Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-28
SATURDAY. DECEMBER %. 1889.
A Northern Man with Clear Vision

A Northern Man with Clear VISION
A friend in this city has called our at
tcntion 10 a striking leader IN the New
York Journal Of Commerce Of the Goth IN
slant. The writer Of it evidently not only
holds sound views in regard TO the nature
of our General Government "a that Gov
eminent was conceived 10y the fathers Of the
republic. but has studied the negro pro-
blcm 80 thoroughly that he is well
equipped for a war with the negrophilists.
From the leader referred 10 We make tho
following extract:
The false representations which had
been made concerning the relations OK
master aud slave contributed not Iltte
10 these mistaken notions about the bene-
fits of freedom. Not one of the writers or
speakers engaged in the anti-slavery cru
SADIE described the conditions as they really
existed. The slave was invariably spoken
of as one who was held IN bondage that he
might be compelled to render to ms owner
ii lifetime of unrequlted labor. Inc
changes were rung upon these last TWO
words until they had become synonymous
with the condition Of slavery. And since
the edict Of emancipation not a tcW OF the
same essavists make the plea in behalf of
the negro that his race ought To be COM
pensated in some way for more tnan
century of unreQulted toll
"Ihe truth ~ that the negroes, while IN
bondage, received more rs "a reqmial Tor
their labor than any equal number OF free
labOrcrs III any country on the globe.
Wholesome and abundant food, ample
clothing. comfortable lodging. the best at
tendance and medical care when 81 *, the
careful nurture of their children, the sup
port of the aged and iuhrm, and the decent
burial service for the departed. sum up
more than any class Of lab0rcrs have ever
provided for themselves IN such measure
by the most constant and unrcmlttlng toll
while in bondage the slave had more
physical comforts for himself and family
in return for his service than any four and
a half millions Of free lahorers working for
hire had ever been able To secure. The
evils of slavery were sad enough, hut this
was not one Of them. IL was compulsory
service under conditions no one can justify,
but il was not unrequted. In all that con
stitutes q fair remuneration for work, the
negro was amply provided for.'
Involuntary servitude is slavery. But
what il involuntary serytude? Is the
Pennsylvania miner who must either starye
or do the will of his employer any less
slave than the man who though compelled
20 work is furnished 10y his owner with
food. clothing. and shelter? The slave
owner in the United States in ante-belmm
DAYS paid the negro better wages than be
gets now-that is, taking the negroes as
class There are some negroes whose con-
dition has been improved 10y their enamel
nation; but there are not SO many OF that
kind as of those whose best days were
passed in the bonds of slavery. The
institution of slavery placed the non
slaveholding whites at great disadvan-
tage, and caused them to leave the slave
States bv thousands and migrate 20 the
West and the Northwest. But the negro
was more fortunate. He was not wronged.
The long contest between the North aud
the South az to the right Of slaveowners to
take their slave property to the United
States Territories and Lave II protected
therein was owing to the fact that the pro-
cess of Afrioanizing the South was con-
stantly going on. The slavc-owner was
not willing to sell his negroes, and there
fore added farm 10 farm, or plantation TO
plantation, in order that he might give
employment to his slaves. The poor white
man who owned no slaves was not able to
outbid his rich neighbOr when land was
for any reason put upon the market.
Such an institution was from the very
nature of things doomed TO extinction. 1t
could not possibly live long. The Adolf
tionists proposed to build fire all around
it and force it TO sting itself 20 death-that
is To say, they advocated the policy of in
cooperating the WnMor proyiso into every
bill creating "a new political Territory.
This famous provisO was couched In words
almost identical with those which compose
the thirteenth amendment 10 the Federal
Constitution.-nam Neither slavery
nor involuntary scrvitude, except az n
punishment for crime, whereof the party
shall have been duly convicted" (shall
exist many Territory OF the United States.
There is no doubt whatever that the
slaves in the South were the best-paid I'M
skilled laboring class in the world, nor
that tho whites of tue South as whole
constituted class superior to the popula-
tion of any other country in the world.
Future generations will not be able to con-
ceve such community. They viii set
down all such claims n those which We
have Just made ~ myths.
We close with the following quotation
from the same leader. II will please a GER
tain college professor of whom we wot:
"Tho word Nation is spelled by all
writers with a capital initial, and We SUD
pose the new title OF this Federal republic
must be accepted 10y those who have
hitherto protested against It with rs much
grace as they can assume for the occa-
sion"