Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-07

VI HAN 10 praise linn, anu reStralnS "tho
remainder Of wrath" to lift that curse,
that the degraded African might have his
share IN the atoncmcnt-aS a part Of the
great scheuc which gives the Redcemer
the heather for his Inheritance !; in view
Of the slow progress Of light through that
benighted land, over which wave after
wave Of moral darkness rolled: brings him
in contact with civilization here. But, that
fair and glorious freedom might have no
stain on her escutcheon, makes others than
her soas the responsible agents of the evil,
from which was to tlowin full and gushing
streams blessings and benefits. Yes, to
the thousand sins for which despotism has
to answer at the bar Of history and Of Cod
is TO be added the expstriation Of the
hea,hcn African for gold, with no
view 70 humanity or benevc!eMce,
while the frcemcnof our Southern
States, guiltless in the means, but par
takers Of the merit Of the end, have, by The
dSpenSatiou OF God, been made the honor
ed instruments Of good to q fallen race in
the very acs Of developing the resources Of
their own beautiful and blooming land
They have made him happy part of pa
triarchal institution, infused into his savage
and gloomy mind the kindlicr syinpathics
and feelings leading 20 coutentnent and
happiness: and umsealng the word Of Cod,
pointed him TO the great sacrifice, which,
when be has faithfully performed his iu-
ties here, offers him an inheritance in COM
mon with his kind in world Of eternal
happiness. Passing from theory TO history
| from assertion to the logic OF iacts--in-
exorable trut! will demonstrate that to
Great Britain, the country which now so
bitterly Y dcnounces US for our domestic in
stitutiunS, must be charged the existence Of
slavery amongst Us. She established It
| here by positive enactment Of law, spread
| lnS on her statute book that il was not
| only profitable, but right. Citizens high
est in rank, individuals snd corporations,
princes OF the blood and even sovereigns
participated il the traffic. Ten Judges Of
her highest Courts. including Holt and
PolleXien, declared negroes TO be merchan-
disc, and She introduced and continued
the trade amongst US against our earnest
protest. The North, lynx eyed Us to eve
rything which advances her interest, took
up and carried on the trade with an nridity
which showed her constitutional thirst for
aid kcenness in the pursuit Of gain. lm-
luaculate Massachusetts, as early rs lG4 |,
oSSIot SO lilS laN iulaSSS VI sNll1tAH ioNSl
and Of the slave trade. In the other
Northern States, slavery was established,
but .h" immutable laws OF soil and cli-
mate, which. if let alone, will carry into
every country the labor, whether slave or
free, best adapted TO it. rendering the inst:-
tuition unprofitable, these cutcrprising
people took their part in the trade more i'll
selling slaves TO the South than in intro
ducing them into their own country
Hence they rapidly disappeared from their
territory into the Southern States. SO rs TO
make emancipation IL tie former no
stretch OF philanthropy. By the census OF
IISu, the number Of slaves in the older and
more tourishing colonies were only 1880,
while i'll the Southern and then more feeble
colonies, there were,cvc exclusive Of those
in Virginia, 5G11,521; Vermont had only Il.
Massachusetts, though slavery never was
abolished there by statute, none. New
hampshire, whose statutes were equally
silent on the subject, l5s; Connecticut
2,'59; Pennsylvania 3,!37 SewI-: York.
'i-S2l' ~" Jersey ll.i2j, while 'lrgini"
alone had 29S,42!. These figures prove
that in the Northern States the institution
was not worth preserving, but the las;
four having the largest numbers, in order
| ~ SfO4N oAi AOSS5 h3pptC0 pAoH VI = tNSP~N
tive emancipation, before the arrival Of the
period for which there was 4 wonderful
and nearly complete stampede Of slaves tc
Southern States for Southern gold.
10 the influx Of Africans, through the
slave trade laws Of great Britain, the his
tory Of the Southern Colonies presented al
unbroken series Of earnest protests. Noble
glorious old Virginia, who stands in reference
+l, ,,,l t2a,. ori
''abovc fear and above reproach, passed
no less than twenty-thrce acts to suppress
it; the other Southern States also en-
deavored to put an end to it, but veto al
ter veto Of royal Governors tralnpled upon
the ardent wishes Of the people. Not unit
the revolution had given freedom to these
States were they enabled to end the traffic
and then, Notwithstanding the magnificent
Wanting Of England Of her love of free.
dom and hatred Of slavery, they suppressed
it twenty years in advance Of her. have
glanced at these historical facts TO show
the injustice, the iniquity, the cruelty OF
the attacks on the South and her lnst!tu-
tions, and ask if the world can furnish &
parallel to an outrage so atroclous. Not
only are wc assailed by that country which
forced the institution upon Us, and which
still retains bitter recollcctions Of our for
feitcd allegiance and their defeat 10y our gal
liant ancestors, but the honest, benevolent
and immaculate saints Of the peTJureu
North, who sold US slaves for gold, pro-
claim that sin in which they were pdrh
ceps criminis, is objectionable, and seek Ia
destroy our institutions and cut our throatS,
because we will not surrender these slaves,
which have become necessary TO our CIVIL
za,ion, and to liberate whom would be our
moral and physical death. No philan,
thropy commends itself to these wicked
ncddlers, save that which is deadly injury
| to their countrymen. In vast regions OF
the earth millions wear the chains Of ser
vitude to which our slavery is freedom
but the Iamb-like hearts Of our pseudo
brothers are cold-their sylnpathies dead
as to them. TO give their philanthropy
spice and relish, it must have the seasoning
| Of periury-thc stimulus of violated COM
uacts, and comfy with brethren, tho iend-
| ish thirst for tho blood Of noble mei, ana
the dishonoring Of lovely women. -hr.
Chairman, there seems to be a disposition on
the part of both real and imaginary wrong
doors, to make others responsible Tor, aud
the scapc-goats for their acts. Many a
miserable old man who has had, during q
long life, hundreds Of slaves and reared
! family to whom these slavos have be-
come necessity, when time has shat
tered his health, and weakened his nerves:
is seized with spurious rcmorse, and III
an evil hour wills the liberation vi his
slaves, and the iln,nolation Of his children S
birth-right. This folly and wrong ilnds
many O. parallel in the history Of nations.
France introduced slavery into her Colo
nies,-and then, by al bolishins it, gave them
to fire and sword. SO did Britain. And
now this same Britain, having forced the III