Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-08-05
The pred seott DeeIsIon.



called during his whole life time, and no
national party termed itself Democratic
till several years after his death. His
notes on Virginin were written in the
year 1871, and corrected and enlarged in
the winter Of 1877 more than Ave years
before the session of the Federal Conven-
ton. Well would it be for the nation and
for mankind at large if our statesmen
would now speak out as plainly and bold
ly as that great man did at that distant
period
In speaking Of the customs and manners
of his native State, Mr., Jefferson says
"There must doubtless be an unhappy
influence on the manners Of our people |
produced by the existence Of slave
ry amongst us. The whole COM
mcere between master and slave
is perpetual exercise Of the most bOist-
erous passions, the most unremitting des-
potism on the one part and degrading sub
missions on the other. Our children see
this, and learn to initiate it, for man is
| initiative animal This quality is the
| cradle to his grave, he is learning to do
! what he sees others do. If parent could
/ 6nd no motive either in his philanthropy
or his self-love for restraining the intem-
perance Of passion towards his slaves, it
/ should always be q sufficient one, that his
child is present But generally it is not
sufficient. The parent storms, the child
lOoks'on, catches the lineaments of wrath,
Il. =, -,
4 Slave, gives loose rein to the worst of
passions, and thus nUrsed, educated and
daily exercised in tyranny, cannot but be
1 stamped by it with OdiOns peculiarities.
The man must be a prodigy who can re-
tain his manners and morals un-
depraved by such circumstances. And
with what execration should the states
man be loaded, who, permitting one half
the citizens thus to trample on the rights
of the other, transforms those into despOts
aud these into enemies, destroys the NOR
ais of the one part and the patriotism Of
the other For if slave can have a coun-
try in this world it must be any other in
preference to that in which he is born to
live and labor for another; in which he
must lock up the faculties of his nature,
contribute as far as depends on his indi-
vidual endeavors to the eYanishment of the
human race, or entail his own miserable
condition on the endless generations pro-
ceeding from him. With the morals of the
people, their industry also is Destroyed
For in a warm climate no man will labor
for himself, who can make another labor
for him. This is so true, that of the pro-
prietors of slaves, very small proportion
indeed, are ever seen to labor. And can
the liberties Of a nation be thought secure,
when we have removed their only firm
basis, a conviction in the mind of the peo-
pie that these liberties are the gift of God.
That that they are not to be violated but
with his wrath Indeed, 1 tremhle for my
country, when l reflect that God is Just !;
that his justice can not sleep forever; that
considering numbers, nature and natural
means only, a revolution Of the wheel Of
fortune, an exchange Of situations is
among possible events that it may be-
come probale by supernatural interfer-
ence. The Almighty has no attribute
which can take side with us in such a con-
test. But it is impossible TO be temperate
and pursue this subject through the yari-
Gus considerations of policy, of morals, Of
history natural and civil. We must be con-
tented to hope they will force their way into
every ones mind. I think change al
4 E0ady nercepjble since the origin Of the
from the dust, his condition is modifying,
the way, hope, preparing under the aus
plces OF Heaven, for a total emancipation.
and that this is disposed in the order Of
events to be with the consent Of the mas
ters, rather than by their extirpation. -
See Jeferson's Notes on Virginia. Chap
ter concerning Manners and Customs
pages 240-l-2.
Now, reader, is it true, in the language
Of the Supreme Court, that at the time Of
the declaration Of American Independence
and adoption of the Federal Constitution,
all the civilized portions of the world be-
heved that the AFRICAN had no rights
which the white man was bound torespect."
Is it true that enlightened and rejecting
men then believed that the negro might
justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery
for the benefit of his captors; that he might
rightfully be bought and sold, and treated
as an ordinary article of merchandise and
\ traffic, whenever profit could be made bv
ltf And was this opinion, at that time,
liked and universal amongst the civilized
portion of the white race? Was it regard
ed as an axiom, in morals as well as in mol
itles, which no one thought of disputing or
supposed to be open TO dispute? Reader,
you know that it is not true; that as fast
as witnesses can be brought to the stand.
they join in one oonsentaneous voice of !
contradiction.
1 Now the supreme Court imposes q char
aeter on the men Of the eighteenth century |
and attributes to them a certain set Of |
opinions, in order to make it probable that |
they formed a constitution in accordance
with Judicial wishes and prejudices; if, /
therefore, the court is utterly mistaken as
to the character and opinions of the men,
IS 1t not highly probable that they are
equally mistaken as to the character and
construction Of the Instrument If the
premises Of the judges are as false as the
Alcoran, fabulous as Mahomet's celebrated
journey 10 the seventh heaven, what reli-
ance can be placed on their conclusions
Can guides, whose mistakes are so euor-
nous, be regarded, in political questions.
as safe and trustworthy
These noble and manly paragraphs of
Mr.. Jefferson, irresistibly force one reHec-
tion on the mind. How different his Ian
guage from that of the broken-down and
spawned politicians who lately met in
conelaYe at the Cooper Institute in New
York. How different Rom the sayings of
FaIlandigham and Voorhees,, and other re-
surreetionists, who are trying to galvanize
the dead carcase of a party, which, before .
its own death, had almost effected the dis
solution of the nation These men call
themselves democrats" and claim Ia he
disciples Of Thomas Jefferson His i'm
n0laNr II en- I Il