Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-02-14

edged by the authors of the definition. Hear
DIR. Rice-P. 13. 81 also hold--that Slav-
cry, as it exists in our country, orignated in
riolence and uiclseiaess.'' This il the only
bitter fountain ON Gods earth that sends
forth sweet waters!
Because, sccond--If "Slayery is the oil
cation on the part Of the Slave TO labor for
his master"--as the definition reads, how
did he come under this obligation? Not by
consent, or contract. For if his subjection
to the master be not involuntary, he is not
Slave.
The truth is, the Slavery which sis an
obligation OH the part of the Slave, involv-
ing the master in corresponding obligation"
is Slavery existing only in the brain, and
Transferred from its original magical birth
place to paper--is creature of fancy, hav-
ing no existence in reality, and not even a
remote likeness Of any Slavery under the
broad conapy of the skies The trnth d,
the Slave, az a man. is under no obligation
10 labor for the master---no moral obligation
can be under none more than the oJliiga-
tion of a stolen horse to labor for the thief
the obligation of brute force, which every
moral being is bound to break just when
safely he can. You would pat the horse,
as noble animal, that would break away
from the thief and run home to his owner;
and coulde horse exercise reason guided
by moral principle, no thief could either
take or retain him without more than ordi-
nary posse c0niitotus.
Bearing in mind that the claim of the
master to his Slave had its origin in theft
in man-stealing--in piracy now, by the laws
of civilization, made a capital offence !;
then, by induction, shareholders safeguards
and laws for the protection of their stolen
goods can never rise higher in morals than
the bylaws of free booters or pirates to
secure their booty.
Passing the origin of Slavery, and the
origin of its clains and of its code, we may
now test its character by the laws made to
define it, and for its protection.
The legal definition Of Amertcan Sldreyy
The statute of Louisiana gives this defni-
tion-''A Slave is one who is in the power
of a master to whom he belongs The mas
ter may sell him, dispose of his person, his
industry and his labor: he can do nothing,
possess nothing, nor acquire any thing but
what must belong to his master. Civil code,
Art. 35.
South Carolina says-"Slaves shall be
deemed, sold. taken, reputed and adiudg-
ed in law, to be chottels personal in the
hands of their owners and possessors and
their executors, administrators and assigns,
to all intents, constructions and purposes
whatever" Princes Dig. 446.
A summary of the laws of Slavery in all
the Slave States is given, in work of emin-
ent judicial merit, written by Judge Straud
in his Lac of Slarery, p. %. ''Thc car
is not to be ranked among sentient beings
| b,,t , ,,onc tb;nro ohto;p IN oil tbaca lSloya
States"
Judge Rufin, man of eminent lega
abilities, who sat for thirty ,yoars o.
I the bench of the Supreme Court of NOrti
Carolina, IN announcing the opinion OF th
Court in the case of the Commonwealth
versus Mann, after speaking of the domes
tic relations, says: with Slavery it is fa
otherwise. The end Is the pratt of tn
master, his security and tie public sgfcty
the subject, one doomed IN has o,cn person
and hiis posterity, to ire Uithom kaoioledge
and 1ithom the capacity to make any Han.
his o,ola, and to toll that another may real
, the fruits What moral considerations shal
be addressed to such being, to convinc'
him-what it is impossible but thatth mos
!, stupid must feel and know can never b
true-that he is thus to labor upon prin
ciple of moral duty, or for the sake of hi
, own personal happiness2 The poper 0
the master must be absolute, to render the SUI
, mission Of the Stare perfect. l most freel
confess my sense of the harshness of thi
proposition. l feel it as deeply as any ma
' can. And as principle of moral righ
i every person must in his retirement rel1td
!. !. IL. But in the actual condition of thing
: it must be SO. This discipline belongs to Il
!. state of SIureyu. 1t Is INHERENT IN tn
, RELATION of master and Sdre. 1t cam,
9 be tested in court by the lao Of moral righ
= as this scould speep It entirely a,oaH."
y This case of Mann was-his shooting
% female Save--a acOmdn--because, viii
y y beating her for "shght .o6enee,'' she a
!. tempted to escape from the fiogging. W.
~ ~ men may, by the law of Slavery, be shot
y dogs, for any dog will run away from Il
y beating of a furious and enragcd master.
10 Judge Field, in delivering the opinion
v the Supreme Court of Virginia in the ca
a of Souther, declares his ''belief that Il
i' records of criminal jurisprudence do n
- contain case of more atrocious and wick'
70 " cruelty" Yet he says: st is the policy
aS ~ the law in respect to the relation of mast
n IL and slave, and for the sake of securing pr
~ per subordination and obedience on the pa
" of the Slave, to protect the master from pr
h io secution IN all such sdses, even if the whi
ie he ping and punishment be malicious, cruel, a
of eUcessire.
VI oa Yes-women may be whipped upon tn
He NJ snked backs--and that too because they
oose sist brutal demands decency forbids us
g. write-shot like dogs if they dare run fr
Il, the savage brute who would violate
tle chastity of one whom he holds and treats
u. a brute; and all this with impunity--
l,s las these Judges, and so the law. d
sea Ie Or. Van Dyke represent or misreprese'
zen zen We are often told of Ae protectiOuof
iu Slave-the legal protectionl Let us SCI
- North Carolina statute is thus--'That
cnl any person shall hereafter be guilty Of ,
y ery fully and maliciously killing Slave, 81
ro- offender shall, upon first conviction ther!
nlv be adjudged guilty Of murder, and 8
Ply suffer the same punishment as if he
oi1 i killed freeman Prorided, dL,odys, thus
olu o shall not ertend to theperson killing 81
en' optla,ced By rirtue Of any act Of Assemble
l.. this State, or to any StdUe IN the act Of
gns sistance to has LAWFUL o,oner or master, o.
!ple ann Stare dying amder moderate cosrectio
pan The oa.tldrry of Slave referred to in
'Ses act Of Assembly may be found in the
w yised Statutes Of North Carolina, Cf
q III, Sec %, and is as follows: "Whe
psnny times Slaves run away and lie out
: all such cases, intelligence of any Slave