The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-05-24
BILL .ARP'S LETTER.
He Gives Some Chapters of History on
African Slavcry-FactS IN Regard to
Emancipation and Subsequent
Events.
T Bill Arp in Atlanta Constitution. |

Bill Arp in Atlanta Constitution ]
The institution Of African slavery is
so intimately connected with the his
tory of Georgia and has been so closely
interviewer with her civilization that
brief account of its origin and growth
and sudden abolition should be record
eG. Not for cri!nination or eXculpation,
but that the truth Of history may he
virdicated. Facts--cold facts-are his
tory, and they never blush to be mar
rated.
Until 1913, only fifty years ago,
African bondage prevailed, not only
in many Of the less civilized countries
of Europe aud South America, but in
England, the foremost and most en-
lightened government in the world.
Early in this century the slave trade
became odious to all phi!anthropists,
but slavery itself was not. The bru-
tality with which the trade was con-
Quoted and the "borrors of the middle
passage,n as it was called, had awak-
ened the pity of mankind, and by
common consent the traffic in Africans
and their transportation to other coun-
tries was prohibited under the severest
penalties, both in Europe and the
United States.
But, still the institution of slavery
continued Where it had been planted.
1t not only continued, but was ell
couraged as moral agency Of civili-
Zation until Wilberforce began the agi-
tation Of its abolishment in England
and her colonies in 1925. But the
plant of this great reform was of slow
growth, and emancipation was not
accomplished until long after Wilber-
force bad died. In 1913, the slaves of
England and all her colonies were
emancipated, and their owners were
paid S3O0,000,0OO for them out of the
national treasury.
The sentiment of the people Of the
United States against slavery was more
pronounced than it was in England,
and the States began early to provide
for immediate or gradual emancipation.
Georgia was the first State to prohibit
the slave trade with Africa, and she
kept the prohibition inviolate while
some Of the Northern States carried it
on long after their own slaves were
emancipated. There was to them no
profit in slavery, but there was fabu-
lous gains in the traffic. Hence they
gradually disposed of their own by
sending. them South. and in some
instances the young of their slaves
were given away. (Appleton's Cyclo-
pedia is authority for this).
Bui the feeling in the States was
generally averse to slavery and that
feeling was for time stronger at the
South than at the North. The ordi-
nance of 1857 that excluded the insti-
tuition from the Northwcste ern terrific
ries was supported by Southern men q.
Pennsylvania provided for gradual
emancipati N, and as late as 1910 her
slaves were not all free, and in some
cases were sold for debt. (See Apple
TOM Rhode Island and Connecticut
had few left in 1910; New Jersey had
.2236 in 1850; New York emarcipated in
1927.
That the Southern States did not
emancipate was owing to a variety of
circumstances.
The climate was suited to the negro
and he seemed contented and happy.
The masters had invested more of
their money in them than had been
done further North.
The invention of the cotton gin had
suddenly stimulated the cultivation of
cotton, for which the negro was pecu-
liarly fitted, and the growth of rice,
tobacco and sugar cane was equally iu-
viting to hisiabor.
But more than all these reasons was
the fear that the slaves were in such
fast increasing numbers as to put the
commonwealth in peril if they were
freed. They were still affected with
the same race traits they had inherited
from barbarian ancestors, and could
not be con rolled as freedmen or as
citizens.
STILL. there was an intelligent and
influential number of our people who
favored gradual emancipation. This
sentiment wasslowly but surely spread
ing. Joseph Heury Lumpkin, the
chief justice CT our supreme court,
was out-spoken as co-worker with
the gradual emancipation policy in
augurated and advocated by Henry
Clay, of Kentucky.
This policy would certainly have
been adopted by Georgia, but for the in
tolerance and bitterness with which
the New England abolitionists waged
their uncoasing war upon the South.
Our people resented their threatened
denomination and said: "If you let
US alone we may do it, but You cannot
drive us. We are penned up with
these negroes and know where our
safety lies
William Lord Garrison, of Boston,
founded the anIislavery party III 1881.
Arthur Tappin became its fourth pres
ident in 1888. They expended much
money in magnifying and exaggerating
the abuses Of slavery. They declared
that all laws OF the government that
recognized slavery were utterly null
and void. AS their party grew stronger
they became more aggressive, and in
1874 the free soil party openly avowed
that their object was to effect disso-
lution of the union and TO form q