The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-07-04

;0ns living in slave States WIZ ohc LAZY"
free States are more numerous tnan ,nose Ms.ns
n free States who are natives OF Save os''e
!. t-,e The census of 1850 found 609.31l IN
tbe free states who were born in the slave
states while only 2OG,63S born In the rec
States were in the slave States. And since ti,e
white population OF the free States is double
that Of the slave States, it appears that the pro-
roytion of whites moving from Slavery Is six
times greater than that Of whites moving INTO
slaverv In this simple fact is disclosed some
thing of the ayersion to Slavery which Is
aroused even in the slave States.
2. The second aspect is furnished by the char
acter of the region ON the border line between
Freedom and Slavery. In general .he 'aiue
OF lands in slave States adjoining freedom Il
advanced, while the value OF corresponding
lands in free States is diminished. The effects
of freedom and slavery are reciprocal. Slavery
is bad neighbor. Freedom is good neighDor.
In Virginia. lands naturally poor are, by their
nearness to Freedom, worth sl29S an acre
while richer lands in other parts OF the STATE
are worth only $s42. In Illinois, lands Dor
derinp upon Slavery are worth Ss.o5. As III
the value of lands so in all other influences Is
Slavery felt for evil. and Freedom felt for good;
and thus it is clearly shown 10 be for the inter
est of the slave States to be surrounded ny n
circle of free States.
Thus. at every point is the character OF slave
nv more and more manifest, rising and diiatin9
into an overshadowing BarbarisTn, darkening
the whole land. Through its influence. popnla-
tiOn values Of all kinds manufactures. com
merce, colleges, professional schools, academies.
public schools, newspapers, periodicals, books,
authorship, inventions, are all stunted, ana I'M
der government which processes to be founded
Al Ill, of In
of the white adults in the regions OF slavery Is
officially reported as unable to read and write
Never was the saying of Montesquien more trl-
umphantly verified. that countries are not cul-
tiyated by reason of their fertility. but by rea-
son of their liberty. To this truth the slave
States constantly testify by every possible voice
Liberty is the powerful agent which drives the
plow, the spindle, and the keel, which opens
avenues of all kinds; which inspires charity !;
which awakens a love Of knowledge. and sup
plies the means Of gratifyingit. Liberty is the
first Of schOOlmasters.
Unerring and passiOnless figures thus far have
been our witnesses. But their testimony Will
be enhanced by q final glance at the geographic.
cal character Of the slave States; and here
there is a singular and instructive parallel.
Jefferson described Virginia as fast sinking to
be the Barbary of the Union meaning, OF
course, the Barbary of his day. which had not
vet tnrned against slavery. In this allusion he
was wiser than he knew. Though on different
sides of the Atlantic and on different CONT
nents. our slave States and the original Barbary
States occupy nearly the same parallels OF lati-
tude; occupy nearly the same extent Of longi-
tude: embrace nearly the same number OF
square miles; enjoy kindred advantages of eli
mate. being equally removed from the cold OF
the North and the burning heat Of the tropics
and also enjoy kindred boundaries OF land and
water, with kindred advantages Of ocean and
sea, with this difference, that the boundaries OF
| the two regions are precisely reversed. so that
where is land in one case is water in the other
while in both cases there is the same extent OF
ocean and the same extent of sea. Nor is this
ALL Algiers, for a long time the most ObnOx-
| iOus place in the Barbary States Of Africa, once
branded by an indignant ehroncler as :. the
wall OF the barbarian world, is situated near
the parallel of 80 degrees 80 minutes north lat
itude, being the line of the Missouri cOmprO-
mise, which once marked the wall of slavery
| in our country west of the Mississippi, while
Morocco, the chief present seat of slavery in the
African Barbary, is on the parallel of Charles
| ton. There are no two spaces on the surface OF
the globe, equal in extent, land no examination
of the map will verify what am about to state. )
which present so many distinctive features OF
/ EeScIuDIuLCc, NuCuiCl VIC COu5iucl TIC COLlupIl
parallels of latitude on which they lie, the com
mon nature Of their boundaries, their common
productions, their common climate. or the COM
mon Barbarism which sought shelter in both
l do not stop to inquire why slavery-banished
at last from Europe. banished also from that
part Of this hemisphere which corresponds in
| latitude to Europe-should have entrenched it.
self in both hemspheres between the same par
allels of latitude. 50 that Virginia, Carolina
Mississippi and Missouri, should be the Ameri-
can complement to Morocco. Algiers, Tripoli
and Tunis. But there is one important point in
| the parallel which remains to be fulfilled. The
barbarOus Emperor of Morocco. in the words OF
Treaty. has expressed his desire that slavery
might pass from the memory of men, while Al
giers, TripOli, and Tuns, after cherishng slave
ry with tenacity equalled only by the tenacity
of South Carolina. have successfully renowned
it and delivered it over to the indignation OF
mankind. In following this example the paral-
lei will be complete, and our Barbary will be-
| come the complement in freedom to the African
Barbary, as it has already been its complement
in slavery, and is unquestiOnably its compile
ment in geographical character.
III. From the consideration OF slavery in its
practical results, illustrated by the contrast be-
tween the free States and slave States | pass
now to another stage of the argument, and pro-
coed to exhibit slavery in its influence on the
| CHARACTER OF SLAvE-MAsTERs. Nothing could
| undertake more painful, and vet there is moth
ing which is more essential to the discussion.
especially in response to the pretensions of
Senators on this floor, nor is there any point on
which the evidence is more complete
1t is in the character of slavery itself that
We are to find the character of slave-masters
but need not go back to the golden lips OF
ChrysOstom to learn that slavery is the fruit
Of cOyetOusnesS, of extravaganza. of Unsuitable
greediness - for we have already seen that this
five-fOld enormity is inspired by the single idea
Of compelling men to cork pithom cages. This
spirit must naturally appear in the slave-master
But the eloquent Christian saint did not disclose
the whole truth. Slavery is founded on violence
as we have already too clearly seen of course
it can be sustained only by kindred violence
sometimes against the defenceleSs slave. some
times against the freeman whose indignation is
aroused at the outrage. 1t is founded ON brutal
and vulgar pretensions, rs we have already toe
clearly seen of course it can be sustained only
by kindred brutality and vulgalrity The de-
NAL of all rights in the slave can be sustained
only by disregard of other rights. common Il
the whole community, whether Of the person. OF
the press, or Of speech. Where this exists there
can be but one supreme law, to which all other
laws. legislative or social. are subordinate. and
| this is the pretended law of slavery. All these
| things must be manifest in slave-masters and
yet, unconscious of their true condition They
make boasts which reveal still further the un.
happy influence. Barbarous standards of con.
duct are unblushingly avowed The swagger Of
bully is called chivalry; swiftness 10 quar-
rel is called courage; the bludgeon is adopted