The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-06-23
PRICE TWO C,E

| .,,ai, i, I-,pcltS. oul Notwithstanding
aueh OBJECTIONS the wise and great men
VINO formed the constitution, recognizing
| tiie eH'StinS Industrial and social condi-
| .iolis Oh society which had grown olIt
u .tne existence OF African slavery, In
| corpofated in it provisions for its Dru
! lection. 80 - "
IRON early time there Were those who
uueStlohed the rightfulness to slavery
posslDly without sufficient consideration
| u 'hc character ofthc different races Of
,I,,,r pIpr'e. rms feeling grew first with the
n!iahthropicNand religious classes until
! 'it last 1t was seized upon by politica
| uenaSogucs Us an Individual method OF
poiltical agitation and defamation by
olilce-seekers. 1t grew until mobs, lcgIs-
! laturts Il and courts rcpudiutcd Tho con
s.nhtionai provisions and the laws OF
congress and the decisions of the S,,-
DTemc Court OF the United States which
projected slavery in the States where It
| existed. ana required the rendition OF
@Sihtes @ Wmch they escaped into other
| states. The agitation or this question
gathered In strength and Violence until
| II resulted IN civil war in Kansas fol-
! lowed by the raid OF John Brown and
| MS followers, who invaded the State Of
| Virginia for the purpose Of melting tho
| negroes 10 q war OF races. And because
he was lawfully arrested and convicted
anu hung by the authorities Of the state
or Virginia for levyinE war on the state
III IN effort to bring about IL horrid war
| cSt"SGI Tic IlcE5IOGS ana whites, nlnnV
or the Northern churches were draped
| III mourning and many OF the Northern
people npplauded his efforts and eulogiz-
Cd this feion as q hero and Il martyr
This was followed by the nomination
and election OF q purely sectional nnti-
slavery ticket for President and Vice
President OF the United States. ana dur
| Ing the Congress, which Immediately
| preceded the secession OF the Southern
states. thirty odd measures OF compro-
mise were introduced In one or the
other branches of Congress, in the hope
| OF securing the adoption Of Il policy by
which the union OF the States and the
rights OF the States and or The people
| could be preserved and war prevented.
Each OF these propositions Of compro-
mise was introduced either by Il South
ern man or by Northern Democrat,
ana every one Of them was received with
hooting and derislon by the Republican
members. rs the Congressional Globe OF
that period will show And the South
ern members were told that they had to
submit to the will or the majority, plain
ly showing that our people could no
longer rely for the protection OF the
rights Of the States or or the people on
the enforcement OF the provisions OF the
constitution and the laws Of the United
States. Gould any people have sub
mitted to all this who were worthy of
! liberty and good government?
In later times those not familiar with
| the facts to which I am referring have
asked the question why was this great
question not compromsed?' stating
| that 1T would not have cost q fifth Of the
money to pay for liberuting the slaves
| that the war cost, and In that way the
tens Of thousands Of valuable lives Of
| good men might have been saved, and
all the attendant suffering prevented.
| The first answer to that question Is
that the slaves in the United States at
the beginning Of the war were estimated
| TO be or the value Of three thousand
million dollars. and If they were to be
| liberated common honesty required that
It should have been at the expense Of
| the nation. which was responsible for
Its existence. The Republicans and the
anti-slavcry people were then major
| ity OF the whole people, and had full pos
session Of the Federal government, or
were ready and authorized to take pos
i session Of 1t. And they demanded that
the whole loss to arise from the freeing
Of the slaves should fall on their owners
and on the Southern States. They never
proposed. and would not have consent
ed for the Federal government and the
Northern people to pay any part Of the
cost Of freeing the slaves. Their patriot
Ism was not Of the kind that would
cause them to assume Il part of the bur-
den OF correcting what they claimed to
be great national wrong, which we in
I hertcd from other and older nations,
and which was Incorporated In our So
i cinl and Industrial systems, and sane
toned by our constitutions, State and
Federal, In the organization Of the gov
| ernments. The agltators were willing
| and anxious to be patriotic and just at
| the expense Of other people.
The second answer to It Is, that the in
| dustrial and social systems Of the South
ern States were SO interviewer with the
! interest OF slavery that the people then
| believed that freedom Of the slaves, with
| out compensation, meant the bankruptcy
| OF the people and States where It eX.
| listed, to be followed probably by O. war
Of races. I am speaking Of what they
then believed. AS an evidence that our
own people. In the earlier years OF the
Of the republic, recognized the necessity
Of acquiesclng In the social and indus
| trial conditions which had grown out Of
African slavery. history tells us that
! General George Washington, who was
! an extensive Shareholder, was made
commanderin-chie Of our revolutions
ary armies. He was the president Of
stitution OF the United States. and was
| elected as the first President Of the
! United States, and was reelected to
that position. Mr.. Jefferson, Mr.. Madi-
son, Mr.. Monroe. General Jackson, Mr.
Polk. and General Taylor were each
| elected President OF the United States,
| and all Of them We're the owners Of
| slaves. They like the trainers Of the
! constitution recognized that this coun-
| try had inherited a condition OF things
In this respect in which it became ne
| cessary to acquesce. I do not assume
to know whether. If a proposition to pay
for the slaves had been made. 1t would
| have been accepted.
| HAMPTON P0ADS fCONFEP ENfyNr &g