Year: 1859

by slave, is certainly founded in wisdom, aud


is much to be regretted that masters. for who's


good, iu part the law was enacted. should exhibi


such utter disregard for its provisions 1t is NOR


to be regretted, however, that these constant AM


open violations of q we'll known law, should b.


ALLOWED to go "unwhipped of Justice. 0fence


of q minor character are zealously hunted out ant


the offenders are dragged to the Court room to m


swer for their conduct, while other violations o


the law, the one to which We are now alluding


standing among the chief, are openly committed


and, being winked at, the bold offenders stanc


justified in the sight Of community.


Negroes are not, naturally, fond Of work, and /


allowed to wander from place to place in search o


occupation, being only required to make weekly oil


monthly returns to their owners, we need not b,


surprised if, in order to meet these requirements


they resort 10 dishonest means In our own com


munity we have illustrations Of the truth of thi


assertion. Here we see, daily, negroes who arc


known to have TO pay large wages to their mas


ters. who are seldom or never seen working al


their several II ades on tho contrary able-bodied
carpenters arc seen, continually, hawking fish and
fruits about streets. This state of things is
ruinous to the negro as we'll as injurious to the
community; they are too often the ngents of dis.
honest white men, who, being afraid to carry on
their nelarious traffic in their own persons, find
ready and willing agents in thes, idle and unre.
strained negroes; and thus may We account in a
measure, for the ready access our slaves have to
the whiskey bottle; for these enassaries Of the
groceries can move among them without suspicion
and contine to sell to them, for a lenth of time,
without detection. Are We not right 10 this mat.
teri We put it to the reader to say if their minds
have not already fixed upon one or more of these
privileged negroes, whose income does not depend
upon honest labor, but, rather. is derived from
such sources we have indicated.


The violation of this law works not only q me raj
injury to the negro and to the slave portion of the
but also works great pccuniary loss
to those masters who, owning negroes who have
learnt trade, have 200 much respect for the law,
and regard for the well'being of the community to
allow them to hire their time, or, in other words
to sell them their freedom. For the negroes who
outside of and beyond their trade, have SO many
other sources of income, can of necessity. when
inclined to work. sell their labor cheaper than the
master sell that of his negro who is kept under
his direction and control. 1t is MUST and injur
GUS to the white mechanic who cannot compete
with those whose expenses are betrayed by dishon
est means, and who are always ready to underbid
them for any pieco of work to be performed.


Another effect of the continued violation of this
law is apparent in the impuIence and i,dcpend
ence of the negro mechanics. They constitute
colored aristocracy, and whilo they lord it over
other negroes, they seem to think themselves just
about as respectable as the whites around them
We need not dwell upon this point ; it is enough
that we state it 10 order to convince our readers of
its TRUTH


What then shall we do to check this evil and
put stop to this open violation of known
law We suggest to the police of our town and
the patrol throughout the district to pay no regard
to monthly passes authorizing negroes to pass and
repass. without stating distinctly the points to and
from which they are permitted to go and return
but to treat negroes travelling with such tickets as
though they had none at all we would suggest
further, the strict enforcement of the town ord
nance, now in force, in our own town let all ne.
groes found hiring their own time, be arrested and
properly punished, but above all, let see to is
that the indicted for tho violation of the
law. In this way, and in this way alone. can we
check the evil, and rid our community of set of
,olored rascals, whose viliany is only equaled by
that of the white men who have seduced them
from course Of honesty and sobriety. If this
cannot be done, let the law be repealed and let us
either quietly submit to the wrongs which we now
suffer, or take the necessary steps for our ndivd
ual protection.