The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-07-09
Thomas Jefferson ON slavery.
BY REV. J. $. nAeAxY.

AT the present crisis in tho history Of American
| slavery, when IL stands as a grim power, sworn
to destroy Tree institutions, IL will assure the
public mind, nov pretty we'll disgnsted with the
whole system, to hear siresh what Jefferson
thought oft. As thous nds have perhaps never
heard of his Notes on Virginia" we shall Law
before our readers, word Tor word, tho calm
judgment of the great patriot 90 the greatest OF
human wrongs. NJ aholirionist his ever said
harder things Of slavery than ia con'nined in this
l'tle book. And lest these extracts might h.
pronounced a vile abolition forgery, we refer
&c reader to the hook ITSELF a copy OF which
may b. found In the ANor Library. Turn 10
the chapter Manners" aud there read as fol-
lows:
There must doubtless be an unhappy infln.
ence on the manners of our people, produced
| by the existence of slavery amoug us"
II the reader inclines to ask how that inau-
ence operates, the { flloSing is al answer:
"The whole commerce between master and
slsve IL perfecs exercise OF the most bosterous
pasSio. s-the most unremittipg despotiSm OF
the one part and degrading submission on the
other"
When every word is thus emphatic the SEN
tsnce eau g Tin no additional force by the use OF
italics. The evil propsgites itself:
y Our childr' see this, and Learn 10 initiate u;
for man is an initiative animal. This quality Is
the germ OF all educ zion in him. F,om his
cradle TO h1 grave he is learning to do what he
,ees Others do. II parent cou'd find no motive
either in his philanthropy or Eelt-'ove, for re
straining The iniens euess of passion toward his
slave, it should always be sufficient one thai
his child is present. But gener lily it is not suf-
hcieut. The parent storms. The child looks on,
catches the liueamebts of wrath, puts OIL the
s'me air in the circle OF smiller slaves, gives
loose TO his worst OF p ,ssions and thus uursed,
educated, and daily exercised in tyranny, cannot
nut be stamped by il with odious pecularities
rhe u. must be prodigy who retain his
manners aud morals uud.praved by such ciIcum-
stanc 9"
Aud this is the language of the great Virginia
aboiiliU1ist, the author Of the once great Demo-
cratic party. Here it stands, full, clear, and
satisfactory account of that deprsvity OF Southern
- manners and morals," which slavery fosters
from the cradle upward, producing impatienoe
of control, irrtabuity under contradiction, and
making Political con- n'roversies and personal dis
putts to end ia bloody assaults, and what
Webster facetously called the natural death ofa
Southerner, ny bludgeoD, pistol, or dirk. Who
doubts for a moment that for writing thus,
Thomas j, fferson if still alive, would have to
fly from Virginia, or share the fate of John
Brown? What, tren, shalt We think of the men
who, Just eighty years after these words were
written, are trying 10 lay he foundations of
new confederacy with slsverS Tor its " chef cor
n,r.s ones" Jeier on a. sSers:
"And with what execratnn should the states
man be loaded, who, permitting one-half the
ciizens thus TO trample on the other, transforms
those into despo 2, aud these intJ enemies-de
stroys the morals OF the one part and the love vi
country of the other'
Hear you that, Jefferson Davis ? Hear yon
that, Alexander SrephensY IG is the voice OF
Thomas j fl On cursing you and your rebellion
from his YER, grave Aud You, Rngor Taney,
see you not that word " citizens applied quail
ly to master and slave, against your unIgh'eous
decision that the black man is no citzen,and has
rights that white men are bound to respect
And all ye OF the South, see that word enemies!'
Do ye not prove your iears OF them by doubiy
boiling your doors. and sleeping Oh quietly with
swords by your sides and pistols under your
pillows? Has not the present war shown the
-lave YOUR fee? Witness the fugitive hosl
fleeing 10 our lines wherever the sound OF our
non has gone! Hear the great Nirginian
aga'n:
For If a slave can have a country in this
world it mnst be any other in preference to
that in wh'ch he is born TO live and lat or for
another, in which he must lock up the ticulres
at hiS nature, contribute, as far AS depends on
his individual eudeavors to the evani,hment OF
the human rice, or entail his own miserable
condition on the endless generations proceeding
from him"
Aud this is the choice you leave to the black
man. either no posrerity or progeny of slaves
But # the morals Of the people are corrupted by
slavery. what of their iEdustry .H
"With the morals OF the people, their indus.
'rv is also destroyed Tor in warm climate no
man will labor for himself who Can make another
labor for him This ia SD true, that OF the pro-
prieiors of slaves, very small proportion ill.,
deed are seen to labor"
Lab n indeed Slavery makes i. disgrscefu,
W hi, added TO the natural Incidence IF men,
m-de lszier still by hot climate, mod6es the
old curse into new versiUn: "ln the sweat
ut her mems bIows shalt thou eat and drink
thy Iuxuries, in idleuess and ease, until by due
or Il brawl thou Re turn to the dust fiom whence
thou W ist takeu." Meanwhile how muse God
regnd The foul injustice OF this state of things
"ADd can the liberties of a nation he though
SECURE, when we have removed their only tim
b ,sis--a convic ion in The minds of the people
that these liberties the gilt OF God that they
are not to be viol,ied (by enslaving the blacks)
but with his writhg
The question reminds us of that terrible pass
age ia the history OF lSrael's enancip ttion
And their cry came up unto God hy reason OF
their Indtge aud God heard their groaning,
and God had respects unto them" Ar. jefferson
was not ovpr-burdrned either with Christian
faith or fear-certainly not superstitious-yeI
here he becomes dreadtuly emphatic in the off
quoted pisssge: .....-
- Indeed, | tr, mhle for my country when
RI feet that God il just that his justice cannot
s'eep for ever that considering numbers, nature
and natural means only, revolution Of the wheel
OF fortune, au exchange OF situation, is among
possible events; thai il may become probable bl
supernatural interference The Almighty ha,
10 attribute that can take sides wi us in such
a cnniesi
The oontes. has at last come, hut not exactly
ha n..Eu s.a 81 if
science OF sltvery, always i'll at case, and unwil-
ing 10 reform, was sLung TO m ,dnrss by the re-
proofs that poured in upon it from the advanced
civz alton aud Christianity OF he century.
The increasing cotton iRiePtsL became formic-
able element ~ The s'Tlie against truth and right
ecu ne's unJl men wnO ice limehted slavery,
aud apol0g zed Tor it ny the necessities oil crcUm
stances, at last, struck wi h judicial blindness
began boldly TO defend it as an institution OF
divine snnc ion. And then they sought to per
petuate it, aud auemsnt hs profits by extending
il, claiming az It's rlehrfUl donHin all the terri.
'ories oil the United States for The right to estab
lish iJ every where. Then the people chose
Abraham Lincoln, pledged TO say to slavery,
Thus far, and no iArlher aud here shalt tn,
prond waves be stayed." rhsn the South de-
clared the government broken and the Union
di ,sGlved. Bat seven hundred thousand men
Ot the North and West said. INA hut We are
| one nation. and have one Governments :" and lO
southern eonmeree is at end from the Chesa-
peske IN the lilo Grande, her people sre banks
rUpt, her chValry bites the duss. her planta,ion-
becOms desers. her negroes ate freed by thOus.
ands. She uembles through all her shores
| While she was dui ilul TO the Government. there
was indeed an sbolltiOn party in the NOrih. .bu'
when she rebelled the North became an aboli-
ton party. Aud THE almighty has no attribute
that can side Nith her (weakness) in the c6nU ST."
| The end is not yet The servile insure ction
predioed by Jrhersou has not yet conc, though
good men have STOOD sghast aS the thought.
sc. D0mingo SCENES are not vet reproduced
from the Potomac TO the Gulf Bat let not tie
| Obstina'e rehel ion tempt the p't,enoe of the
most patient OF all governments, aud The wrath al
an avengine Providence, much longer, lest JEFF.
ersons warning become fulfilled prophecy. a.
ahlnh hn Nil