The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-02

queen GsseNs caroline and the Northern Neck,
from inc pay to the Blue Ridge. We also lived
m Alexandria, fredericksburg Charlottesville
nlchinond and Petersburg. Va, and Murfreesboro
n. G.. and attended college at Randolph Macon,
and the University of Virginia During the war
IN the Typographical Engineer was familiar
IN t"ehty-tour other counties OF Virginia. In all
my experiences, wherever l went, the slaves
We're contented people-happier indeed than
Ihe whites We're, and generally devoted to their
masters ana their families. Treated far better
tbah the factory hands of the North--for were
they not indeed members OF the family we'll
COINED ana the sick specially attended to-
can recall only two or three instances where
the masters treated their slaves badly and they
We're looked down upon and denounced by their
Helsnpors' AS stated in my former article,
'He safes or slaves were very rare save for omen
FtbeIl'on or gross crime and nisdemeanors:
When SOLD for debt, In most cases. they were
'oUs Ell, ny helshnors Much of the removals
~ slaves from virginia was along with their
inasters-the whole household gong-for was
not the south and West largely peopled from
virginia? Parties moving frequently bought the
husbands or wives and children of their slaves
'"here such were owned by others), in order
not to break up the families Quite n number
OF farmers in Virginia and North Carolina owned
also plantations and slaves in the South and
.heS would sometimes transfer families Of slaves
TO their southern Observation-Disclosures they often
,''so mao MONIES: BY these methods large num-
Der OF the 5000 to 10000 per year vcrf,-moyea
from Virginia to the South. Were there not
tuly as many whites to remove from Virginia
each year? Notwithstanding. however this
seeming great exodus Of slaves only about one
IN sixty, the population of slaves In Virginia was
increasing every year. Although the negro In
crease Is now smaller. and the death rate larger
n1 3 per9re me war; yet. II all the negro crimi.
hais ana worthless loafers were removed from
virginia have no doubt there would be an
exodus OF some 5000 annually. NV personal
statements OF facts that came under my own
observation refers to the late 40s and the SOS
and SOS, while Mr.. Halls references TO Pror
Dew and others, refer to the 30's There was
change going on in the views of the people
during the fifty and more years preceding the
war AT the time the United States Constitu-
ton was framed. the views of jefferson and
II n lad fy n
dence, largely prevailed. This country had but
recently emerged from the thraldon OF England
Hence the provision for the abolition Of the Save
trade and the great desire Of many for the lib
Grafton OF the negroes IN slavery in this country
Gradual emancipation IN vew-for all saw
mat immediate emancipation was impossible As
the people of the South studied the question OF
African slavery more thoroughly and philosophi-
cally considering tho abject condition OF these
people In AFRICA the great Improvement that
they were continually experiencing from the In
innate contact with and control by the white
race and the utter ilnpossibtlity OF their ad-
vance IN any other way Gas We can now seq
20 Weld. they became fully convinced that slav-
cry, as practiced III the South was not only
right, but a great blessing to all concerned
Inc South knew then Gin the 4Gs and 5os).
what all tho nation who know anything about
H. Know now-that not one in hundred of the
negro men of the South are fitted fer equal civil
privileges with the average white Now.
after nearly fifty years of freedom, with all the
educational advantages which they have enjoyed.
and the many millions Of dollars from the North
lay!shed upon their higher institutions I doubt
lf there is one head OF n family in 100 who
controls his sons after they fifteen years
Old. Many boys much younger than that do not
mind their parents work only when they
choose, whore they please, day and night
smoke cigarettes ana sometimes tote pistols ana
guns a gentleman told mo recently that he be-
lived In his section. nine out OF every ten young
negro men always carried pistol and a razor.
Surely X cannot he generally anything near that
| bad, am told that n negro school teacher and
preacher. graduate from Hamptor-ts teaching
! his pupils. and the members Of the societies
( Al
when they can avoid H. and to call them simply
i "BlI Jones' "Old Man Smith" etc liz the
| negro problem yet solved? What look for
/ In the future? know MANY point 10 Il happy
future-counting that education and Christianity
Will elevate and refine the negro. A few are
elevated, but not refined. The great bulk OF the
| negroes care only to read and write and many
do for that, "A little learning is a
dangerous thing and in Virginia. certainly the
cordtaty hetwce- tho rucc, ana tho trust tn
each other f. lessening daily We all know what
that portends
/ Bat to return to slavery times. During the
! sos numerous books We're written some By non
Shareholders. some by Northern born citizens
defending and praising up the philosophy and
practice OF slavery. There was scarcely a single
Southerner who did not look upon Uncle Toms
Cabin as uavesty on the truth as to southern
life In general. Slavery defended as
humane and beneficial institution, and very few
regarded II q source OF profit. Tho profits
from the sales that were Inevitable (nado only
for crimes and rebellion). scarcely covered the
cost Of the keep Of the young. the aged. The
General Washington at MI. Vernon spent much
of her time in providing and cutting out the
clothing for their numerous slaves The matrOns
on pearly every plantation In Virginia and the
South, up to the close OF the war. simi-
larry employed. and also in visiting the sick and
infirm slaves aud ministery 10 their wants. They
/ looked after their having decent marriages
having regular ceremonies performed In the
great house" sometimes In the churches;
/ all the country churches had galleries for the
| negroes We soldiers during the often dis
cussed the great blessing would have flor
we constantly expected q successful issue and
we lost it by many very narrow margins), In
the freest and best government the world
saw; With disturbing anti slavery States. 1t
would be the most permanent of all free gov
ernments ever undertaken. Because with a
slave population to do the chores OF a that
could never aspire to citizenship, there would be
a white homogeneous citizenship OF fioent
education and morality, to always vote !ntelli-
gently. We thought that tho Confederate States
gether for mutual defense, With the oppor-
tunityto keep the seGitipus literature fror1
the North, there would be no longer the need
Of laws against teaching slaves to read. Indeed
many mistresses taught their household slaves
to read anyhow. The consideration, and / may
say love- the masters had for their slaves would
always have allowed worthy to free
dom by emigration. That often the case
before the war since writing this article have
received good authority for the statement that
most of muattos tho offspring of the
Northern soldiers In midst during and after
the
Respectfully
JOHN w c. DAVIS.
Hague Va August 81