Year: 1860

uenldnu laDOr from tuOSc WHO were lnCd'


pable or indisposed to labor for them.


selves. 1t was claimed in the case Of va


grants; In the system of compulsory la.


Dor in the State of Massachusetts,, in the


workhouse, compulsory labor was rigor


ously demanded. 1t was enforced also


in the case of minors; the person having


one in charge had the absolute power OF


controlling and of selling him into service


until he is twenty-one and the master


had the right by force of law to bring


him back andASompel him to labor if he


runs away do not mean to say that


this is identical with slavery, but l dc


mean to say that they embody this prin-


ciple--the recognition of the original


right, under certain circumstances and


under certain forms, to compel labor from


those who have not the disposition or ca


pacity to labor without compulsion. The


question is, whether there are among us


four millions of persons belonging to a


class whose capacity and disposition to


labor are, to say the least, doubtful


whether we have it in our power to still


continue system that imposes compul-


sorry labor upon them All the rhetoric


that is expended is against the system of


American slavery. The speaker denied


the assertion that Shareholders own the


bodies and souls of men. 1t is false.


hood. All they own is right to make


them work. Under ancient systems OF


slavery, they did own the bodies of the


slaves, and the Romans used to cut them


in pieces for their fishes. The young
men Of Athens cut them up for amuse-
ment, leaving them in their streets. The
question only arises as to the original
morality of slavery-as to the proper ap-
plication of the masters right to the
slave; that is to say, whether they are a


race who have capacity and disposition


to labor, and whether they are race, if
set free, able or willing to render to soci-
ETY. return for that which will fit them


for civilization? whether they are race


which, if liberated, will not be a curse to
the land and impose upon us the necessi-
ty of supporting them without labor? l
am not justiiying the institution of
slavery am not pro-slavery man
but l say that, in the face of the conse-
quences which must result from setting
free four millions of paupers, is of very
grave moment. Are we committing sin
by allowing them to remain as they are?
The history Of Africa itself is sufficient
answer. The negro has never taken one
step towards his own civilization, nor to
his elevation, morally, socially or intel
lectually. Other nations have had their
golden ages; but Africa lies slumbering
in night, and through her vast domains
there is no mark of former civilation
nor of present activity. What can we
do with four millions of such persons in
our midst? If we could send them back
let us do it. The question is, shall we
transport four millions of Africans into
the bosoms of a civilized land, and let
them be the same barbarians as they are
in their own land? The sin of transport
ing them rests upon others. The negro
is the same lazy being in other countries.
All the statistics show that the negro is
incapable of ,aking care of himself. /
could quote figures to show the effects of
emancipation in the West Indies. The
testimony laid before the British Parlia-
ment, and acknowledged by the highest
authorities in various documents, all goes
to show that half of the civilization
of the West Indies was in state Of
bush. 1t was also shown that the free
negroes were lazy in Jamaica and st.
Domingo. Touissant rOverturc, who
was an able colored or black man, insti-
tuted measure to re-enslave the whole
of the liberated The effect, at least, of
the measure, was to do that. The meas
ure provided that if the negro did not
own a certain piece of ground he would
be compelled to hire himself out to com
pulsory labor. MIR. Bigelew, in his work,
clearly shows that the negroes were in
competent to labor. The possession of
five acres of land in Jamaica entitled
man to vote; but there has not been
vote cast there by them for the last five
years. The same thing appears in this
The negroes are an idle race;
they are hanging around our villages, in
the back streets Of our cities, q miserable
Of pauper race. 1t is said
that slavery has degraded the black man,
and that was the reason of his improvi-
dence. II that is so, why does not free
dom elevate him Because man has
been degraded by slavery, he becomes
more degraded when set free. The sys
tenn Of American slavery was the only
system that has done anything to elevate
the negro race. 1t has brought him into
contact with the usages Of the white man
and into contact with the influences of
the Gospel. There are more members of
the Christian church among slaves in this
country than any other people in tho
world; and the facts show that rs soon as
they are set free they relapse into bar
barism. 1t is remarkable that in the
State Of Massachusetts,, where more has
been done towards fostering and elevat
ing the black man than in any other part
Of the world. the population of the free
blacks has declined by one thousand in
fifty ycars-showing that they neverthe-
less die, no matter what can be DONE
The morals Of the slave are far better
than those of the native African. In the
latitude of Louisiana there are among
the blind and deaf and dumb, one to
l 200 blacks, whereas in the latitude of
New York there was one to 250--show-
ing that the negroes sink in morality and
in health. Notwithstanding all that has