Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-05-16

nent in the Declaration, OF the ndeul"i
quality of men, was the platform upon
which the Revolution was fought. Its IN
ipiring sentiments were its war-cry. This
platform determines the wrongfulness OF
,hattel slavery as an institution everywhere
;or it cannot exist without destruction OF
those natural rights it declares to be NAL
ienable. This sentiment, anterior to july |
l776. peryaded the discussions of the colo
MES, growing cut of their relations to the
mother country, and they clearly saw that
chattel slavery was inconsistent with it
The colonies found it here in violation OF
that lust and cardinal maxim of civil gov
ernment, which, in l776, they so truthful
ly, clearly, and boldly announced to the
world. So sensible was Mr.. Jefferson of
this, that in his original draft of the De-
claration, he inserted as one of the causes
of complaint against the King of Great
Britain, that he had interposed his veto
power to prevent the colonies from suppress
sing by legislation ''this exCcrable COM
merce" in human beings. This was his
language:
"He has waged cruel war against human
nature itself, violating its most sacred
rights of life and liberty in the persons Of
a distant people who never offended him,
captivating and carrying them into slavery
in another hemisphere, or to incur misera-
bic death in their transportation thither.
This piraticl warfare, the opprobrium OF
infdel Powers, is the warfare of the Chris
tan King of Great Britain. Determined
to keep a market where men should be
bought and sold, he has at length prOstitu-
ted his negative for suppressing any legls-
lative attempt to prohibit and restrain this
execrable commerce.
Ineed not further quote from the writings
of the prominent men who inaugurated ano
carried forward the Revolution to show thai
this sentiment was general. 1t is cOnce
ded by intelligent men from the South,
assert. without the fear of successful con
tradiction from any source, that the pre-
ponderance of public sentiment in major
ity of the States, at the close of The Reyo
luton, and for long time afterwards, wa
against the policy and against the right
fulness of chattel slavery, as it then exist
ed in those States l assert further, a
the corollary of that sentiment, that it wa
the general expectation that slavery woul'
gradually disappear from all the States
through the instrumentality of our repub
lican form of government, and through tn
humanitarian influence of our Christia
civilization
The trainers of the Constitution exclu
ded from it the words slave and slavery, a
hateful terms, and it was left out, as Nj
Madison said, because they did not wis
to recognize the rightfulncss of property i
man. l have no doubt they had in vie
the future state of the country, when slave
ry should be abolished in all of the State
and adapted the Constitution to that stat
of things. 1t has been conceded by soutl
ern men in the House and in the Senat
this session, that the leading men of Il
slave States, before and after the adoptic
of the Constitution, uttered anti-slavel
sentiments; but it is contended that the
really were not opposed to slavery per Sc
that it was sentimentalism merely, an a
straction, or speculation, and not intendt
as condemnation of the system. Tn,
clearly expressed themselves as opposed to
:, per Sc; and if they did not mean what th'
: said, then they added to the practice of t
wrong of slavery the hypocrisy of dOub
dealing. do not charge them with tha
for they were honest men.
The gentleman from Alabama, Mr.. Gu
" ry,1 in his able speech, delivered here
the 14th day of March last upon IL
e point, said:
ie Scarce a speech has been made or
d essay written, for ten years, against slay
N ~, in which the opinions of the early fat
n ers of the Republic are not introduced
These, however, were but mere speculation
and were not ingrafted upon the organ
J. law; and actual results are safer stan
n ard by which to measure, than abstract pri
S ciples Besides, times have changed sin
! this Government was first inaugurated
6 an experiment. not yet satisfactory teste
u Then there were but little over half m
le lion slaves, and scarce pound of raw CT
to ton exported.
ne african slavery is now great fact
NJ political, social, industrial, humanitari
fact. Its chief product is king. and freigl
Z northern vessels, drives northern machinel
to feeds northern laborers, and clothes the
n tire population. Northern, no less tn
of southern, capital and labor arc depende
a in great degree upon it, and these resu
were wholly unanticipated by the good N
who are so industriously paraded as clOr
~ of witnesses against the institution.
es "Slavery has altered, and mems op
al ions have altered.
e. Senator Mason, of Virginia, in deb;
q upon the Presidents message, at this S
" sion id the Senate, said:
al THE opinion once entertained, certain
| in my own State, by able and distinguish
" men and patriots, that the condition Of !
nu rican slavery was one more to be deplol
ed than to he fostered, has undergone chan
No and that the uniform, l might almost (
bo universal, sentiment in my own State VI
the subject of African bondage is. thai
're is blessing to both races, one to be
MS couraged, cherished, and fostered; and
IN that extent, the opinion of Virginia is {
al ferent from the opinion entertained by tn
- distinguished men who have gone; but "
we beheve-best knowing their sentime
we if they lived at this day, would con
te' with us. That is the present opinion.
ors In impressive contrast with this SCI
to- ment, which, Senator Mason says, sis