The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1865-01-21

! Sei.lniilCtrd IN hcr terrible holly. she ha
come in good time to renew her faith once
before plghtcd to the sacred covenant o
our Constitution. and has told the story o
her victory. thus: 80 Freedom! have alb
iurcd all association with the foul supcr,t
ton Of slavery. My sacrifice now lay upon
thy altar. Here are the chains which one,
held in bondage eighty.seNen thousand hui
man beings. have stricken them off with
my own hands. and throughout my fair do.
main there is not Il being i'll the image OF
God who is not free
Thus slavery in Maryland is of the past
Let oar statutes and law reports, still UNI
clcansrd, tell what it was.
The Legislature by the act of l115. chapter
forty four. section twcnty-threc, declared ii
to he the law that ali negroes and other
slaves already imported or hereafter to BE
imported into this province, and all children
, now born o. Hereafter to be born OF such
negroes .nd slaves, shall lie slaves during
their natural lives = and the Maryland Code,
volume ono. article siNty-one. rcalrmS that
declaration. The full import Of this simple
| provision is not seen until you are told that
! crcyy RegfO was presumed to be IL slave: that
! no negro or molatto was admitted as evil
dence in any matter depending in anyc ourt or
before any justice OF the peace, whore any
| white person was concerned: and that the fact
ola negro going nj large and acting as free,
or not being claimed by an owner, was not adj
missihlc as evidence of freedom. Nothing
! could relieve negro from any claim set NJ,
| by a white person, unless he could establish
| his freedom. or the freedom Of his ancestor
by the grant or devise of his former owner
| Code. volume one. article thiry-scvcn. see
ton one, and article sixty-sis. section forty
/ two.) \ slave could have no rights adverse
to his master. He could neither sue person
ally nor By Erordcin ami. nor be sued. nor
acquire any rights Under deed which either
n court Of law or equity could enforce. e
Nor could he enter into any binding con
tract with his master a II. & J. 5o7. . G. &
}. 49, The only standing which a negro.
claimed as n slave. could have in any court
of civil jurisdiction was as a petitioner for
freedom but even in that case he was such
a legal nnncnti;y that he could not make an
affidavit in support Of his prayer. while the
mo t exclusive and arbitrary rules of evil
dcncc were brought to ~ear against him. so
as to coniine him to strict record proof.
The master was associate lord: the slave
and the slaves post"ri'y were GijcH bon'(-
| acn. The ,Nastcr had not only a right to
;hc Iibor a,td scrrire, but he had an absolute
property in the fresh and blood and homes of
| his slave. and. if Il female of her isSuc.-
| Sutton rs. Grain. 10 G.. and j., 1913 Thus
bcqucSt for life OF the use of female
slave vested in the lcG@ir" a property in the
issue. born during the existence of the life
estate. for the life Of such issue; AID the
issue of q female slave for term Of years.
@" for one year only. was slave for life
The Slave could Sustain none Of those rcla-
tons which give life all its charms. He
rould not say my home. my father. my
mother. my wife my child. my body. 1t is
ior God to judge whether he could say my
soul. The law pronounced him chattcl.
aud these are not the rights or attributes of
chatt"s.
To seek his freedom by flight made the
Slave a Iclon: and. as if 10 reward barharity
slave owners, when they made law in Mary
land, wrote it down:
ayr . .,,v...,.,. Ave, ,,.r.-,, 81,
attempts to arrest Lin and such lava uirraYs to il"
~; for Effr'1N' :" SrnRrNo"H n'MS@ar such E"g
~ ~ ~, , r NV KY, n' r E, ,. ~ r
;aM",i bi Northumberland rrrt},i" n,n ~, Of Kan
to III" owner wh" shai h"oNr"in,"d 'Ya jnstlr"":th"
pence" ana s% IN " yr S rIGH" ~ ms a i T,
Who sall "@r,y ,1,h yalrM"n "',h ,,ni aj,,onr-
mont 70 th" ""i"p;r"'i"r who shall t'"r"T"n -"
yll nr, &C ,oc !, 'F'' !" pa! '''' S''' Que
,,,,
!'"' provision S'''',S upon tile H'h'"!''
''" va ' w '' ''''' "
lainrc refused t" repeal It, because. they
saul 1t was necessary TO preserve me SyS.'h''
hon Siait not XVII 'h"hT'Fe" goa rom
'''h"'' 'IFSc"' 'hei'' ne inc system! '''"'
| r"'o, c''''Fg save ny Nol''nn u, np''iierr'
IL reads 2hn any save so k''len Snil'l ne
rald lo:' aala nor ny "h9m ny 'hr
S,aVc,""n'r3 40 ID! nl 'he p''plH o'
Anryiah"' OF "hoih ''''."o' we h""'Ii"Ie
holders ana less IMAM lt''o' were Sl"'ehol"'
crS. hut ftt'cntr '"H W, !"s! le" i'on!hS
pave chnn@'a an 'i!at' MS i"'io"s Scc''o',
eleven o. arl'rlr s'N'I'$iN OF tnc s""e Oh
iubiic General Laws; "I'''h JuS'1hca mHroer
ana cNt"r'rd tribute from me "cSl'''ed me
chah'c ana me '"'ihG laho'cr |" pay, inc
wealthy slave owner 'or we h'@F" "E"hi
'e' or ms '''Fr''s4on: nay hnI2c"f," 10 :l''F'
ma: ""en "'l'''r' ,'' us .'"'ii u'"''''e virus
~ II no i1''Se' '''c ID" ~ - n'. 'hc si"'''e
III r'eo'" u, M on. '''o" II .'i''"..
p"t rom '"'S s"'.''E H''' l,""V Wnn ,"c'I
no '''iI'rahce: Nnu'u NOV we 'I!''I"i an"
devoted save VINO ia" peer! npcu'ent un,"
ms maS'er III S'hS'rne,S on H''r' rs oii'o
"riH' "no nag 'tncu III Snil''mT''n.S 'h'
o"r"ehS ~ the 'a'iI'! ny" 'r,' an tt: sol,
rows anu Sn"r'u III ",' n''''',' WY III az
us JOYS; VINO ma" h"TSra 5'e master r.'il'
nr'n one ny one. anu ia" norhe ''r',i on
ms pack 'no"Sa''o ',n'''' VINO had 'o'"I!
watched each StAlwhri son as he grew up 70
man estate, ana gave MN ms I'c':s'As as
ne went ont from Tue ora homestead mo inc
| battle OF ME; vii" hnd to'Ieu on adding to
! the master 5 wealth from year 10 year until