The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-17
Furnishing the Wrong Men.

men: of the Almighty, that "e make II Inc
subject Of .ouf most positive objection anu
reputation.
This idea is that the late war was brought
abou, by special interposition from HeaVe"
for the purpose Of abolishing slavery. we
object 10 it AS unjust, illogical, and a. caS'u's
an imputation upon the author OF our oc'hs'
for the following reasons:
list. The war came on from causes aio'
cether natural. Those causes being pam anu
clearly ,raceauic, it is useless to hunt Tor
others.
I'd. 1t is impcaching the Deity to repre-
sent him as specially interpo>ing to destroy
slavery when he did not interpose to stop II
in its incipient and worst stase-v'z., that OF
the slare trade on the high seas, in which
the negroes were kidnapped and forcioIy
TRANSPORTED under the horrors OF the 81 MD
d,e-rassace" to the land where they were
sold into slavery. That "middle-pssSase =
was a phase of cruelty OF the slave mer-
chants that never had its equal for brutal'ty'
To utilize all the space Of slave-ships decks
were only four feet apart, and the negro
slaves were compelled either to SIT or
lie down; they could not stand up.
Thus they were crowded together ID
q voyage Of ninety or hundred anu
twenty or more days. At the END OF tbeir
Journey they were removed from their
foul and horrible situation weak ana
cmacia,ed and fcarfuily reduced in num-
bcrs. II was deemed splendid Dusi-
ness if only one-tillh OF the number dled.
1t is an Impeachment to say that thai
Divine Indignation which could permit these
brutalities has been wrought 10 activity by
the subsequent slavery in this country, I'm.
cxamplcd as it has been for its senten"sS and
humanity, by any other condition OF slavery
on this earth during historic ages. The
longer it lasted the more kind and less bur-
deEsome it became.
Ord. If it be at all supposalle that such
Divine inierposition took place, how are we
TO reconcile it with that perfection OF mercy
and OF Justice " hich we all accord to the
Most High: In abolishing slavery for the
good of society and to punish injustice, as it
is supposed, are not tue country and both
the white and negro races plunged intoa state
out of which arise more misery, more wrong
and injustice than were ever known unGer
the state Of slavery: What sort of mercy
and Justice would he that which would ill.,
crease the misery and the wrongs of the
country! Who can say that GoD could do
such thing: Is it not the work OF man, the
being who, as we are unhappily taught to
know, is by turns the best and the worst
animal on The face Of the earth
Therefore we cannot be so unjust to the
Almighty power us to suppose for moment
that the war and its consequences come from
his special interpositon. Nor would we, by
the slightest suggestion, intimate to our own
oppressed and unhappy people, that they
were peculiarly the objects of Divine wrath
while the slave-tradcrs upon the high seas
and their descendants have known no such
manifestation of supreme anger on account
of the unparalleled atrocities of the former.
The Divine laws established in the begin
ming are always iu force. In them We find
all the agencies which are necessary to bring
about our troubles. The ambition, vices,
and greed OF man are always making trouble
for himself. The bringing of the negro to
this country was an act inspired by the 5aseSt
motives and performed in the most bar
barous manner. The races had been created
and placed in ATTITUDES and countries suited
to their natures and dispositions. The iorcl-
bic carving of one race from its natural
home and placing it in the bosom of race
distinct from it in disposition, habit, ana
constitution, was quite enough to make both
races unhappy. But such violent trans-
fcrrng of men to the society of Others Is
ALWAYS done through enslaring the INFERIOR
race. We are satisfied that such an act Is
the forcrunner of political calamity to The
land in which races d;ssimilar in all things
are thus placed together. The laws origin
ally established proyidential-arc sure
to bring this about.
TO say that such calamity is spt ci'l
providence is to do a great wrong to the
Divinity aud to society.
/, is pleasant reelection to the descend
ants of the save-traders to say that GoD ala
not punish their pious ancestors engaged in
bringing slaves to this country. 1t WAS upon
the STAKEHOLDER that his wrath fell. They
derive special delight from thinking espe-
cially of gains of the Slaye.trade being still a
part of their rich inheritance, and of The
lust wrath which has fallen upon the south
ern rebels who never had anything to DC
with the slayc-trade, and who bave treated
their slaves with q humanity unknown in
the treatment of slaves in any other land a
any time. Oh, no. This flAttering junction
is a delusiop. Cop is just. His wrath il
better directed than that.
No abolition of slavery could be just to TIT
races and to the land we live in which wa
not attended by deportation-the sending
away Of the slaves. The distinction of rae
and the interority of the enslaved, which
led to slavery itself, are an nsuperable OF
stacle to the peace, contentmcnt, and pros
perity of the two races placed upon oqualit.
in the same community. No abolition whc
pronounces and declares by law that the.
are equal is worthy of the wisdom Of man
and how shall we contrast his wisdom will
that of heaven itself:
Oh, no! The whole revolution was th'
work Of man, and one of the worst pieces o
work tina. he ever did. 1t is a great error t.
call the name of Con in connection with it
No, no! We know too well the part tn