Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-02
.Rsr.r,inr 10 Bnrbarl.m.

When Charles Sumner delivered his oele-
brsted speech upon the "Barbarisms of
Slavery, in which be collected enough facts
and arguments to secure the damnation OF
any system if it depended upon argument.
ons-halt the country cried out in Indignation |
that h had been allowed to write and speak
such language with reference to the kind, |
faihsFly and eminently christian institution
Of Amsrican slavery. And Of those wbO
were fercely indignant at his charges, none
were more so than the F. F. VS., who blus-
tered over "ths honor of the Old Dominion
which would never let her be tarnished by
such ISLANDERS. But now there comes to us a
document which prOclaims louder than
Charles Sumner, louder than any abolitionist
in all the land, that the tendency Of the
Southern system is to despotism and barbar-
ism. And this is the official language Of the
same Old Dominion that was once the
Mother of Presidents, but which stands to-day
divided and disgraced before the world. Let
Us prove our assertion:
The Virginia State Convention, which at
Richmond last Spring, after having driven
the Union delegates away, passed the ordi-
nance of secession, adopted resolution upon
the lst Of May appointing a committee of
seven members to consider and report to the
Convention such amendments to the Consti-
tuition Of Virginia as were in their opinion
necessary and proper, under her new position
of member Of the rebel Confederacy. That
Committee have deliberated and reported
From their report we make few extracts:
1.-THE great interests of every community
may be classed under the heads of labor and
capital, and it is essential to the well being of
society that the proper equilibrium should be
established between these important elements.
The undue performance of either must
eventually, prove destructive of the social
system. Capital belongs to the few-labOr
to the many"
That is, the aristoeracy consequent upon
the employment Of unpaid slave labor, de-
mAgds that the money shall be in the hands
of the few; that the mass have no right to
capital, and therefore no right to the oppor-
tunity of earning wages. They must be kept
under, must be slaves to their purse-proud
lords and masters.
"The political condition of the Northern
States presents a striking illustration Of the
evils incident to the prepOnderanee Of the ell
ement Of labor"
The "element OF labor" Is what has made
the wealth and the intelligence of the North
ern States, and caused the western wilderness
to blossom like the rose. Its this which has
built our railroads, canals and cities; which
has covered our lakes with vessels; which
has opened up the vast mineral wealth of
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wiscon-
sin; which has extended the arts and COM
forts of civilized life away toward and in,o
the Rocky Mountains, and which has lately
united the East and the far West by tbe won
der-working telegraph. It is the "element
Of labor which has done this, and no wonder
the slaEery-eursed Virginiaus bear US a bitter
spite for having distanced them in the worlds
race.
"This tendency to a conflict between labor
and capital has slFesdy manifested itself in
many forms, comparatively harmless, it is
true, but nevertheless clearly indicative Of a
spirit Of ieeHtiousness, which must, in the end,
rpen into agrarianism. 1t may Be seen IN the
system Cf.tTes schools By which the children
of the poor are educated at the expense of the
rich; In the various forms of exemption and
homestead bills; in the popular cry of Glands
for the landless," and "homes for the home
less" in FOurierism and communism; in the
habitual disregard Of the ordinances of reli-
gion and Of the institution of matrimony;
and more distinctly in the form Of Abolition
ISM"
If this is not the depth Of barbarism, then
where could that be found The system Of
free schools, which is the proud inheritance
Of every Northern child, is denounced as
Elicentious" and as "tending to Agrarian-
ISM" because the children of the poor are
educated at the expense Of the rich Let
our public men, whose college and mental
gymnasium has been the common school,
and who from that have graduated into places
Of honor and trust; let our children, to every
one of whom is held out a free gift Of lib
eral education which shall put him on par
with the children of the millionaire; let the
foreigner, who finds here equal means of ed-
ueation and usefulness extended to him
a. to these which are native born let
the unborn generations, who are yet to
share the blessings Of our free sehools-let
all thank God that they do not live and viii
not live in land cursed with a system which
would place an impassa5le gulf. between the
few rich and the many poor which makes it
crime, punishable BY Imprisonment to
teach the alphabet to a human being whose
skin Is shade darker than the Caucasian
tint.
But the bagbarism proposed is not yet com
plete. The right Of suffrage is also to be
denied to any except the favored few. The
report says;
In the opinion Of your committee, no sya-
ten Of government can afford permanent and
ofhectual security to life, liberty and property,
which rests on the basis Of unlimited sut-
frage, and the election Of officers Of every
Department. Of the Government by the direct
VJtes Of the people. The tendency Of such q
system Is 70 6smoraliEe the masses, to en-
courage the habit Of Ofice-seeking, to foster