The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-05-22

Effects Of Human slavery on the
white Mar.

The following just remarks are from
Rev. 9 Battclle, Virginian and con
serva,iye.' They occur il calm we'll
considered address to tie Constitution
al Convention Of Western Virginia, of
which Mr. Battelle is leading mem
Der. They Sustain a proposition which
we have often uttered, that emancipa-
ton is necessity for the white man
as well as the black. Mr. Battelle saws:
The injuries which slavery infl,cts mp
on our people are manifold and obvions.
It practically aims to enslavc, not mere
~ another race, but our own race It
inserts in IFS bill Of rights some very
high sounding phrases securing the
freedom Of speech, and then practically
and in detail puts lock on every mans
lips who will not shout for and swear
by the divinity of system. 1t amuses
the popular fancy with few glittering
generalities il the fundamental law
abou. tho liberty OF the press, and forth
with usurps authority, even in times Of
peace, to send ou. its edict to every
postmaster. whether in the village or
at the cross roads, clothing him will,
lespotic and absolute censorship over
one Of the dearest rights Of the citizen.
1t degrades labor by giving it the badge
Of servility, and it timpelps enterprise By
Withholding its proper rewards. Il
alone has claimed exemption from the
uniform taxation, and then Ge,n.n.,c4,
and received the largest share Of the
proceeds of that taxation. Is it any
wonder. III such state of facts. tha,
there are, at this day, Of those who have
been driven from Virginia mainly hy
this system, men enough with their de-
cendants, and means, and energy.
scattered through the West, of them
selves to make no mean State.
II has been ~ tllioN-o observer, ard
! viii add as fellow sufferer. with tie
members Of the Convention thai nv
indgemea. of the system Of slavery
among US has been formed. We have
seen u seeking to inangnrate, III many
instances all TOO successfully, reign ai'
terror in times Of profound peace, of
which Austria might be ashamed. We
have seen, also in times of peace, the
liberty Of speech taken away, the free
dom Of tie press abolished, anil the
willing nli.aions Of the nsisions Of this
system, in hunting down Their victims,
spare from degradation and inse neither
the Young nor the gray haire@ veteran
q seventy Winicrs, whose every
thought was as free from offen,s against
society as is that of the infan, OF DAYS
And las; bnt not least, we have seen
ats own chosen and favor cd interpreters
standing III theTyery sanciuar.cs ii our
political Zion throughout the laul, bias
phsmlns the holy principles Of popular
liberty. to which tee very places where
they stood had been eonsecratca, b,
booming NY child, and every mans
e',ild that must live by labor, to viz
tual and helpless slavery And as the
natural oatgro til a4 all this, we -nase.
seen the huge barbaric raid against
the worlds last hope II has been the
merit of otner attempted revolutions,
that their motive, at least vas reaching
upward and forward after liberty it is
the intamy of this that it is reaching
backward and downward after dc<po-
tism. It would put back the hand OF
the worlds dial thousand years. It
would put the worlds light in the dark
ness Of utter and dreasy despair:
Surely, to the extent that we have spi-
fercl from these ills, our very manhood
caLs upon us TO guard, by all reason
able preventives, against their ret5.rs.