The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-18

vote on any question was irresistltle anu uo-
cided most elections. They were uhlten W
save slavery and they did it.
AN INTERESTING QUESTION.
Why did not our Legislature get rid Q,
I slavery by prospective emancipation OF III,
then in the State. a. the Northern people nau
done. and then were doing 10 answer tnis we
must enter into and understand the peculiar
feelings and sentiments OF the saye-noluers" ~
| that time. No such proposition was ever 50
riously entertained. In the speeches denver
ed in the discussion of the subject IN mo
Legs ature and in tho press. or III puDllc "
private such plan was never even eh'et-
taiued. Nobody ever recommended this, or
even thought OF 1t.
our Northern brethren were then IN thelr
practical manner speedily setting the ~hole
question for themselves without Uouulo VI
expense, or loss 10 the slave owners or 10 .Io
State. At that time New York and Fennsyl-
vania had gotten rid of most of their slaves
the more Northern States much sooner NE
plan is described in m elaborate note IN ohc u
the later editions of Kent COmmeutaIIes
under the head of Master and Servant. y
WAS 70 establish future date, generally thil
years from the passage OF the act. ana az
slaves then in the state should be free. ~
course before the time arrived our econoihl-
cal brethren would have sold their slaves 70
the Southern planters. as their ancestors SUI
the ancestors of cur slaves TO our ancestors.
Tho master thus got rid Of lis slave ana the
State got lid o. slavery. and neither lost any
thing by this ingenious tranbaction.
szw ENGLAND HLARTIEssSEss.
The bushes. heartlessness Of this sy- tenn
Disguised every Nirginlan. The virginia
stakeholder had been raised by or with ms
people or hi. servants for they did not call
them slaves or ringers" then. lie was AT
tached 10 them and they 20 him. While he
d-plOrel the system, lie was not TOR puttingou
the evil on others shoulders. lie was LOOKING
10 the deportation of his people to tner own
land To be forced 10 make HIM or his chill
drrn sell these people TO the rough and hardy
pioneers who were then subdulng the mala
rious svamps and forests of the Southern
wilderness, from which the Chickasaws the
ChoctaGs and the Semnoles had hardly
been removed. was revolving 10 all his feelings
Of humanity. General Brodnax exclaimed IN
bis speech Shall tie Nirginians be forced
all TO become negro-traders." which at that
tine was to m of the greatest reprOach.
OF course III. men Of that day could have
carried out this Northern plan with the ut
most ease. Cotton. by the invention OF the
spinning emmy and cotton GIN WAS rapidly
becoming king OF CONNER and manu-
features. The Louisiana purchase had an
rexed thousands of acres Of the best land IN
tie world O. the area Of slavery. Even tho
West India island planter would have pre-
ferred 90 urchase the trained slaves OF \lr-
gnia rather than the ignorant sayages OF
Africa While this was patent no
man in the General Assembly in these
speeches that have come down TO US. even
recommended or even alluded 10 lrg.nla's
adopting any such plan. The fact that Dir.
Leigh in his article. "AppOmattOX.' and Pro-
fes-or Dew IN his essay on slavery. never
hint ut the adoption of any such plan or IT'S
being advocated by any one, but conhne their
arguments 20 the great expense Of dep ring
the negroes TO Africa. shows that the public
mind wa looking 10 that as the place TO
which they should be sent az free men.
and not 10 the South, 10 which
they should BE- sold rs slaves Nj. Leigh and
Mr.. ew also objected 20 the deportation OF
the negr1 es on thu ground that the loss OF so
many latorers would destroy agriculture.
The Northern plan would not have been SUD
iect TO these objections. as tor every slave The
owner sold 20 the South b. would have re-
ceiyed his value. with which he would he able
o. hire tree labor. 80 Ii Is eur that the IT.
linians. however much they might have de-
sired TO rid the state OF slavery, had deter
mined never to adopt such plan as that.
SLAVERY a BLESSING.
Professor Dew. in his work Just alluded
to- and Governor GILES were tie first pr0ml-
nent men in the State who denied that
slavery was an evil in any sense and Landed
it rs positive blessing 70 the master and the
slave benefit politically, morally. socially
and economically In the per OF between
1880 and 1850 Il Il astonishing what q change
took place in the minds OF the poop of the
State When slavery got into politics the
Nirginians not only resented It rs an unwar-
rantable interference " tn their rights. bit
they went beyond and not only adyo-
Gated slavery. but were wiling 10 disrupt
the Mon 10 preserve 1t. IL became
political suicide tor any rising man T.
advocate the views OF Washington or
Jefferson on this sub A propO
stiOn was introduced into the Virginia
Legislature in the session Of 1877 by a mem
Ter from Halifax TO sell at public auction all
the free negroes in the state. and thus reduce
{ en- into slavery and pvt the proceeds IN the
literary fund. tie was opposed strongly by
Hon. Thomas /. Proctor md others, bat 10
passed the House. but was lost ~ the senate.
These feelings actually influenced tho ludlcl-
AIRY. In tho famous case OF Peasants VS..
Peasants, "a Calls Reports. in 17Jc Judge
RoAne although the provisions of tie
will 10 10 construed evidently established a
perpetuty. declared that he would strain the
law In fai oren llbertates and the Court sus-
tanned the Will and declared the slaves free.
in 1'5s. IN 18th Grattan in the cases OF
Bailey Va. FOlndexter and williamson vs..
Coaiter the testatCrs had given 10 their
slaves the right 10 decide between slavery
or freedom 10 was cOntended 90 the bar
that sinco the earlier dee sion of the
court there lad been o radical revolution
in tho legislation and policy of the State
in respect TO the institution OF slavery. and
that II was the duty OF tho courts Of the Com
monwenlth in al doubtful cases 60 favor and
perpetuatc slavery instead of following the
suggestions Of false philauthropy.' The
court. bya div ded vote sustained the view and
consigned thenegroes 10 slavery. About this
time Seward delivered his famous Rochester
speech declaring that there was an irrepressi-
bic conflict between slavery and freedom
that slavery was q propagandlst institution
and its course must be arrested.
IFS DAYS NUMBERED.
The DAYS Of the institution were then num-
bered The sentiment OF the civilized world
was against H. Its hour had come for it O. be
destr yed not by legislative enactment not by
instruction and massacre but n the smoke
OF cannon aud roar OF musketry IA war be-
tween civilized white men.
lt is gone forever. but with all the ills IL
may have inflicted we must still say it had It's
merits rs well as evils. when we now say that
irginia during it, hour OF lie produced
Washington and jefferson. and IN the last o.
her existence Lee and Jackson. Hill and Stu
art WILLIAM POPK DABNEY.
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LEMON ELINIR.