Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-02-22

devices and all hearts and all understand
ings most of all the opinions and Influences
Of the unwilling, are wonderfully attracted
and compelled to bear ferward the change
which becomes more an obedience TO the
law Of universal nature than submission to
the arbitrament of man. =.
DESPAIR OF THE MEN OF THE REVOLUTION.
The hope prevailed in Virginia that the
abolition Of the slave trade would bring with
it the gradual abolition Of Slavery, but the
expectation was doomed to disappointment.
In supporting incipient measures for eman.
cipation, Jefferson encountered difficulties
greater than he could overcome, aud after
vain wrestlings, the words that broke from
him, " l tremblc for my country when re-
feet that God is Just, that his justice can
not sleep forever, were words OF despair.
1t was the desire Of Washington's heart that
Virginia should remove Slavery by a public
act; and as the prospects Of general eman-
cipation grew more aud more dim, he, in
utter hopelessness of tho action of the State,
did all that he could by bequeathing free
dom to his own slaves. Good and true men
had, from the days of l776, thought OF col
onizing the negro in the home OF his ances-
tors. But the idea of colonization was
thought to increase the difficulty Of eman-
cipation and in spite of strong support,
while it accomplished much good for Africa,
It proved impracticable as a remedy. at
home. Madison, who in early life disliked
Slavery so much that he wished Ito de.
pend as little as possible on the labor of
slaves" Madison, who ..held that where
Slavery exists, "the republican theory be-
comes fallacious; d" Madison, who in the
loct ,,f h, l;co Il
annexation Of Texas, lest his countrymen
should fill it with slaves; Madison, who said,
" Slavery is the greatest evil under which
the nation labors, q portentous evil, an
evil-morsl, political and economical, sad
blot on our free country" went mournfuly
into old age with the cheerless words: mo
satisfactory plan has yet been devised for
taking cut the stain. 3" 7'i
NEW VIEWS OF SLAVERY.
The men of the Revolution passed away.
A new generation sprang up, impatient that
an institution to which they clung should
be condemned as inhuman, unwise and un-
just; in the throes of discomfort at the
self-reproaoh OF their fathers, and blinded
by the luster of wealth to be acquired by the
culture Of new staple, they devised the
theory that Slavery, which they would
not abolish, was not evil, but good -
They turned on the friends of colonization,
and confidently demanded, "Why take black
men from civilized and Christian coun-
try, where their labor is source of i'm.
mense gain and power to control the mar
kets of the world, and send them to land
OF ignorance, idolatry and Incidence, which
was the home of their forefathers, but not
theirs? Slavery is blessing. Were they
not in their ancestral land naked, scarcely
lifted above brutes, ignorant of the course
of the sun, controlled by nature? And in
their new abode, have they not been taught
to know the difference of the seasons, to
plough, and plant, and reap, to drive oxen,
to tame the horse, to exchange their scanty
dialect for the richest Of all the languages
among men, and the stupid alteration of fol-
lies for the purest religion2 And since
slavery is good for the blacks, it is good for
their masters, bringing opulence and the op-
portunity of educating a race. The slavery
of the black is good in itself: she shall
serve the white man forever. Z" And ma
ture. which better understood the quality of
fieeting interest and passion, laughed, as it
caught the echo, "man" and forever
SLAVERY AT HOME. ..
A regular development of pretentions FOL-
lowed the new declaration with logical con-
sistency. Under the old declaration every
one Of the States had retained, each for
itself, the right Of manumitting all slaves
by an ordinary act cf legislation; now. the
power of the people over servitude through
their Legislatures was curtailed, and the
priviledged class was swift in imposing legal
and constitutional distractions on the peo-
pie themselves. The power of emancipation
was narrowed or taken away. The slave
might not be disquieted by education. There
remained an unconfessed consciousness that
the system of bondage was wrong, and a
restless memory that it was at variance with
the true American tradition its safety was
therefore to be secured by political organi.
cation. The generation that made the Con
stitution took care for the predominence OF
freedom in Congress, by the ordinance ol
Jefferson the new school aspired to secure
for Slavery an equality of votes in the Sen
ate; and while it hinted at an organic &C,
that should concede to the collective South
veto power on national legislation, it as
sumed that each State separately had the
right to revise and nullify laws of the Uni
ted States, according to the discretion of its
judgement. ..',- e.. ,,-.t.-i., ...,.
SLAVERY AND FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The new theory hung as a bias on tn,
foreign relations of the country there coulC
be no recognition of Hayti, nor even of tn,
American colony of Liberia; and the worlc
was given to understand that the establish
ment OF free labor in Cuba would be rea
son for wrestling that island from Snain.-
Territories were annexed; Louisiana Florida
Texas, half Of Mexico; Slavery must have it
share in them all, and it accepted for tim,
a dividing line between the unquestioneC
domain Of free labor and that in which in
voluntary labor was to be tolerated. A fe,
years passed away, and the new school
strong and arrogant demanded and receive
an apology for applying the Jefferson pro
viso to Oregon.
.' '" soUATTER SOVEREIGNTY.
The application of that provso was inter
rupted for three administrations; utjustic
moved steadily onwards. In the new
that the men of California had chosen free
dom, Calhoun heard the knell of partin
Slavery; and on his death bed he counsele
, secession. Washington, and Jefferson, an
Madison, had died despairing of the abol
} tion Of Slavery: Calhoun died in despair a
! the growth of freedom His system rushe
irresistihly to its natural development. Th
T death struggle for California was followe
, by q short truce; but the new school /