Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-06-13
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FRIDAY MORNING. JUNE Is. lse2.
THE VIRUS OF SLAVERY.

There is no poison that 50 thoroughly cor
rupts the blood If the social system where it
is found, as the poison Of Slavery. Every
artery and vein reveals its presence, every
tissue i. tainted by it, The food the people
cat. the water they drink tastes Of it, the
air they breathe smells of it. The infection
once in the sy TEN seems never to yield to
any treatment, 50 that Its pernicious and
hateful symptoms viii not rc-aPpcar upon
any occasion that invites Or permits a re-
laIsc.
We have a striking instance Of this in
what has just occurred IN North Carolina,
over which Mr. Stanley, formerly Of that
State, but lately Of California, was few
days ago appointed military provisional Gov
ernor by the President, till such time as the
loyal people of that State shall be in force
enough to elect loyal State oliicors. Mr..
Stanley is of course loyal citizen and
knows, as well as every intelligent man
in tie nation, that the rebellion originated
in slavery, was planned by shareholders On
purpose to make slavery the chief interest
and the Stakeholder 5 power the controlling
power IN the nation for AL time to come
that the rebels avow this in the most open
WY possible-that they use all the means
and influences of slavery which they can
control to give success to their scheme. One
would naturally suppose that the last thing
he would be disposed to do, would be to
work for slavery, in his new position. Yet
it Is the very first thing he goes about. The
following paragraph from the n. Y. Com
me'aal states the case
d" Mr. Vincent Colyer, Of this city, is the eff
ciont superintendent OF the poor at Newbern,
North Carolina. In furtherance Of his humane
eorts he has organized system Of instruction Tor
the negroes, free, slave or contraband. hen
Gov. Stanley reached Nowbern he was waited up
on by the military and civil officials. Mr.. Colyer
told him what he had done, and mentioned the
| schools among the blacks, Of whom seven hundred
were under instruction. The Governor said that
as a man he would probably have done as Mr..
Colyer had done, but Governor be was instruct
| ed from Washington to see that the laws Of North
| Carolina administered precisely as they
we're before the rebellion that the laws
/ OF North Carolina male it criminal offence TO
| instruct the negroes, and that consequ uently the
/ schools must be closed. Mr.. Colyer yielded at
once. and this new light was incontnently snuhed
out, ana the dark ages instantly resumed their
sway in North Carolina"
Now, in the first place, we do not believe
that Mr. Stanley had such instructions given
to him,-for it would be practically impossi-
be to carry out such an order while the
military are in occupation and active war
| going on in the State. The most that any
order gwen could iatend, would be that as
far as possible, under the circumstances Of
the case. and with due regard to what would
weaken the rebels he must let the ordinary
course Of administering justice between man
and nan have its way. OF course there Is
a State law in North Carolina against teach
| iu. negroes to read, and defining punish
ment for those who transgress it. Every
| Slave State has such an unchristian enact
mcnt Ii Is lart Of the harbarism OF the
system. Like many other laws 1t has been
enforced with strictnoss in many places, and
with less care in others, according 10 the
temper Of the people. If complaint had been
made to Gov. Stanley, by some Jealous lover
ui slavery that this law was disrcgaIded by
those who were teaching the blacks at New
bern. he might well have replied to the COM
plaint. that Just now, when not only North
| Carolina. but the entire Union was convulsed
with rebellion like the present. good patriots
could fad something better to attend TO than
trying to interrupt the labors Of those who
were humanely teaching their Ignorant fel-
low men, free or slave, to read; and that he
should let that law tcalf Girhik, before he
troubled himself or anybody else with its en-
forcement-
But it seems The prO-slayery poison worked
ia him 50 actively, as soon as he got into a
Slave State, Il at he volunteered at the ear.
lest moment to be complainant, judge. jury
and all. and forthwith doomed the schools
TO death. OF course. the avowed pro-slayery
papers are delighted with this disgraeeful