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Show 30 J'ORTRAITURJ: OF SLAVERY. vised for this puq,ose, would be to open subscriptions throughout the United States, for raising a fund, to b.l" applied to the purchase of an extensive tract or territmy of United States, land, in some proper district, (which probably might be obLained on a liberal credit,) where such coloured people, as now are, or may become free, might be invited to settle as tenants, or eventual pur4 chasers. The settlement might be committed to the care of proper agents, and if the profits should ultimately exceed a sufficient amount to remunerate the original advances with the interest, the surplus might be appropriated to the education and general benefit of the African race in this country.*· - Havino- now (a• I hope,) shewn the practicability and mutual advantages, of the melioration and ultimate freedom ol the American slave population, I ~hall proceed to com. municate some filets and remarks on the interior traffic in slaves, and on the practice of kidnapping coloured persons, legally free. To those who may object to the propriety of exposing to public view, such deeds ~s are likely to_ shock the feelings and syt':'patLy of the. fnends of humamt_r, I rel'ly, that the obJeCt ts not to c~cttc popular execrataon agamst their authors, but comnusserat10n towards the sufferers, * A few days subsequ ent to the time I hat the above suggestions were originally committed to paper, th? House o~ Delegates of the Virginia Legislature, passed the fullowmg resoluhon, by em a~most unanimous vote; " That the Executive be requested to corrc:sp~nd with the President of the United States, f01 the purpose of obtaJ_nt~t;: a Territory upon the North Pacitic, oral some othf'r place~ not wllhlD. any of the states, or I he lerritorial governments of the Umle1l States, to serve as an asylum for such ()Crsons of colour, as arc now free, and may desire the same, and for those who may he hereafter emancipated within this commonwealth, &c." If the rm~?ent systc.rn of t estrictions upon emancipation should be perseveretl m, fo~ un mde· finite length of lime, the necessary final result, must be fn~htful to contemplate. If a stale, containing soil su~ cicnt f~ substst only 1 000 000 of slaves besides the free populatiOn, ()rOvlllt:s no outlet. r~r u:e excess of that number, by permitting tl~cir emancipat~oo or o.therwise; starvation must be the consequence. ( I , • <- I POR lllAITURE OF SLAVERY • 31 and to discourage the repetition of cruelty. In supplications for redress of grievances, it is customary and neces. sary too, lOr the aggrieved party, to represent the wrongs complained of: The fitcts adduced, can be well substan. tiated :-but as it is believed that no valuable purpose will be gained, by the mention of names and specific places where they occurred, th<y will be omitted as far as it may be convenient. In the structure of our political institutions, we have, in some respects, undoubtedly excelled the ancient rcpub. lies :-And in others, we have evidently degenerated. Solon per~eived that slavery was a fruitful source of mo .. rat depravity to the Athenians, and abolished it ; notwith. standing it had its origin in the previous voluntary con .. traction of debts, by the slaves. We neglect this valuable lesson of Solon. and also a political maxim of his, which ought to form th01comer-stone of every republic. Being asked what kind of government is best, he answered, " that in which an injury to the meanest member of the community, is esteemed an aggression upon the whole., Our laws for the protection of the rights and liberty of free yellow and black people, must he exceedingly defectiV<', or there could not at this moment be thousands of them illegally held in slavery. Slavery, says Sterne, however disguised, is still a bitter draught; but it is rendered tenfold more bitter and intolerable, when the members of families are dragged a~undrr, never to behold each other, or their native wonted country again.-!\nd it is the uncontrolled slave trade, between the middle and southerly states, which g~vcs fh~ility to the extensive and increasing practice of ktdnappmg, (slaves as well as freemen,) and secures it from the_possibility_ of detection, except casually. Under the ex1stmg laws, 1f a free coloured man travels without passports certifying his right to his liberty, he is gcncmlly apprche!1ded; and frequently plunged into slavery, by the operatiOn o~ the laws. But after being seized and manacled by the ktdnapper, the slave merchant drives him through several states, without interruption, and sells |
