Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-29


tt)4begin with the Lar at Slapery and
is Origin, and here this BarbarisIn paints
itself in its own chosen definition II is
simply this; Man, created in the image Of
God, is Invested ofhis human character, and
declared 10 be chattel-that is, u beast, a
thing or article Of property. That this state
ment may notseem 70 beput forward without
! precise authority, quote the statutes of
Of three different States, beginning with
South Carolina, whose voice for Slavery
always has an unerring distinctiyeness.-
Here is the definition supplied by this State.
" Slaves shall bo deemed, held taken, reputed, and
adudged IN law 70 he chahes personal Ia the hands
administrators and assqna 10 All intonts cnnsfr1e
tions, aud purposes Whatsoever. "-2 Brep. Dig Nv
And here is the definition supplied by the
Civil Code ofLouisiana,
a salye Is one who Is In the power Of mastor
10 whom be belongs. The master may sell him, dis
can do nothing possess nothing, nor acquire any
thing, but what must belong TO his MASTER CiVil
! Code, art Is.
In similar spirit, the law of Maryland thus
indirectly defines a slave as an article;
"In case the personal property Of q ward shall
beasts animals Of any kind the court, hit deein is
advantageous for the ward, may Rt any time pass
an order Tor tho shl0 thereof atutes Qf lfdrUldHd
Not to occupy the time unnecessarily,
present summary Of the pretended law de-
fning slavery in all the Slave States as made
by careful writer, Judge Stroud, in work
Of juridical as well as philanthropic merit.
"The cardinal principle Of slavery-that the slave
is not 20 DO ranked among seHtieat beings, but
sonal-o6tains as undoubtod In al Of these tSlayo
States. .'-Str0Hd's Laig Of Sldrery, y. q.
Out of this definition, as from a solitary
germ, which in It's pettiness might be crushed
by the haud, towers our Upas Tree and all
its gigantic poison. Study it and you will
comprehend the whole mOnstrOus growth.
Sir, look at its plain import and see the
relation which it establishes. The slave is
held simply for the use Of his master, TO whose
behests, his life his liberty and happiness,
are devoted, and by whom we may bartered,
leased, mortgaged, bequeathed, invoiced,
shipped as cargo, stored as goods, sold on
execution. knocked off at public auction, and
even staked at the gaming table on the hazard
ofa card or die; all according to law. Nor
is there anything, within the limit Of life, in
licted ON beast which may not be inflicted
on the slave. He may be marked like
hog, branded like a mule, yoked like an OK,
hobbled like horse, driven like an ass,
sheared like sheep, manned like cur, and
constantly whipped ike brute; all accord
ing to law. And should life itself be taken,
what is the remedy2 The Law of Slavery,
initiating that rule Of evidence which in
barbarous days and barbarous countries, pre-
vented Christian from testifying against
MahOmedan, openly pronoances the incom-
potency of the whole African race-whether
bond or free-tO testify in any case against a
white man, and, thus having already sur
rendered the Slave to all possible outrage,
testimony through which the bloody cruelty
of the Slave-master might be exposed
Thus in its Law does Slavery paint itself;
but it is only when we look at details, and
detect its essential elements-fpe IN number
all inspired by single motUs, that its char
acter becomes completely manifest.
Foremost, Of course in these elements, is
the impossible pretension, where Barbarism
is lost in impiety, by which man claims pro-
pery ~ man. Against such arrogance the
argument is brief According to the law of
nature, written by tine same hand that placed
the planets in their orbits and, like them,
constituting part Of the eternal system of
the Universe, every human being has q COM
plete title to himselfdirect from the Almighty
Naked be is born; but this birthright is
inseparable from the human form. A man
may be poor in this worlds goods, but he
owns himself No war or robbery, ancient
or recent; no middle passage; no change of
cline; no capture; no purchase money; no
transmission from hand TO hand, no matter
how many times, and no matter at what price,
can defeat this indefeasible God-given fran
chise. Anda Divine mandate, strong as that
which guards Life, guards Liberty also
Even at the very morning of Creation,
when God said, let there be Light-earlier
than the maledictiOn against murder-He set
on everlasting difference between man and
chattel, giving TO man dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowls Of the air,
and over every living thing that movSth upon
ttfU uurtu.