Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-07-12


sti,ntion. by Introducing into it the
barbarous law Of Slavery. derived a.
We have seen originally from barbar-
ous Africa; AMI then. through such
Af.icanization OF the Constitution. 10
AfIicanizc the Territories. In using
this language to express the obvious
effect OF this assumption. born
Suggestive term. first employed by
Portuguese writer at the beginning OF
this century. when protesting against
the spreal Of Slavery in Brazil. fSee
Rosters Travels in Brazil. vol. ii.
=. 2is Aualyze the assumption,
and il will be found to stand on two
prctensions, either OF which falling.
the assumption fails also. These two
arc--iir>t. the African pretension Of
property in man: anl. secondly. the
prctension that such property i, rec
ognized in the Constitution. With
regard to the first Of these pre,en,ions,
] might simply refer % what | have
already said in an earlier part Of this
argument. But ! should do injustice
70 the part il has been male 10 play
in this controversy, il | dill not again
expose IT, Then sought particularly
II show It's barbarism; now ] shall
show something more.
Property implies an owner and a
thing owned I'm tie one sile is a
human being. ahd on the other sile a
thing But the very idea Of human
Icing necessarily excludes the ida Of
property in that being. just rs the
very idea of n thing nccesss rily ex-
cludes the idea of human being 1t
Is clear that thing cannot be hui
man being. anil it is equally clear
that human being cannot be a thing
and the law itself. when it adopts the
phrase. relation Of master anil slave
confesses its reluctance to sanction
the claim Of properly 1t shrInks
from the pretcnsions of Senators, anil
satisfies itself with a formula which
docs not degrade human nature. II
this property does exist, out OF what
title IS il derived? Under what ordi-
nance Of Nature or of Natures God i
one human being stamped an owner.
and another stamped thing God
Is no respecter of persons. Whore is
the sanction for this respect of certain
persons To a degree which becomes an
outrage TO other persons? God is the
father Of the human family, AMI we
are all his children. Where then is
the sanction of this prcten>ion by
which brother lays violent hands
unon n brother? To ask these ques-
tions j. humiliating; but it is clear
there can lie but one response. There
i no sanction fof such pretcnsion; no
ordinance for il. or title. On all
grounds of reason. and waving all
questions OF positive statute. the Yer.
mont Judge was molly right when in
rejecting the claim of slave-master.
lac said: No: not until you show bill
Of sale from the Almighty Nothing
sho-t of this impossible link in the
chain of title would do. | know
something of the great judgment by
which the Jurisprudence of our coun
try has been illustrated; but boubt i
there Is anything in the wisdom of
MARSHALL. the learning of Story. or the
completeness Of Kent. which will
brighten witt. t,ne like this honest de-
cree.
The intrinsic fccbleness Of this pre-
tcniion is apparent in the intrinsic
feeblcness of The arguments by which
j, j. maintained. These are twofold,
ani both have been put forth in recent
debate by the Senator from Mississippi
(Mr. Davis). The first is the alleged
inieriority Of the African race: an ar
tsument which. while surrendering to
slavery a whole race. leaves it uncer-
tain whether the same priciple may
not he applied TO other races. as tothe
polished japanese, who are now the
guests OF the nation. and even to per.
sons OF obvious inferiority in the
white race. ln.lced, the latter pre-
tension Is openly made in other quar-
tiers. The Richmond Enquirer. a lead
ing Journal Of slave-masters. declares.
The principle of slavery is in itself
right. and does not depend on diff
ference of complexion And lead
ing writer among slaye-mastcrs, Geo
Ftzhugh of Virginia. in his Sociology
for the South. declares. Slavery,
Hack or white. is right and necessary
Nature has made the weak in mind or
body for slaves And in the same
vein, Democratic paper OF South
Carolina has said. slavery is the
natural ami normal condition of the
laboring man. white or black These
more extravagant peetensions reveal
sill further the feeblene, Of tn pet m
sion put forth by the Senator:while in
stances. accommodating constantly attest
the difficulty Of discriminating beween
the two races. Mr.. Paxton of Virgin
Ia tells rs that the best blood In, Nir-
gina flows in the veins OF the slaves
and fugitive slaves have been latterly
advertised as possessing "a round
lace blue eyes, 'ilaxen hair. and
ns escaping under the pretcnse of be-
inc white man.
This Il not tho time to enter upon
the great question of race. in the vari.
ous lights of religion. and science
Sure | am that they who understand it
hest will be least disposed to the pre-
tension which. on the assumed ground
at inieriority. would condemn one
race TO be the property of another. II
the African be inferior. as is alleged.
then Is it the unqucstionabl- duty of a
Christian civilization to lit it from It's