Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-07-08
WING.
SATURDAY MORNING....JULY 8, 1865
Poor Laws Of England.

OLnera. An4etQi II lhe unIeaLlNbeN AAb-N - 49,
motion " essential TO liberty, aud they whose
personal liberty IL controlled BY others are slaves
then thres-fourths OF the white race IN America
ara slaves
Apprentices cannot leave their masters when
they please. AID for misconduct may be eorPoreal'
IL pu ished by tLeir masters. Tne conduct and
psrsonaI liue,ty Of wssds and Of children are IN
De. Tie eoatrol " their pIreHts and guAECians.-
Tnsy d not Leeoms lice until twenty-on3 years
OF age. It is not only tls right bat the ineun'
beal duty Of government " bad out orphans as
apprentices, OF - appoint guard ans Tor ihen' IN
either case depriviog them OF personal liberty,
ana making them quasi slaves. White e-ndren
between TIE ages Of fifteen and tWsnty-one a1s
beItsr quAlihed to tsAe care Of themselves, aud
better ted Tor tie enjoyment Of unrestricted ~
81, ~ ne SEoes VI say age. II Is equally the
rigag aad i4.umbslt duty Of government u re-
s.IsL TIE liOssIy Of ali negroes AID u aPPoin'
guardians f.r them, Of some kinl a. " sPPoin
kuA.d.as fJr willie iaiAnus. as uue that SONS
n,g.o.s arc RJsed Tor liberty, and nsed no guar
dAas Dut - = equally trIs taAt there are ten "hl'e
Sc IN anti Uegwesl ultsea AMI tEsnty.oIe u1l-1
for uures.rctsd ROsry here here . Vne negro Q.
any age VI Iais kind. Govern neat esnI0I pro
ylds iyr a.. exceptional cases. IL suf1SSs that H.
Ia 80 AID n gulAuons, IN the genera, operate Den
aaeiAily.
For ths advantage Of trade and commerce, sal
or. are permitted % sell their personal ho~Ttl,
s,nsllnss a. n whaling voyage Tor two ~ tnFes
ysar,. a-d 10 subject themselves 10 eSrPoFeaa Pan
lsLmsut ~ TIE dlle.eti.n OF Iheir captains VI EN-
piyy.rs. FOR tae Advantage OF .gneGlturs WIZ
sh,uld Lot negroes De permitted - make AmllsE
con-raels Tor ye4r especially a. the eontrae'
nigb. DO so uUdlhed that Punishment could oaly
be lnui.teo un1er the 5, intense Of justice OF TIE
peace. soldiers, N Jhis county when Ihey enlist
IN tie amy sell their pes Us Tor t-rn " years
and 10 Eng Tor 4fs. Married WUmeu are de
priyed OF lersonaI liberty, and may be, Tor mis-
c .uduct pulished By their husbands-not, howev-
er, We presume as b aekstone hJIGs, with stripes.
White vagr4nts may be, under the Law u lhi
and Uth.r states. taken up and sold a. ayes i1i
the term " three mouths PauPsr whites may
nor chance their residences fIom one county ~
another, aad may be sent back to the county
whence they removed until they have acquired
rigag Of settlement by remaining year 10 thei
ne = residence. We shoIld add to the above hall
ens.vsd Ga .ses Perso4s c0nhaed for crime, ioI
itl,cy and lunacy. WHIT sill more s-similAtes
tae condition OF these various classes 70 absolute
slavery Is, that In almost all instances their ser.
vice or l-bog belongs 70 their parents, husbands,
masters, officers or other superiois 1t .ppears
fom the polls and the census that only about one
in i've Of Tbs whites are entitled TO the right OF
suffrage.
We have thus shown that four-6fths Of the
whites, if not quasi slaves enjoy very qualified
and restricted liberty. Shall ALL Of the negroes
belong 70 the N 81 favored class, or shall they
MOI. As . very inferior race, be all restricted In
thsir hosityq The Gypsies, Peop.s, in most re-
speets, very superior TO the negroes, were at one
time expelled from mOat Of the countries OF Eu
rope uader penalty Of capital punishment if they
rem Ausd or returned after removing and the
death penalty was, for long time most freely
inflicted on those who were guilty Of breach OF
the law.
Bu, lie legislation suggested historically by
the circumstances OF our present situation Is that
OF tue Poor Laws Of Engsnd, beginning In the
leigu Of Edwsrd H., when the liberated serfs
arst began " become troublesome, by becoming
numerous. These Poor Laws, the erueiest code
on rs,ord, became necessary in order to control,
restrain, punish and govern the newly enamel
t.t.d ssr.s who were the most lAWless Set OF
thieves. robbers, murierers, vagabond5 and no.
madic beggars, that ever played part on the
theatre VI Caristlan society. Their idleness and
l.WIsssa, 50 gave nse 70 = new and distinct spe-
eiss OF literary d5toI, specimen Of which We
Il We N the legendary tales recounting the ex-
plots " kOb.n Hood
Tia P.or Laws intended 70 govern and restrain
them seEs not N the mAiR more stringent than
The OCCASION required The folly and tue cruelty all
eons.s.sd in sssuag The SsTis Tree without PrOvl'
v,dlng means " support Tor them ate; they be-
came Tree. England IS suA besst with diheu.ties
aris.ns IRON this weak and imprudenI acti and
tbs suoje ! VI the pour aad the Poor Laws o..
euules much Of the time and Gtte0tion Of every
,...l,n Of Parliament. WswnOny oirtsr from. the
winter, Irom wh0.a We shall quote, a. 70 the In
t.o.t,n OF The law makers y rs-ehslaVe the Eng
I'm Door. slavery y too expensive ~ Institution
Tor sus.and ana her serbs were set free simply be-
cause Tree IAbo. was found cheaper than slave
Labor espeel .ly wlIh stringent lsWsto compel
,h- freed msn - work hard ana constantly Tor
tow wages Toe Poor Laws Vi England, unit.
An, reign VI E.lzlosLh, were mare penal stA-u'es'
inssnd.d u keep TIE liberated ssEis At WORK. Up
hat tine the Catholic ChoEch, ada. BY Pri'
vats chr y, had mads sufficient provision Tor The
uusmp.oysd ana helpless poor.
". ana in ths edinburgh rsyisw, October, lsAl,
on -PvOr Law Ref I'm" al admirable history
urIfa h I'm
when squOts
..Our limits viii not allow rs 10 do more Ihau to
- .,,ts, very br.say, the material para Of the M
- uerous acts, beginning by the statute Of labor
sr,. 2SI Edward al, (I34sl, and endiog BY the
=, aa.h. LIZ beth (IsOI, which were passed for
- the sqppos,d bsBea: Of toe masters.
,T.s 2Sd. kdward IL, requires oil servants 70
sceeut the " eyes which weIe usually given dive
or Ak years before and 10 serve b. the year, not
INV the day It likes q positive rate Of wages in
ma. empIO, meats; fOFb,ds persons to quit the
{" plaess where they had DIV It IA winter and
o s.Arch employment elsewhere in the sumner
- ~ 70 rem we, IN order 70 evade the act, hom
o an. county to another A few years after in
q. ,aso The s4th, Edware Ill, confirmed the pre-
a vious statute. and sdded 70 the penalties which
81, imposed on laboFers or artiaeers absenting
a. ,hsmse yes from their services that they
.. ,bould be branded on the forehead with the
aI,ttsr F. It imposed also fine Of s on the
.W,vor and bailifs Of = town which did not
"a liver M labOrer or sItifcer who had left his
e. service. Twsnty-eight years after in l'SS was
passed the 18th Rlch'd. H. which has general y
81 be n considered the origin Of the Easli'h P|OE
90 Laws By that act the acts of I'd. III are con-
srmed-labOrers are prohibited on pain OF i'm
pris nmen., from quitting their residences IN
&. search OF work, unless provided with 'estimo'
malls stating the cause Of their absence ana the
rtius Of their returning 10 be issued By the JUS