, 1860-07-26
AN 0LD.TImK v1REINIAN.


OF Virginia. with an Appendix to each volume:
By St. Georse Tucker "pro{sssor Of Law in
the University Of William and Mary, aud oue
Of the Judges ct the General Curt in y;r.
glnia" Tho Appendix to Vol. !, Part II, con-
talns wellconsidered plan for the abolitionot
Slavery in 'irginia, preceded BY an elaborate
essay upon tho nature and consequences Of tie
institution, with tho means best adapted TO
secure its entire e1tirpation in Virginia. The
basis Of the scheme consists in providing BY
Law that every female born after its adoption
should be free, and transmit freedom to all the
descendants, both male and female-the rrac-
t'cal operation Of which. the writer demon
strates, would be to remove every yestige Of
slavery from tho State within ninety years
from the date fits adoption.
In tie course Of his cssay Mr.. Tucker e1-
presses his abhorrence Of slavery in tho most
unqualified terms. lie quotes freely from Jel.
ferson's Notes on Virginia. from Granville
Sharpe, benjamin Franklin, and from private
letters from Dr.. Delknap, celebrated clergy
man Of Boston, and from Hon. Zcphaniah
swiff, member Of Congress from Connecticut
One cannot but contrast the fiery deuuncin-
tions Of tie institution contained in the essay,
and tic traternal relations subsistiug between
this Virginia Judge and the leading anti-slave-
r. men, both Of Europe and the United
States, with Virginia sentiment and associa-
ton on :hs same subject at the present
day. Urging the importance Of taking early
measures 10 get rid Of Slavery, he says: "If
tive doubt the propricty Of such measures,
"what must wo think Of the situation Of our
country, when, instead Of 100000, We shall
have more than t,uo millions Of SLAVES among
"us? This must happen .eiuin q CENTURY, if
tive do not set about the abolition Of Slavery
"Will rot our posterity curse The days Of their
nativity with al1 the anguish Of .Iob7 Will
"they not cxccrate the memory Of these au-
cestors, s7ho having it in their power to
"avert evil hare, ike their first parents, en-
tailed curse upon all future gcnera1ions?"
"The abolition Of Slavery in tue
"United States, and especially in that State
"to which am attached by every tie that
mature and society eau form, il aow my ;Jf,.t
and will probably he my last expiring wish"
"To restore 1he blessings Of liberty
"to near million Of oppressed individuals,
"who have groancd under the yoke Of bond
"age, and to their descendants, is an object
(which those who trust in Providence will be
convinced would not be unaided by the
"Diyine Author Of our being" =
Considerations Of policy, IS well as Justice
"and humanity, must evince the necessity cf
eradicatipg the evil before it becomes
impossible to do it without tearing up
the roots cf civil society with it" In an
other place. in speaking Of the refusal Of the
British Grown to permit tho Colonies TO out
stop to the African s1ave trade, he asserts that
shat was an object sufficient Of itself to JUS
!" "tify revolution"
These were the sentiments Of di,tincn;sh-
ed Virginian in 1909. Tho man who should
repeat them upon Virginia soil in 1860, would
be consigned to the tender mcrcies Of JUDGE
Lynch. Contrast what VIC have quoted ADORE
with the speeches Of Virginia members ot Con-
grcss OF the present day, clamoring for ,he
indefinite extension Of Slavery irto free Ter-
ritories, and for u Congressional Slave CODE to
protect the institution wherever the federal
jurisdiction e1tends- Nor was St. George
Tucker au exception. 4 host Of illustrious
contemporaries shared with him the possess
sion Of humane sentiments and devoted re-
gard for the Inherent rights Of map. Such
were George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, Pat
rick Henry, Edmund Randolph, and other
worthless, whose namcs are in better keep;nr
than that Of the State Of Virginia. We close
this article with tho following ex.ract from Mr.
fuckers paper:
"Among the blessings which the Almighty
hath showered down on these States, there ia q
large portion OF the bitterest drauxht that ever
flowed from tue cup Of zfflicaoa. Whilst
America hath been the land Of premise to Eu:
ropeane, and their descendants, it haiti been
the vale OF death to millions Of the wretcbed
sons Of Africa. TIL. geniai light of liberty.
7hich hath here shown will. un,irailed lustre
on the forme~. hath yielded no comfort to the
latter, but to them bath provea pillar Of dark
ness, whilst it hath conducted the former+ -
most enviable safe Of k,:::iiuan rr;s,ene. aue
Whilst We are Offering up VOWS ut the shrine ~
loer'y' 81 sacrificing hetacombs upon her al-
lars; whilst we sHore irreconct'abfe hnst;.itv
to her enemies, and hurled defiance ia their
faces; whilst We adjured the God Of uosts IN
witness our resolution to lire tree, OF die. and
appreciated curses on their h:ads who refused
to uuise with us in establishing the empire OF
freedom; me we're imposing upon our fellow
men, who diftr1n complexion from US. a xfartrv.
ten thousand times more cruel than the utmost
extremity Of those grievances and expressions
Of which We complained. Such are the incou-
elstencles Of human nature; such the blindness
OF those who pluck not the beam out Of their
own eyes. whilst they can cspy O moa. in the
eyes Of their brother; such that partial system
Of morality which confines rights and Injuries,
70 particular complex such the etIsc. ot
that self-love which justides or condemns, not
according to principle, bit to the agent, Had
We tnrned our eyes inwardiy wren we suupca.
ted the Father of Mcrcies to aid the Injured a3d
oppressed; when ne invoked the Aut 4or OF
Righteousness to attest the purity If cur mo-
1tses, and TAG Justice o: car cause; and i'm
plored the God OF Battles to sid our exertious
10 its defence, should we not have stood more
seH convicted than the contrite publican.
Should We NIT hare left our gift upon the altar.
that We might be first reconcilea TO our bre,h.
rsn whom we held in bondagee Should we not
hare loosed their chains, aud brukeu their let
ters? Grit the difficulties and dangers Of such
an experiment prohibited the attempt during
the commissions Of a revolution, is not our dutY
to embrace the first moment Of constitutional
health and viEour, to efectaate 50 desirable an
object, and to remove fTnm stigma, With
which our enemies will never fail to uporaid MS
nor our consciences to reprouch us:"
In the death Of St. George Tucker and lis
llustrious contemporaries, the race Of statcs-