The New York herald., 1866-04-30

Contrast-sIa very I'm Massachusetts
Formerly and Radicalisp Now.
In looking over book recently published,
entitled "Notes on the History Of Slavery in
Massachusetts" and comparing The former con-
duct Of the people of that State with their con-
| duct in the great issues that brought on the
J war and that now agitate the country, the con-
trast is very striking To the Puritans Of Mas
sachusetts originally, and to them more than to
any other people, slavery in this country owes
its existence. They first began to make slaves
! Of the natives, the Indians, taken in war; This
was in the earliest period of the colony. RG!
previous to enslaving the Indians they had
sold into slavery white people as punishment
for offences against the laws. Very soon the
colonial slave trade began with these "pious
Christians" In 1857 Hugh Peters writes to
Jc Jcn y WI:;.a;..r-op, from Salem, as follows:-"Mr
Endecot and myself salute you in the Lord
| Jesus, etc. Wee have heard of divldence of
women and children in the bay, and would bee
glad Of share, viz:-A young woman or girle
| and boy If you tbinke good. wrote to you
for some boyes for Bermudas, which thinke
is considerable" Winthrop says that SONS s"f
ticcse slaves, who ran away and were brought
in again, were ''branded on the shoulders" and
that "the prisoners were divided some to those
Of ye river (the Connecticut colony and the
rest to us. Of these we send the male children
to Bermuda, by Mr.. William Peirce, Il ye wo-
men & maid children are dispos aboute in ye
tounes." This Mr.. Peirce brought back from
the West Indies "some cotton, tobacco and
negroes, etc., and salt from Tortugas," probably
in exchange in part for the Indians sold.
"Long afterwards DR.. Belknap said of the slave
trade that the rum distilled in Massachusetts
was the handspring of this traffic." 1t appears,
too, that they turned their attention very early
to breeding of slaves. Josselyn, in his Ac-
count of Two Voyages to New England, very
quantity describes how Mr.. Maverick went to
work about 1t, and how, in one instance, he
met with some difficulty, for negro woman,
who was said to have been queen in her own
country, not liking the mate she was compelled
to 60 to bed with, "kickt him out again;" for
'this she took in high disdain beyond her
slavery"
The secret the establishment Of Indian
slavery first and negro slavery afterwards is
found in the desire for gain and power 1t is
the same with regard TO the abolition and
negro agitation of the present day. The motive
OF the "pidus Christians" of New England is the
same, though the object be different.
"The first statute establishing slavery in
America is to be found In the famous Code OF
Fundamentals, or Body of Liberties of the
Massachusetts, colony in New England, adopted
in December, 164l." 1t reads as follows:-
"There shall never be any bond slaverie,
villinage or captivitic amongst us unless it be
lawful captives taken In just wares and such
strangers as willingly selle themselves or are
sold to us. And these shall have all the liber-
ties and Christian usages which the law of
God established in Israeli concerning such
persons doeth morally require. This exempts
none from servtude who shall be judged
thereto by authoritie" The author of the
'Notes" remarks that this statute stood through
the whole colonial period and was
never expressly repealed. at sanctions
the slave trcde and tho perpetual bond
age Of Indians and negroes, their chill.
drcn and their children's children, and
entities Massachusetts, TO precedence over any
and all other colonies in similar legislation
II anticipates by many years anything of the
sort TO be found in the statutes of Virginia, or
Maryland, or South Carolina"
We might here refer to the history OF New
England, and of Massachusetts, in particular,
all along up to the period Of anti-slavery agi-
tation to show how active and ardent the peo-
pie OF that section were in establishing per-
petuating and defending the institution because
II was profitable TO them. There is an abund-
ance Of records to show how they initiated
and encouraged slavery under the pretext Of
divine authority; how they established the
slave trade and enriched. themselves upon II,
and how they carried it on while the people Of
the South protested against 1t. Scripture was
quoted abundantly, OF course, to justify all
this, as it has been since in opposition to
slavery. Il will be said, doubtless, that the
present age is much more advanced and en-
| lightened, hut the truth is the conscience of
the Massachusetts, Puritans IL very flexible
Whatever suits the interests or notions OF that
( people Il right There is, however a large
amount Of hypocrisy in all their pretence Of
humanity and morality. This was apparent In
their former laws and conduct with regard to
slavery, and il is seen to-day in other things
Take Boston, for example, where there is
great pretence and outward show OF morality
while It is well known that there is no place in
the world more immoral Vice abounds there
but II is more covered up and secret than else
where. With regard TO slavery the opposition
to IL in Massachusetts, and 10 New England
generally did not arise from love Of liberty,
philanthropy or regard for the negro This is
evident II we look a, the hard masters and