Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-26

When Georgia was settled there was
but one opinion about the slavery OF
Africans, and that was in Its favor.
There was not the slightest moral
wrong, men thought, in buying slave
in Africa and bringing him to Chris
tian country, Not even the Quakers
had as yet recognized the system as an
evil and had slaves without compunc-
ton, but the trustees forbade their IN
PRODUCTION into the Georgia colony.
This they did from purely economic
reasons. They wanted to build up a
colony in which poor men could get a
start in the world. and where there
would be no. slave labor to compete
with those who had to labor with their
hands They did not wish large estates
estates to be the rule, and so gave
only a few grants Of 500 acres Of land.
Their land tenure was for life, only
unless there were heirs male, and the
settler brought in by them could only
get so acres of wild land as his hold
ing. Rum was forbidden and slavery
was not to be allowed. The nearest
colony was South Carolina; it was now
very prosperous. Rice planting was
profitable and negro slaves were in
great demand There was large slave
market in Charleston and negroes were
very cheap. Land was easily secured
in that province and so all the people
of means who came south from Vir-
ginia and from other lands stopped
in South Carolina. The colony of the
trustees banquetted, a great cutlery
was raised against Mr.. Oglethorpe and
loud complaints sent TO England about
the state of affairs. In my story Of
Georgia the story is told of this con-
fict between the Oglethorpe and the
anti-Oglethorpe parties at length. The
chief grievance was that there were
no slaves. The Highlanders said they
did not want them, the Germans said
they did not, and certain leading men
near Savannah said they ought to be
excluded, but the larger part Of the
people said they must have African
labor or give up the colony.
The trustees refused to yield for
near 20 years. Then Mr.. James Haber-
sham, who was the wisest and most
influential man in the colony advised
that slaves should be allowed and
plainly stated that the colony would
die. if they were not introduced. In
this view he was seconded by Mr..
Whitfield, who had now become man
of great influence, and the trustees
yielded and then negroes were brought
to Georgia as slaves. The first large
immigration came from South Caro-
lima. Joseph Bryan, the father Of
Jonathan, the brothers Barquin, the
Buffers, and sundry others who had
considerable plantations in South Car
DINA Games to Georgia. Mr.. Whitfield
bought slaves in Charleston. Sir Pat
rick Houston, Noble Jones. James
Habersham, Lachlin McGilverny and
others opened plantations around Sa-
vannah and the rice fields and negro
quarters were found where the pas
senger stations and railway shops are
now. Although some OF the negroes
were American born they were all OF
them virtually Africans. Their envir-
onments had had but little transform
ing influence. 1t is very, difficult for
the Georgian Of this day accustomed
to seeing the negroes and colored peo-
pie as they now appear to get true
idea Of what these people were near
two hundred years ago. Not much
over five feet tall. with low brows,
heavy jaws. kinky heads. muddy eyes,
fiat feet, with rows of shining white
teeth they seemed a link between the
ape and the man. They had been
slaves IN Africa in many cases and
they were the widest OF savages.
Their language was the strangest jar
gon and they had not the slightest
idea of what the white man called re-
ligion or morality.
-. They worshipped the devil when they.
worshipped anything, for they said the
devil would hurt them II they did not
pay him homage. They had no idea OF
purity or honesty. They were only. kept
at labor by the certainty Of punish
ment They had never had any pity
shown them in Africa and. on the slave
ship, and they expected none. They
were branded by the slave dealers and
by their owners, oftentime. with a hot
iron, and it was a death penalty in the
colony to efface a brand. They were
fed on potatoes and rice and corn, and
rarely had meat. Their clothing was
generally one garment, long shirt.
The people who owned them were
Scotchmen, Englishmen and Spaniards.
The story of Robinson Crusoe and the
authentic account of the labors Of
Las .Casas give us a true view of the
character of their bondage.
The first effort of which have found
any mention to establish a mission
among them by Protestants and lead
them to the truth was made in Geor-
gia and by James HaOersham. He in
duced Mr. Whitefeld to send him a
young Methodist from England to be
a missionary to his negroes. These
poor, ignorant savages fell into the
hands of good people. in the main, and p
were treated kindly as rule, and in
creased rapidly. There were not many
when they first came. but before the
revolution there were thousands of
them. After Sir James Wright came,
and after Sunbury and Savannah be-
gan to prosper the merchants brought
large cargoes of slaves from Sierra