The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-18
MIR. LEIGH RoBINsoN's HowITzERs'
Address.

| The address which Mr.. Leigh Robinson
ao,,vered here at the unwilling of the
uowItzer monument is one OF very great
10 more than passing interest II Is
very profound and very philosophical
s,udv OF the condition Of society and
government which found It's elimination
IN our gerat civil war; and. In summing
an his estimate OF that state OF affairs.
Nr Robinson most happily says 1T is
NOT SO exact TO say that slavery was the
cause OK the war as to say that 1t af-
corded an opportunity for the war" He
well adds:
ThA supreme issue was whether the
| United States Government was one OF
| such unlimited authority that II could
do what II pleased, by giving fine names
| IN usurpation, as when the guest at
| botel complains that the brand he wants
has not been brought, the walter before
his ewes rubs off the undesired label and
nuts on the desired one. The real issue
was whether. under the fine name OF
general welfare" the whole power OF
the Government could be perverted 10
nrivate welfare and whether, In keeping
with the Federal compact. under the fine
name OF freedom, Commonwealth could
| be extinguished.
There can be no sort OF doubt that
the causes OF the war are correctly
stated here. The attack on slavery
caused us to assert our rights under the
Constitution, but the assertion was in
substance a protest against the ever
developing purpose Of the Northern
al N
rights In the Government until, II we
submitted to their encroachments, we
should soon have no rights left 10 con-
tend for.
Mr. Robinsons exposition Of the way in
which slavery came TO exist in the South
is very valuable and entirely just. He
has shown very clearly that the greed
of English slave traders forced them on
the people of the American colonies; that
our people protested against the inpor-
tation Of them here; that the House Of
Burgesses OF Virginia passed twenty
three statutes to prevent their importa-
ton, all of which were negatived by the
King Of England; that Virginia was the
first state to prohibit the importation
of slaves, and not only So but she made
It punishable by death, and that all pub
lie sentiment in the South was opposed
10 the introduction of African slavery
here until it had been actually forced
upon the people.
He also shows that the recognition Of
slavery in the Constitution Of l7S'-our
present Constituton-with liberty TO con-
tinue the importation Of slaves for GER
tain time was a compact between North
and South, in which the consideration
moving the North was power in Con-
gress to regulate commerce by a majority
vote, but that Northern assent to the
provision was secured as much by the
prospect Of capturing negroes In Africa
and selling them to the Southern States
as by any other cause.
Mr.. Robinson also quotes most happily
from one Of Mr.. Randolph's speeches in
the Senate as follows:
THE natural death Of slavery Is the
unproftableness Of its most expensive
labor. The moment the labor of
the slave ceases 10 be pfOUtdDle 10 the
master, or very soon after it has reached
that stage-if the slave will not run away
from the master the master will run away
from the slave: and this is the history Of
the passage from slavery to freedom of
the Wllainage of England"
In this, Mr.. Robinson most justly says
is to be found the explanation of slavery
ceasing to exist in the Northern States.
It was there at the beginning, the slave
owners there sold their slaves to the peo-
pie of the South when they were no
longer profitable to them as slaves (Alr.
Robinson quotes Bancroft to show that
more slaves were set free by Will in Vir-
ginia than were ever set free in Pennsyl-
vania and Massachusetts,, and, having
converted their holdings into money, their
philanthropy first taught them that
slavery was a crime, which compelled
them to violate every pledge Of the Con-
stitution and deny to the South every
right which it had guaranteed.
We wish that space justified us in dis
cussing Mr.. Robir sons address more at
large. We close this brief notice Of it
by saying that 1t is a most scholarly and
profound paper that we should be glad
to see read in every part Of the world.
TIE PHILOSOPHY OF GIVING.