Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-30

Dastards among the slave children of Georgia
ar. FaIIrey gives Il as his opinion that from
tne reverence entertained by the fathers Of
New England for the nuptial tie il is safe to
infer that slave husbands aad wives were
never parted.
The fathers Of New England also cher
lshed due regard"
Says Moore
'for parental and filial duties and resDopsi-
Dllltes; yet It Is certain that slave mothers
and children were separated Resting upon
the law 81 God established in Israel the
puritan could have had no scruple about this
matter. such condition Of master and slave
must nave been regarded as an axiom. as it
was by the Hebrew. Mr. Palfrev's inference
Is not warranted by facts"
Bear in mind, Moore, the historian, says:
IT Is certain that slave mothers and chill
aren were separated, and that Mr.. PaIfrey's
Inference Is not warranted bv the facts when
ne inferred that the New England fathers did
not separate slave husbands and wives in
Massachusetts,
Scots, Irish. Indians and negroes, when
taken as prisoners Of war or Kidnapped or
purchased with run or other commodity.
were considered and treated as slaves.
John Adams says:
Il lived for many years in times when the
practice OF slavery was not disgraceful. when
the best men IN my vicinity thought it not in
consistent with their character" adams
Works, l0,3s0.l
IF there was a prevailing public sentiment
against slavery in Massachuse it's as has been
| constantly claimed Of late, the people OF that
ltetbCt AtAt lto5 NtiHDhblFaiiFG iildu their uc-
scendants, had an extraordinary way of not
showing It," tMoore, page ll0.)
Cotton Mather, who was prominent man
and minister OF the gospel in New England in
MS day. illustrates the temper Of the times in
reference to enslaying Indians, in the follow
ing paragraph:
I'VE know not when or how these Indians
| f1rst became inhabitants Of this mighty con-
probably the devil dec6yed these MIS- mis-.
| cradle savages hither in hopes that the gospel
| OF the Lord Jesus Christ would never come
| here 10 destroy or disturb his absolute empire
| over them" (Moore, page BIZ
In Elliott, page ISL, we find it reeited
fwHEREAs, James. the servant and bond
man unto Richard, hath had desire to mar
| ry, and, having manifested the same unto his
said master, who promises to buy yokefel-
low Tor him, but upon some consideration
| hath thought it better for him to make said
James, his servant, to serve him five years,
without marriage, than TO pay ESQ for his
1 liberty
In other words, than to pay ESQ for wife
/ for him
''slaves who committed ofenses were
1 tried and punished in the most rigorous man
| ner. Phyllis, negro woman, and Mark, q
negro man, were suspected of poisoning their
| master, Capt. Goldman, of Charlestown, Mass.
/ They were put on trial and convicted, and the
court sentenced Mark to be hanged, and
| Phyllis to be burned to death. On the day Of
execution they were both drawn to the place
| of execution attended by the greatest number
| of spectators ever known on such occasion,
/ where the former was hanged by the neck
| until he was dead, after which his body was
glbbcted, and the latter burned to DEATH" Y
| Elliott, 1917
''Slayes were forbidden to be out an hour
1 after sunset upon pain OF whipping and inn
| prisOnment. They were forbidden to meet
/ together in the streets more than two at a
| time. And slaves who assaulted white man
/ were to be whipped and sent beyond sea,
whatever the prOYocation." (I6fd., page 1S9. }
In IVA the slaves OF Massachusetts, sent
| their humble petition 80 the Governor, in
/ which they say: I'VE have no property; we
/ have no wives; we have no city, no country.
| Elliott, page 1927.
This did not look like Massachusetts was
| providing for the marriage relation at that
time.
'In referring TO the horrors Of the slave
| trade. in which Massachusetts took so promi-
nent a part, Jonathan Edwards, the great
| New England divine, states that of the 900
| slaves annually exported from Africa %, 600
! persisted before they arrived in America, and
that another $4,000 died in the seasoning
| And that including these and those who per-
ished in the wars for the capture of slaves in
| Africa, hundred thousand human beings are
annually destroyed to support the traffic.
| y Elliott, page 1897,
"In New England, the harbors of Bristol
| and Newport were alive with vessels engaged
in tile traffic. and large fortunes were rapidly
raised from its profits" Ibid, page 205.)
| So much for slavery in Massachusetts,. Let
| us see for moment now the free negroes and
free Indians Jared in that State. In second
| Elliott, page 1S9, l find the following:
Stree negroes or Indians who entertained
| any slaves in their houses were subject to i'm
| prisonment and whipping (l723) and free
| negroes and Indians were whipped who kept
! arms. They were forbid on public days to
| sell any cakes or drinks. They were compelled
| to bind out their children before they were 4
| years old to some English master. II they re-
| eeiyed any stolen goods they were to be whip
ped and banished, and if they returned were
| TO be imprisoned tor life. If convicted OF
theft, they were tOlbe shipped off beyond sea-"
So that the fate of the free negroes and In
! dams in Massachusetts, was little better than
| that of the slaves. If the marriage relation
| was recognized among them, the offspring
| were cruelty taken from the father and
| mother before they were years of age and
| bound to an English master. In other words,
| the children of free negroes and Indians were
! enslaved for the beneht OF the English mas
tiers.
This was slavery in Massachusetts. Neither
| slavery in Georgia, which | supported for a
| portion of my life, nor any other slavery. even
! Of the dark ages, was ever more tyrannical,
venal and oppressive than the slavery Of Mas
| sachusetts.
MULATTOES.
Bus my honorable friend from Massachu-
| sets did not confine himself to the allegation
| that had supported for a large part OF my
| life an institution that did not recognize the
| marriage relation, but he also called atten-
| lion to the further fact that there was a large
number OF mulattOes in the South to be ac-
| counted for.
| NOW, MI. GreSluenb. L nave never claimed
| perfection for the South. Human nature eX-
| lists there as it does everywhere else. and
| / shall not claim that the people of the
| South are entirely free from human pas
| sion. But, having shown where slavery came
from when it invaded my State, l will now
| try to account for at least portion of the
| mulattoes. And again | state / am very
| sorry the Senator from Massachusetts is not
| in the Chamber to hear the remarks l make
| on that subject. In order to do this it will be
| necessary for me again to refer to the history
of Massachusetts. | will here quote few
| passages from that history:
"The law of 1903, chapter 2, was in restraint
| of the manumission, discharge, or setting free
| of mulatto or negro slaves.
| "(Moore on Slavery in Massachusetts, page
I'm 1894 all negroes, aauzattoes-n
Yes, ''muattoes' is the word
sand Indian servants, as well male as female,
Of IS years old and upward, were taxed at
| the rate of y pence per poll, same as other
| polls. In 1895 all negroes, mulattoes and In
| dian servants, males Of IA years of age and
| upwards, at the rate of f20 estate, and fe-
| males at ETA estate unless disabled by infrm-
| ity." (Ibfd., page Ga
'0ne of the earliest legal cases where mu-
| latto was a party OF which we have any
record in Massachusetts is noticed in the diary
| of John Adams. Itwas in the Superior Court
| at Salem in 1906. Buder date Of Wednesday,
Nov. 5. he says: ATTENDED court; heard trial
/ of an action OF trespass brought by mulattO
| woman for damages, for restraining her OF
| her liberty. This is called suing for liberty;
| the nrst case that ever knew OF the EOrt.'
| ibid, page 1I2.)
'.In another case the master protested the
| plaintiff was his mulattO slave, and that he,
| the master, was not held by law to answer
but for pleading the master said, Not
| guilty. (Ibtd., page 49,
| GAS in the preceding valuations of the prop
/ erty of their constituents. Indians, negroes
and mulattO slaves had been prominent arti-
cles, they must keep on still in the old track
/ Indians, negroes and mulattoes must still be
valued as property. Ibid, page 64)
"Again, in l72J the Assessors were required
/ to estimate Indian, negro and mulattO slaves
| proportionately as other personal estate.
| Ibid, page 65.l
s.Negroes, Indians and mulattoes were for
hidden to serve as pOrters in Boston,
| except they gave security. Their testimony
| was not received like white mans in court
They were forbidden to go to fires at night.
Thsy could not bury their friends after mid
| night or on the Lords day. Negro, Indian,
| and mulatto slaves are forbidden to buy any
/ thing in the market lest it should enhance
| prices. z Elliott, 1897
| s'The law of 1908, chapter 4, prohibited In
dian, negro, and mulatto servants or slaves
| to be abroad after O'Clock. The law of I705,
| chapter 6, for the better preventing of
spurious and MKT issue, etc, Furnishes negroes
aud mulattOes for improper intercourse with
whites by selling them out of the province Ut
| does not tell what was to be done with the
whites). 1t also Furnishes any negro or mu-
| lattO for striking Christian by whipping, at
| the discretion of the Justices before whom he
may be convicted. 1t also prohibits marriage
| OF CHRISTIANS with negroes or mulattOes."
| Moore, pages 81 and 55)
Here you will observe, Mr.. President, the
| mulattOes come in rather thick; indeed. they
! are scattered all along down through the his
| tory of Massachusetts.
''In IT'S all negro. Indian and mulatto SER
wants for life were estimated as other personal
estate" Moore, page 64.)
'Indlan, negro and mulatto servants for
term of years we're to be numbered and rated
as other polls" ibid, page 81
1T was enacted BY the Legislature Of Mas
sachusetts in 1886 that no person authorized
by this act 10 marry shall ioin in MARRIAGE