The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-14

permanence. was borne upon the back
OF slaves. However rude. however vio-
lent this origin, the substance Of IL was
the protection by strength OF weakness,
which could not save itself and the I'M
conditional service OF that weakness to
It's only savior. Slavery meant saliva
ton.
Basis OF Civilization.
On this agricultural basis and organized
social strength all ancient civilization
was reared. and on this same organization
modern Europe had been formed. For
six thousand years slavery had been the
customary law Of the civilized world.
Undoubtedly the elements existed OF an
other structure OF society. which may
be considered to have been prophesied
from the beginning by the very nature
OF a being organized 10 communicate, and
stlll more certainly included In the reali-
Zation Of the era which displaced Caesars
tribute This Is the movement, much re-
tarded, oft reversed. but the inevitable,
and, on the whole, invincible. movement
toward the reign of commerce. But the
retirement and disappearance OF the old
supremacy has been Il very slow retreat.
inch by inch stubbbornly contested. Not
until the memory Of men now living did
the sceptre decisively pass from the agrl-
cultural dominion. and slavery was not
doubtful until that sceptre began 20
waver In 173 the twelve judges Of
England headed by Chief Justice Holt,
replied to the Crown. "In pursuance OF
His Majesty's order in counsel, hereunto
annexed, we do humbly certify our opin-
ion to be that negroes are merchandise
During the whole of the eighteenth CEN
tury England reserved 10 herself, by the
treaty OF Utrecht, the monopoly Of inn
porting negroes TO all the Spanish colo
uies--that ts 10 say, to nearly all South
America. The fact is noted by the an
notatOr Of Talleyrands Memoirs, that
when the English colOni rs had a proper
ton of twenty blacks TO one white, it
occurred 10 them 10 be indignant at the
immortality of the traffic. The declara-
ton that tho slave trade was repugnant
to universal morals was signed by The
European Powers for the first time ct
the Congress of Vienna, and not then by
Portugal or Spain.
Bat. such is the irony Of fatel there
was one country of the world. and that
purely agricultural dominion, which, in
the eighteenth century. opposed itself to
slavery with al the power IL could WELD.
That country was Virginia, the patriarch
Of the Colonies. Slavery had been forced
upon Virginia, and Tn the teeth of her re-
moustrance. oy the arbitrary power or
Great Britain. Twenty-thr,e statutes
Were passed by the House of Bureesses
to prevent the importation OF slaves, and
all We're negatiyed by the British King.
Virginia was the first State not only 10
prohibit the slave trade, but TO make IL
punishable with death The only quail
location TO this statement is that Georsla,
under Orslethorpe. did prohibit tine intro
duction Of African slaves unUl l752, when
the proprietors surrendered the charter
and IL became part of the Royal Govern
ment In 1919 the evangelist Whltheld
wrote. cone negro has been given me-
some more ! propose to purchase TINS
week" "This confirms me in the opinion
that Georgia never can be nOuIlsAlns
province without negroes are allowed
In midst of the Revolution as carly as Dee
tober. l-7S the law Of Virginia went forth
that thereafter no slaves should bc inn
ported by sea or land into the jurisdiction
of her Commonwealth. one of her first
acts when she had shaken from her the
power of the throne, was TO write that
odict Of emancipation for territory oI
her own. which she ever denied was In
|, the power of any one TO write for hcr
She wrote il for the territory which her
enterprise and valOr had Wresled from the
grasp of France. Whatever she might
chose 10 do herself it were hard 10 con
ccive a more arrogant claim than that
right in the territory OF her own dona-
ton. Even i'm respect 90 this territory
the agreement Of Virginia was without
any equivalent whatever, and the ordl-
nary principles of nudum pacLum might
have been applied to it. The Treaty Of
Independence with Great Britain, I'm li55
carefully stipulated that the British
should not carry away amy negroes OF
other property of the American inhabi-
o. srf Of D -Illa.lf
i'm 1914 spoke OF slaves or OJher private
property" At the former period, Ger
tainly, no authoritative expression ot the
thirteen colonies would have denied that
there was property in man. Ii Is true,
that i'm those States where negro labor
was unfrended by the climate, and there
fore Improbable TO the master, the slaves
were few. and at the date of the Consti-
tuition slavery had virtually worn out
in Massachusetts. This influence ot SOL
and climate, following in the tow OF
the subtler and deeper force. now swiftly
growing % mans estate, the rising force.
one might say. the rising world OF com
merce-thcse potent persuasions were al
ready combining TO force the issue be-
tween the former and the latter reiEA.
The Constitution of the United states
was therefore. a distinct bargain be-
tween the North and the South Tor the
security of slave property. for which a
redundant consideration was received by
the former i'm the control and regulation
of commerce by a simple majority, In
stead of a two-thrds vote. From Viz
ginia came the chief opposition 10 the
continuance of the slave trade. That
trade was continued for twenty years not
by the vote Of the solid South, but of
solid New En-land. Twenty years" eX-
claimed Madison. will produce all the
mischief that can be- app-ehended from
the liberty to import slaves and George
Mason rebuked the melancholy choice of
mammOn, for that some Of our Eastern
brethren had. from lust OF gain en-
gagged in this nefariOus traffic with
q prophets majesty he impiored the
South TO reject the provision eXtorted
as a price of this concession, the proVis-
ion to pass commercial laws by simple
majorities. This. be said. would Dee 10
deliver the South, bound hand and foot
90 the Eastern States, and enable them
10 say, in the words OF Cromwell on
certain occasion: The Lord hath deliver
cd them into our hands
Nefarlous Traffic.
Publis opinion had as yet experienced
no violent displacement as TO the mer-
charitable quality Of negroes; for the very
States in which slavery itself had ceased I
or was coasing 10 exist were those most !
actively engaged in the traffic in slaves
In the original draft Of the Declara- !
ton of Independence jefferson had /
denounced the king for warning against /
human nature. Determined 10 keep an /
open market where men should be bought /
and sold he has prostituted his negative |
for suppressng every legislative attempt !
TO 70 rf in is I'D