Year: 1864

naughty and imperious and has not
just appreciation Of the rights of the
poor man. Again it has a pernicicus


influence on the morals of the people.


You often see in the cities and towns
large class of the slave population that
are the offspring Of the white man and
as the condition of the child follows
the mother, the children of white men
are enslaEed- You will see occasional
ly on the same farm, children of the
same father and on the death of the
father those in slavery are sold for di-
vision between the legitimate heirs
Again, you see in the courts of the State
suits brought by the legitimate child or
children to recover as ehattel property,
the half brother or sister A suit of
this character was brought in a court
in this State but few years past, by the
half brother to recover the acknow-
ledged children of the father. The
daughter sought to be recovered, was
educated and would have passed in any
community as white woman. Again,
men who are regarded as gentlemen,
from their wealth, cohabit with their
slaves and rear families, this has a de-
moralizing tendency, and corrupting
influence, it is violation of the great
principles of christianity. Again, it
disturbs the peace and happiness of
many families The beastly passions
of the husband tempts him to violate
his marriage VOWS, the wife is compel
ee to bear her woes in silence or break
up the family, by a resort to the pro
lection of the law, and as the offence is
in the privacy Of the family, no witness
can be had to prove it.


Again, the slave is human being
possessed of the common instincts of
the race, with feeling of affection for
their offspring. Husbands and wives,
parents and children, brothers and sis
ters are separated at the will of the
master, and carried to distant sections
never to meet again. Such are soma of
the evils of slavery Every man of OBJ
servation in the South must admit the
truth of them. Are they not violation
of the great principles of moral law, of
those principles that are daily taught in
the churches of the land2 It's pr:n-
ciple in philosophy and morals that no
nation or people ever violated great |
moral law without punishment follow
ing If physical law of the body is
violated suffering and sometimes death /
is the result Again, slavery has pro-
duced the war now desolating the eoun-
try. We as a nation were comparatively |
free and prosperous people with gov |
ernment whose burdens upon us were
as light as the air in which we live 1t |
was the home of the oppressed of all !
nations, every citizen enjoyed the larg-
est liberty, the courts were always open
for redress. No one was ever uniustly |
oppressed by that government A citi- !
zen could travel from Maine to Florida |
without pass or molestation, yet not,
withstanding the countless blessings |
growing out Of tbs established govern
ment, we see a portion of the people /
rebelling against that government and |
seeking to break up and destroy it, al /
ledging as reason the institution of |
slavery was in danger, an Institution |
fraught with such evils to our race. And |
that people setting up government for
themselves proclaiming to the world |
slavery was the chief corner stone of |
the edifce, We see a government thus
established has become within three |
years a despotism more terrible than |
that of Dyonicus Of Syracuse or of Alex
ander of Russia We see young boys |
of 16 and old men of 50 captured and |
handeufed, taken off, placed in their
armies and compelled to fight against
the government, Of their fathers. We
see the whole people from l6 to 80
forced by a merciless CONSUMPTION into
their armies. Could any body of men
having power, who had been educated
with correct principles for the masses
and who had not been taught that slave
ry was rightand have beenremoved from
itsNinfuenees have inaugurated such
despotism. No Such despotism is the
result Of habit and education, this be-
ing the effect of slavery, it is the duty |
of loyal men to expel it from Tennes-
see. Let US seek to elevate our own
race, establish schools throughout the
land, devote our energies to the i'm
provement Of the white race. And ere
long Tennessee viii occupy high and
proud position among the States of
the Union GUION


Clarksville, Oct. 25, 1864.