The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-10-22
SUNDAY. OCTOBER %, 1890.
SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA,

IN NJ. new book. 'The End Of an Era
which ia indeed in the main deighuul
hook Mr.. John S Wise devotes part
of n chapter 10 q discussion of the slavery
question. and gives an account IN oelan
az slave sole which he attended IN uie
city OF Richmond just before the "aT
ia tells how men and women were put
~, on the block and sold TO the highest
bidder: how one woman was sold 10 d
O. uenur,ous old fellow who refused 10 Duy
with her her husband and two Children
how the woman would have been sepa-
rated from the other members OF her
family had II not been for the generosity
Of a manly fellow In the crowd "ho de-
clared that he would bankrupt himself
bafors he would see the thing done an"
wound up by purchasing the whole iaInilE'
After relating the incident MI WISE
saws. "Virginiansl You who in our oay
x,,.ra Lad by Lee and jackson! Have you
read this chapter7 Il 1t true or untfu''
Ask Yourselves calmly. The time has no"
come when you onght In justice 10 your
selves. 10 try 70 satisfy yourselves Wheie-
IN vour Old system was wrong ana IN
,usti6ahle "a well as wherein II was right.
II Is not written when the uu'h
can do YOU harm. II Is not written Dy
an an.n in feeling or an enthusiast lot
an abstract idea. II IS written 10 MAXI
you think-to make you ask yourselves
whether you can. before God. claim th"l
an was O. IL should be when we had
slavery. II is written TO reconcile you 70
your loss by showing you from what you
and your children were delivered.
We shall not discss Mr. Wise's motives
hut I'm writins his chapter he has mutt
lated the charming picture Of Virginia
life which his genius had drawn ana we
cannot see what good purpose he has
served thereby. Virginians do not need
TO be convinced that ''ill was not as
should be" In the slavery system. Nor
do they need to be reconciled TO the aboll-
ton OF slavery There is not man n
Virginia to-day who is not glad that
slavery Is thing Of the past; there Is
not a man In Virginia to-day who would
have slavery restored. The evils OF
slavery which Mr.. Wise points out are
at an end. and nothing Of the old system
survives save the tender affecton that
exists between the old Virginia negroes
and their former masters and mislresses
This was beautifully illustrated the other
day at the funeral OF Mrs. William B.
Taiaferro in Gloucester, when the Old
family servants gathered around her
grave and with the tears streaming from
their eyes sang "Blest oe the tie that
binds" Let Il rest with that Let us re-
member only that which was good. Moth
ing desirable is TO be accomplished BY
Mr.. Wise's narrative and the like of 1t.
But as Mr.. Wise has seen 1T to bring up
this question. we raise our protest against
the Impeachment implied in his lecture,
ana say that Virginia is not ashamed Of
her record on this question. The slave
trade in this country was not inaugurated
by Virginians. The slaves were brought
here FIRST by the Dutch and thereafter
chiefly by New England traders and Vir-
stnia was opposed TO the trsffic. In ls7l
1Eere were IN virginia OAl9 ]sN1V hCsioCo
out OF total population Of 4oooo. and as
sarly as 1850 did Virginia begin series
OF prohibition acts, twenty-three in all. by
which she sought 10 arrest or discourage
the further introduction OF slaves. In
IN; q most solemn and earnest petition
was made 10 King George the Third by
the VII Glnia House Of Bureesses in which
they declared that Tho Importation OF
slaves into the colonies from the coast OF
Africa hath long been considered as a
trade OF great inhumanity and under its
present encouragement we have too much
reason to fear will endanger the very ex-
istencs Of your Majesty's American Do
minions." But the cause Of humanity and
the wishes of the people Of Virginia were
not sufficlent 70 coun,erbalance the sordid
Interests OF the English slave traders,
and the petition OF the Virginlans was
ignored by the King. -Four years after
this petition was sent 10 King George the
Declaration Of American independence
was promulgated. This. as originally
drawn by o virginian and approved by
his colleagues contained az one OF the
grounds for the separation and the indie
pendence Of the colonies the charge
Against the King that ''deterpined to
49, EAasl~a sAAs~ $3.50 -A-ssia