The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-01-05

c7i5ence drawn ensirely from Soathera.
sources. The Abolitianists are not such
an ignoraat set of fanatics as you suppes 9.
They kaoc whereof theS affirm. they
arc familiar with the laws of the Slave
States, which arc alone sufficient to in
spire abhorrence in any humane heart or
rejecting nand net perverted by the pref
adiccs OF eddeHtion and eussna,, might
ill many letters with significant extracts
from your statute books but | have space
only 10 glance az q few, which Indicate the
tcerdt@g features of the system you cher
ish so tcnaciously
The universal rule of the Slave States
is that "the 'cnild follows the condition
of its mother." This is an index to many
things. Marriages betw en- white and
colored people are forbidden by law 4; yet
"a very large number of the slaves are
brown or yellow. When Lafayette visit
ed this country in his old age, he said he
was very much struck by the great change
in the coIored population of Virginia !;
that iu the time of the Revolution nearly
all the household slaves were black, but
when he returned to America he found
very few of them black The advertise.
ments in Southern newspapers often des-
cribe runaway slaves that "pass them
selves for white men," Sometimes they
are described as having straight, light
hair, blue eyes, and clear complexion" :"
This could not be, unless their fathers,
grandfathers, and great grandfathers had
been white men But as their mothers
were slaves, the law pronounces them
slaves, subject to be sold on the auction
block whenever the necessities or con-
vcn:enuc Of their masters or mistre-scs
require it, The sale of ones own chill
dreu. brothers, or sisters, has an ugly as
pect TO those who are unaccu>tomcd to it
and, obviously, it cannot have good NOR
al influence that law and custom should
render liceutiousness prqftable vice.
Throughout the Slave States, the tes-
timonY of no coIored person, bond or free,
can be received against white man. You
have some laws, which, on the face of
NOuiu nCEul ~ lGSAIbih Ehhuuidtt
men from numbering or mutiating slaves
but they are rendered nearly null by the
/ law have cited. Any drunken master,
Overseer, or patrol, may go into the negro
cabins and commit W hat outragcs he pleas
es, with perfect impunity. if no white per-
son is present who chooses to witness
against him. North Carolina and Geor-
gia leave a large loop hole fer escape, even
I if white persons are present, when ur-
der is committed A law to punish per.
sous for ''maiciousIy killing slave has
this remarkable qualification: " Always
provided that this act shall not extend to
any slave dying of moderate correction. 3"
We at the North find it difficult to Under
stand how moderate punishment can
cause death. | have read several of your
w-books attentively, and | find no cases
Of punishment for the murder of slave,
except by fines paid to the opAer, to in
demnify him for the loss Of his property i:
I the same as if his horse or COW had been
killed. Il
! Mrs. Child then reviews the laws and Gus
toms of southern States respecting the condi-
! ton and rights of slaves, to which subjects we
need not assure our readers, she does ample
jnstice She next produces the unuansweru-
bic testimony against slavery of such Virgin
ians as St George Tucker, Gov. Giles, Thos
jefferson, John Randolph, and others of equal
wei9 the whole requiring more space than
we have at our command, which we sincerely
| regret--and closes her letter with the follow
ing unanswerable paragraphs :--ED. JoUR.l
Looking at the system of Slavery in
the light of all this evidence, do you can
didly think we deserve " "two-fold danIna-
tion" Tor detestlng it? Can you not be
! leve that we may hate the system, and
yet be truly your friends? +? | make al
| lowance for the excited state of your mind,
and for the prtjudices induced by educa-
! ton ! do not care to change your opin-
ion of me; but | do wish you could be
persuaded to examine this subject dispas-
sionately, for the sake of the prosperity
of Virginia, and the welfare of unborn
generations, both white and colored. For
thirty years, Aholitionists have been try
ing to reason with shareholders. through
the press, and in the halls Of Congress.
Their efforts. though directed to the mas
tcrs only, have been met with violence
aud abuse almost equal to that poured on
the head of John Brown. Yet surely we,
as portion Of the Union, involved in the
expense, the degeneracy, the danger, and
the disgrace, of this inlquitous and fatal
system, have right to speak about it,
and right to be heard also. At the
North, we willingly publish Pro-Slarery
arguments, and ask only fair field and
no favor for the other side. But you will
not even allow your own citizens chance
to examine this important subject. Your
letter to me is published in Northern pa
pers, as we'll as Southern but my reply
II Ct ha ll,,u TO- IL