The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-01-10
THE FREE NEGRO QUESTION.
Justice CatrOn on the Guesfioa Of Ensla-
wing Free Negroes.

A bill is pending before the Tennesse
Legislature. aimed against free negroes, d.
signing to either drive them from the State
or enslave them. Justice Catron, Of th
Supreme Court Of the United States, ha
written to the Nashville Uuj0n ami Iaael
'can the following letter, protesting again.
the passage Of this infamous bill l.
To the Editor of the Union aad American:
DEAR SIR: have for several week
past been anxiOusly waiting to hear wha
the views Of ycur leading journals were OF
the bin pending before our Legislature
proposing to enslave or drive from th,
State, the free c1lored population nov
amongst US. It provides that these per
sons shall be seized and sold i; found her,
after the first day of May next, if they ar.
aduits-and that the children shall be houns
ont, &e; the adults are allowed To emisratt
to Africa, in which ease, some slight aid i.
to be furnished by the State, to assist il
their transportation; or, secondly, they may
seek master and 70 into slavery
/ Now, who are these people There i,
. u.
least, that cy.r has been slave. Usually.
their mothers, grandmothers, or great
gfandmothcrS, were slaves, who were eman-
c'patei 10y masters for meritorious services,
or from benevolent motives, by the courts
Of iI-r'c", and according to law. IHey al
hare q rcted right to free9om by me
;nagme0fs 0Hd dccrceS If courts Tn
der oar to,~tnution of l796, the free col
ored men voted at the polls. That the old
Constitution extended to them, and prctec-
ted their rights to certain extent, is free
dcuht But pass by this question
VI ' objection to the bill is, that i 3,yO
poses 10 cOn,mi an OutrGge, to gerpetu.
ate u" OppTeSslOn and crueity This is
the plain truth, and it is idle to mincc
words to soften the fact Let us look the
proposition boldly in the face. This de-
pressed and helpless portion of our popula-
ton is designed to be driven out, or TO be
ensiavcd for life, and their property forfeit
ed, ns no slave can hold property. The
mothers are to be sold, or driven away
from their children, many Of them infants
The children are to be bound on: until they
are twenty one years of age, and then to
leave the State or be sold which means,
that they are to be made slaves for life, in
fact. Now, of these women ard children,
there is hardly one in ten that is of TN.
mixed negro blood. Some arc half white
many have half.whitc mothers, and white
fathers, making a cast of S7l-1OOths of
white blood; many have third cross, in
whom the negro blood is almost extinct
such is the unfortunate truth. This de-
scription of people who were born free,
and lived as free persons, are TO be intro
duced ~ slaves into our families, or into
our negro quarters, there to be under an
Overseer, or they are to be sold to the ne.
gro-trader and sent South, there to be whip.
ped by overseers-qnd 10 preach rebellion
IN the negro quarters-as they will preach
rebellion everywhere that they may be
driven to by this unjust law, whether it be
amongst us here in Tennessee. or south of
us on the cotton and sugar plantations, or to
the Abolition meetings i'll the free States
Nor viii the women bc the least effective
IN preaching crusade, when begging mon
ey IN the North 20 relieve their children
left behind in this State, in bondage.
We are told that this free negro bilP' is
a polite, popular measure Where is it
popular! liz uhat monk or corner ofthe
State are the principkes Of humanity 50
dep(0ably deficient, ttat a majoyity of
the ,c/tOte tuhaJitau,s uoui1 comDtu an
outrage not cOn1nitted ia q Christian
count,y of chich history gires any ac-
count In what country is it, this siue of
Africa, that the majority have enslaved the
minority, sold the weak to the strong. and
applied the proceeds of the sale to educate
the children of the stronger side, and thi,
bill proposes 1t is an open assertion tha,
might makes right" 1t is re opening
African slave trade. in fac, In that trade
the strong capture the weak, and sell them
and So it will be here, if this policy is car
ried out
All orcr the State, those arho are re-
sp0nsibie for passing tie bill viH hare
tn coatend rith tcG,tm pu6Lic opinion,
mate ZIP Of the ,csme,s 1rbo hare moral
characters and religions feelings ,. Lack-
ed hy tie clergy, and assureGiy 5y rc-
ry large moJ0rity of hc mCmbcrs If all
the churches;' .tor ere must carry aioug
artth as the 'Rp0ytant fart, that nun,-
bers Of the pcople so@gh 10 be caslarca
or drtren 0m beioHg 10, and are mem,
bers Of, our rdriOus churches. anil in
full eOmmuaiOu That these great BAL
tes Of Christian men and w0niea 4riN
quietly Stand by ami sec their humLIc
co rOrLcrS soid on the MocL 10 the aeg,o
tsaaer, IS not 10 be crpcctea. nor ariA
any set 4 men be supported, moyally
or poiHicaily. irho arc the authors Of
such a lar
Nor is this halt the truth Take all the
free States. and how will the matter stand
There, those stanch anG upright men who
are struggling to uphold the Constitution
and laws. and to protect the rights of the
South in the enjoyment of their slave prop
erty, will be met by our law: will be taun-
ted before the million; will have it put 70
them squarely whether they sanction this
cruel measure as a part Of the Southern
creed, to wit: that all negroes. and those
of negro origin, can be rightfuly sold into
Slavery, or driven from their children and
the place of their birth, at tie unlestrained
will of the Southern white man, What
Northern man that has manhood IN b;,>