Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-03-07
Preston County, March lst, 1862
fFrorn tho n. post
Enects OF slavery on White nt.n.

HuectB OF slavery on White Men.
SPEECH OF MR. BArrELLE, OF WEST v1rGtStA
Mr.. G. BAttelle, n member of the tWes-
tern Virginia Constitutional Convention
recently in session at Wheeling, has pub.
lished an address to that body on The
question Of OfEmancipatiou. II is an excel.
lent document, full of sound sense, aud
contains some reflections on the evil effects
OF the slave system on the freeInen among
whom It exists, which are most true, as
every southern man must admit
Mr. Battelle says: .5-..-,.....s
"Eho injuries which slavery inflicts up-
on our own people are manifold and obvi-
Gus. II practically aims to enslaYe not
merely another race, but orr own race. 1t
Inserts in its bill of rights some very high
sounding phrases securing the. freedom OF
spcecbi aud then practically aud in detail
puts lock on every mans mouth and "a
seal on every mans lips Who will not shout
for aud swear by tue divinity of the srs-
TEN. II amuses the popular fancy With "a
few Glittering generalitieS in the funda-
mental law about tho liberty of the press,
aud forthwith usurps authority, even in
times OF peace, TO send out Us edict to
every postmaster, whether in the village
or ut the cross roads, clothing him with a
despotIc aud absolute censorship over one
OF the dearest rights of the citizen. Il dc.
grades labor by giving it tho badge Of ser
Witty and II impcdes enterprise nv with
boiling its proper rewards II al0ue has
claimed exemption from the rule of uni,
form taxation; and then demanded and re-
ceived the largest share OF the proceeds Of
that taxation. Is it any wonder in such a
state of facts, that there arc this day, of
those who have been driven from Virginia,
mainly by this system, mGn enough with
their deseen9ents, aud means aud eucrgy,
scattered through the West, of themselves
to make no mean state?
..lt has been rs a fellow observer, aud |
will add AS n fellow sufferer, with the mem-
oerS OF the Convention, that my Judgment
Ut the system of slavery amoug us has been
formed. We have seen il seeking to iuuu-
gurate, III many instances, all too success
fully, a reign of terror iu times Of profound
peace, OF which Austria might be ashamed.
We have seen it year by year driving out
from our genial climate, and fruitful soil,
and exhaustless natural resources, seme of
the men of the very best energy, talent and
skill among our population. We have seen
also in times of peace, the liberty of fspeech
taken nwaY-the freedom of the press abol-
ished-and the unwilling minions Of this
system, in hunting down their victims.
spare from degradation and Insult neither
the young, nor the gray -haired veteran of
seventy winters, whose every thought was
as free from offence against society as is
that of the infant of days. n,
"And last but not least, we have seen it's
own chosen and favored interpreters, stand
ing in the very sanctuaries of our political
zion, throughout the land, Disappearing the
holy principles of popular liberty to which
the very places where they stood had been
consecrated, by booming my child and ev-
cry mans child that must live by labor to
a virtual and helpless slavery. And as the
natural outgrowth OF. all this, we haves seen
this huge barbariC raid against popular
rights, and against the worlds last hope.
II has been the merit of other attempted
revolutions thatthei motive at least was n
reaching upward and forward after liberty:
It is the iufamy Of this that it is reach
ing backward and downward after despot-
ism. 1t would put back the hand on the
worlds dial thousand years. 1t would
put ont the worlds light in the darkness of
utter and dreary despair. Surely, to the
extent that We have suffered from these
ills, our very manhood calls upon us TO
guard, by all reasonable preyentiyes,
against their return, y .rs - .t1