OCR Text |
Show ~ . ~ . _ A l' p E N D I" X •r 0 N 0 T E S • APPENDIX TO NOTES. 237 prononncet1. I disclaim n.ll rnlcs or ln.ws in ·investi~ting thi~ qtH'S~ tion, IJu~ the con1m0n law of En;:d1~nd, fl!il bmu~ht to this country by uur f.m:fathers, when they cmi~-;ratcJ. hither, ant!M adupte~ by th em, mul as mot\ilierl l>y \'llriou!il df'clamtions of the l e~;ishturo .slllce, BOas to just it)' thP fi)r\'gl,ing: definition. If, tlil'rl'f0rc, n. 8lavc ~ s :~reasonalJI•) creature, within the p1·otr•ction of the liHI', the kilh~1g o. sl:wo with malice fH'f'Jif''l~f', i~ uutnlC'r by the comn•uu law. 'V•th thn services anJ lab(m~ of the slanJ, the law has nothing to do; they arc tho mtutcr'~, Ly the law: the g-t•Hlrnment aud contn)l of them belong cx<" lu~ivr ly to !tim. No1· will the bw in terfere upon the ground that thn Statc'!il l'i~ht~, and not tho master'.'!, hn.1·o been ,·iolated. ln er;labli;,llin:; sll~\'c l·,y, then, the law Vf'Stt·d in the ma~tcr the absolnll' and un('ontrvllc(! ri:.;ht to the l';f'rvices oflhe sbvf', awl the means of cu iUr<1i ng these ~en icc.", r~~llrHv as necfl:;sary com!Cfjllf'nces; nor yoill the law weigh with the mo~t r-;crupulous nicety his acts in relation thcn•to ;*but the JifC of a. ~hvc bein~ noways neec8sary to be pln.ccd in tlw power of the owner fur the full enjoymcut of his serv ices, tho law t:~kcs ca1·o of tlmt., unU with me it has no weight, to fihow that by the Ja.ws of Aucient Rome or !llotle1·n Turkey, an n.bsoluto power is g:i\•en to the ma~tcr O\'er tho life of his s lave. 1 answer, !Iiese al'e nfJt f~~:l~:~~~~~.~~~ Ct~l!~t:t• l:~~~:.t!1~f ~:~~d~llO~~O~ll~l ~ 1\~~:~.C t~:cr ~;~~7~~~~~~~~11~~ of the mild precepts of Christianity; and if it is said, thn.t. no law i~ produced to !!how tha.t such is the stn.to of sl;wm·y in our l!ul(l, J call on t!tf'm to show tho J:tw IJy which the life of il, sla1·e is placed at the diAJ)O~al of his master. Jn atltlition, 1 must tom.y, thn.t if it _ is not murder, it i:s no offence, uut e1·e11 :t brti'O tre~plVJS. Nor Jo l think . that :tnythin.;; ~bould Lo dt·:ul'll ft·um the various acts of the legislature on the sul~ect. L('gi~lati"o exposition is good whilo the system of hw ttJUs expounded is in fiJt'cc: hut when the whole Rystem is :l~andoned, ns is done by tho net of 1817, exposition should be laid afl•de. But if the lcgi~lati1·e exposition ill to have woi;;ht, the last should be recei\·ed, n.nd the act. last mentioned speaks the lang;uag;e of dcchtration, tu.d not tl1:1t or 1't1acrtmeut. .tlut it i t:~ uot ttdmittcd tbnt the nets pl'ior to tho ac t of IH17. are by any rnl'uns fl c lear le;.;isla.tive declaration, that it wus lHl ut!Cncc tu kill a sl:tve anterior to any statutory provisifln. The lit·~:t ('lJ:lctm~nt tlmt wo hrwc on the Fuldect, is a simplll dcelat·;ttion, that if any pen10n t-:hall maliciouf.!ly kill a. slave, he ~-;hall !oiullCr impri;;r•muent. J:'rom thi~ we arc not n.bsolutei,Y to conclude, that tho le;:;i:;lature thou~ht that before that tillle it wns no off't·nco; it i!! quite possible thn.t ju1·if'~ had not npplied the principles of the comnwn law in thf'ir purity to tho ofli·ncc: fin· we Reo the spirit of tho times hy tho lf'~i.•datii'O net; but thnt spirit is happily no more. 1 would mention as an JHiditionHI argmllf'llt, th:lt if the contrary exposition of the l:~w i~ correct, then the life of a sbve is at the mercy • The snmo is true in other nnrl V<'ry dilf~·rent J·n!ations in lifo. Pfl.l'ents nnd sclwollull'llOI'S uwy (·Orr<'ct :L d1ild: ···L>ut. the NliTCclion must bo modern to, nnd iu 11. prOJ>Cr m:uln<'r, nud fur U1c guod 11f the ('hi]d: l>ut if the parent. or mnstcr have nut lldOLI in J,;rent violHliun ,,f ju~tiNJ nnol l'rOpridy, their eunduct t~.:ill JWt '"' lreifJIIcd iu ,qoldu1 ll(''lit><." J)oul'icr, lnstitutl•J uf i\lllcrican Lnw, vol. 3. p. 4V7, aud marginal r ufvroucos. |