The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-04-12


two hours of leisure. Men after sixty
and boys before IL are excused from field
labor. Women are employed only ia
business proper for their sex, and do not
work in company within Slaves are
allowed to marry the slaves Of other
masters, and the master of the man slave
must in that case purchase the female
slave at fair valuation. No master may
inAict more than 25 lashes, and then must
not occasion any confusion, or effusion Of
blood, Any one who strikes slave be-
sides the master or steward Of the
plantation, is liable to the same penalty
as if he struck a white man, as is the
master or steward if be inilict a heavier
punishment than the law allows. When
q slave dies, information must be given
by the master in three days, or he is COM
PEELED to show that the slave died a ma
tural death. Slaves have right TO re-
deem themselves at fair price. Fe-
male slaves cohabilirg with their masters
are free
Our conduct towards our slaves will
not bear comparison with the humanity
of even the Musselman; "I cannot for
bear applauding the humanity of the
Turks to their slaves; they are not i'll
used, and their slavery, in my opinion, is
no worse than servitude all over the world,
1t is true, they have no wages, but they
give them yearly clothes to higher value
than our salaries to our ordinary serV-
ants" Letters of Lady Montague from
Constantinople, Vol. 8, page 20. And
shall Spaniards and Turks who are them
selves tho slaves of slaves in comparison
to the freeborn American, Out.dO US in
the justice and humanity of their code
respecting the treatment of human beings
who have fallen into their power Must
the conduct of freebOrn christian blush
before musselman
Such is the condition OF slaves in our
land, that the tenderest relations Of life
may be broken in upon by the ruilian
hand Of cupid'ty and revenge, Husbands
may be torn fiom the companions OF their
choice notwithstanding the law OF Heav-
en-; "a man shall leave his father and
mo her, and shall be joined unto his
wife, aud the two shall be one flesh"
| And Notwithstanding the settled and
| immulable law Of nature, Gone peIfec,
right is--ar right TO associate with whom
We please consentably."t Infants may
be torn from the embrace of the heart
broken mOiber, or the mother from them,
while the agonies of their separation are
insulted by sneers or the cold embrace oil
iron feiters. Aud all this to replenish
the Golfers of a spendthriit wretch, or an
avAriciOus miser whose souls are as com
pletely swept Of every tender sensibility
as zophet is Of morality. And yet the
laws utter no veto against these outrage.
on the laws of nature and natures God
Is this not "to frame mischief by lawsp
"Woe unto them that decree unrighieous
DEGREES, and write grievousness, which
they have prescribed; to turn aside
the needy from judgment, and take away
the right from The poor."t
IL may be said, Instances of such crue
treatment are rare, if they happen at all
What Ss 10 hinder such scenes from tax
ing place every day? Are there any mu
nicipal regulations TO prevent them
May not every owner Of slaves use then
in this way, whenever his interest OF
passions dictate? Audit is on the pin
ciple OF avery, as they exist amongs
ourselves, that | am treating. Aud al
though there are thousands, aRd | bles
God for it, who have hearts of humanit,
aud tenderness toward their slaves; yet
no thauks TO the legal regulation unde
which slavery exists. Aud let ii be SAT-
to the credit of slave holders in this par
Of the country, a great majority of ther
are humane, and guilty Of few or non
} OF these barbarous rigOrs. Sill many 0
these evils do take place There are no
wanting examples of persons, who are 5
destitute Of every tender sympathy O
nature, and of the social virtues, as Il
! make a business of buying these help
} less creatures to drive in irons TO marke
} the very sight Of which congeals tn
, milk of human kindness. And yet sue
is the sense that the public have of thi
outrage on religion and humanity, this
these trG6icSrs in human flesh feel not th
weight OF general adherence.
, Can 1t be doubted whether such a sta
Of things is at war with the unchangt
able laws of nature? The concurrer
voice OF all writer's is, natural right
!. are such as are essential TO man, and un
4 versal. Perfect rights in a state OF matt
! raj liberty are first, right to life; set
I Ond, right to employ bis faculties an
= industry Tor his own use; third, rigl
q to personal liberty; fourth, power ovt
\ life, not to throw it away uunecessaril,
a but for good reason; fifth, a rigl
10 associate with any person, who
. he can persuade, not f0rce"l III
: same author adds, ''it is unjust al
J unequal for any individal 20 hil
Z, der or abridge anothfrin any one Of the
!, rights without consent. Liberty eth
= cannot or ought not 10 be given up in q
social state" This is the language
common sense, and the spontaneous fee
> ing of even the untutOred savage III
!, learned and unlearned equally feel Il
force OF these truths and we have OF
J, instance Of whole nation solemnly d
claring viva yOce by their Representative "
their intuiuss conyic 100 OF these prime
ples. On the celebrated 4th Of Jul
- l776, the representatives Of the Omit
= States OF American IA Congress ASSET
!, Uled, declared in the following nervo
!, Language; I'VE IA Id these truths to DO =,
= eydeni; that all men are created ecu
- that they are endowed by the Great
with certain unalienable rights; IA
. among these are lite, liberty, and I
n pursuit OF happiness; that to secure the
q rights governments are institutsd amon.
men; that whenever any form Of COVER
a meat becomes destructive Of these en-,
IL Is the Iigut Of the people 10 alter a
I. abolish IT," On the certainty Of the u
of sNoTss', 2 ogrophg yoi, fsss CO. la.i sl.no,
tWl ~ s.0.aa t-ttl9toFAy,
rPsla a. ~, lsai l0i q
>, gihsWoo"'s philosophy ~ a''s Palsy.