The loyal Georgian., 1866-03-03
FREEDOM, NOT A BOON, BUT
"A CURSE.

ditinn of The black man spoken Of by the
Rev. Or. Fichener'in speech before the
Alabama Association (5aptst.) These
are his wo,ds. ut would seem that he
curse o. God following them, through all
the bygone centuries, had now fallen upou
the negroes Of these Southern States with
weight Of woe which tire tens, if it
does not insure, their extinctien. Already |
they have tarted in the path that leads
to destruc ion Inform ton, in 10 wise
to be dis rusted, assures us that in the
single month Of August, five hundred of
them we're buried in this city aud It's i'm
mediate vicinity. What is true of Mont
gomery is also trua Of SELMA, Of Mobile,
Of Columbus, aud Of all those places
where incl nation has led large numbers
Of them to en- regate." Further on III his
speech, tie Doctor remarks, "parad 'xlcaI
as may seem the as ertlon, it is neverIhe
less true, that the nearest approach any
part If the race has ever made to the
blessings of freedom has ben as slaves
in this Southern land. The mas'er Is
the ouly true fred the slaOe his fver
had Ihe people If khs No.Ih, umder
th4 anJ9Yenc oT'u ntaSt@ten phi MHih'0ly,
huve been, Sn req Ety, The 10orSt enemy Of
his ruce." The italics aie ours. We
eau b rdly believe man ID be IN earnest
who talks in this strain Qaradoxical
with a witness J ald who follows it up
with the utterance " hqUe be aeUed, l
now LeiieUe, that SIt0ery IS m0r"Dy.
sOlaNr, poilt c'ttiy and reI5g 0"sIy
raslu." We do not know how to argue
with one who takes such ground as this.
There are axioms Ia morals as Ii as
in mathematics and these nut be as
sumcl, (thcy cannot be proved 10 all
rus~v~---7 A.,. .a +h..~s avi tme 70
place tue often quoted statement which
stands at he beginning Of the DecLara-
ton OF Independence; and which our
fathers viudica ed not on y with the pen,
but with the sword; statement, which,
if it d. not include the black as well as
the white man, we would ASK tue author
Of this speech to show why and how.
Without attempting to argue his para
doxlcal position for We do not know how
to- begin such an argument with one who
denies first princicles Of natural right
and morality but setting st'tenent
against statement, and opInIon against
opinion, aud sober conviction against
what see MS mere specill pleauing-we
wouId only refer The author Of these as
sertlons to the dellberate formed and
soIemnly uttered convictions of those
Southern men and slave b il ers to, whom
both South and NortA rendet common
honor. 1t r,,dom 10 the slave be the
evil which be represents ito be if slavery
be his norma condition, morally, sue al.
" and politically right, why, then, did
George Mason say, speaking Of slavery
"The laws IF impartial Providence may
avenge our injustice upon our posterity;
and Pa rio Henry: +" A serious view OF
this subject gives a gloomy prospect to
future tines" and Thomas Jefferson
"All men are created equal, with an in
aliesa able right to liberty? Aud why
freedom be the boon which this writer
asserts it to be-did George Washington
mauumit bis slaves I? One thing is GER
tain, that tight or wrong. these men took
ayiew of this subject entirely the op Q
site of his; aud although we do not a.
low that great questions are lufalllbIy
settled BY the authority Of great names
vet when the moral judgments of the
wisest and best concur on any subject It
is simply an impotent attempt to reverse
their decisions. A man may say that
A1 4 - l.-~i,k f,