduction. z
From these in for,yer generation. who
were in the fulness of age witcn oanao into
| public life, which was while our controversy
with England was on paper only, soon saw
| that nothing was to be hoped. Nursed and
educated IN the daily habt Of seeing the de-
| graded condition, both bodily aud mental.
| of those unfortunate beings, not rejecting
| that the degradation was very much the WORK
of themselves and their fathers, few minds
| had yet doubted but that they were legitimate
| subjects Of property their horses or cattle
| he quiet and monOtonous course of colonial
| life had been disturbed by no alarm, and lit
| tie reflection on the value of liberty And
! when the alarm was taken al an enterprise
OF their own, it was not e-,y to carry them
the whole length of the principles which they
invoked for themselves.
In the first or second session of the Leg
lslature, after | became member, | drew TO
this subject the attention of Col Bland. one
of the Oldest, ablest and most respected mem
| bers, and he undertook to move for certain
moderate extensions of the protection Of the
laws to these people. | seconed his motion
and, as a young member, was more spared
IN the debate; but he was denounced as an
enemy to his country, and was treated with
the greatest indecorum. From an early stage
of our revolution, other and more distant
duties were assigned to me, 50 that from
that time till my return from Europe in 15y.
and ! may say TIL | returned to reside at
home in 1909, | had little opportunity of
e az PioSt's> u Puollc st htilnehL
here on this subject
| had always hoped that tie Younger gene
ration. receiving their early impressions after
the name OF iiperty had been kmdled in every
breast ana hiid become, as 1t were, the vital
spirit OF every American, that tho generous
tom
'tHiPeI",ueh' "I yo"th' analogous TO the motion
Oh 'heIf Diood, ana abot Z the suggestions of av-
aFice' would nave sympathlzcd with The oppres-
sea wherever found, and proved their love of
Ia eriy beyond their own share of it. But nv
intercourse with them, since my return has
Go1 peeh HuiIicient 10 ascertain That they have
ihade towards TINS point the progress | had
hoied
our solitary but welcome voice is the first
which has brought tins sound TO NV ear: and
/ have considered the genera silence which
prevails on This subject, Is indicating an apa-
my uniavoiaoIe to every hope Yet The hour
oil emaucl patton IS advancing IN the march of
ume. IL VIII cone; and whether brought on
oy me generous energy OF our own minds or
by the bloody process OF 81 Domingo, excited
ahu conducted by the power Of our present
enemy II once stationed IA our country, and
oHeIluS assy Ium and arms TO the oppressed, IS
ie'i OF our history not Yet turned over.
As 20 The method by which this difficult
work Is 70 De eiecled, Il pefic9t'ea 70 be done
y ou'9'i'e7. nave seen n" proposition 50 eN-
lFuIeH'' on me N4'''e' - ,h'', oI emanciPatIon
"a - oo'" 80 d 90 .'''" my ana q fheir
1SoO'''i" 1e g t'''s' a'i"Ii at proper dSe-
I"iS "o"lu give .ii4e Tor q s'acuM extinction
OF Ih"t species oi Iao"f' ana substitute another,
anu lessen the severity 81 tue Shock- VIII IA an
el''iCr :" lsL'.'.He'"i c"HuoI laiI 10 pro
49, - - >, 10. t''''lo me nVie al
- = - '"S V"is ana retain
~ 80 - & = y .''o,g' "nly VINO nave not
~ 7t - go 41''-e =. experience on
-, - - i'o''"'s VI any coi"i' buJ
=; - - - 80 80. up ON thef
80 ~, 80 -; -. ~. .'9"-"s % i"IG-
iit 1' ''7 4HNAl'I
o., a1-,I,,-.1,i.i, -. t - an
=; o'u 1'y "11Ie'o' l"u0o,if
- 90 -'7 nc o-',s III 'He tiieaH-
- - 80 80 ~ s1oI''s y. HiG" IdleHrss
II - - ''.Sh rs -e"uS Them
- il. ~ ne V'N1i coioI pIo-
- > Z" -o'o' - e\09'-eloe ~ human Guar
~ "a" 4Hho10A1's consent.
o." o-e % ''e iatN'alII Is WIN which
10 t''' - 81 -" I|S me as ne person VINO
"oHlN me- l''Ne 'i.lS S"'u-"iy Dut arduous
WU' n, DuL ms my Gear sh, Is Ike bidding
otN '"'' l." ".'o'.-t On tHe ~ NOR @! Hector
I'tI'd1S q, 70 h'n'r"s IL 'aNc ft'rr'h7el11b
no nave oGliNed Tie generation with which
inu'ua' i"pots and penis besat mutual conh-
u'"0e ""N ii'ii"elIe- MS enterprise IS Tor
I'-e y oIl@-loF those VINO can follow II up, and
0o'I ~ 'I ~ -" - rs '"'s"iH"tIoh-
u sn"li nave al nay prayers, and these are
z " rFs