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Show 38 DESPO'l'IS!Il SECTION III. The Ernph·e claimed by the Jlfaster. The relation of master and slave, as ~ve may C?n~ elude from the foregoing statements, IS ~ rc~ atwn purely of force and terror. Its only sanctiOn IS the power of the master; its best secunty, the fears of the slave. It bears no resemblance to a.ny thmg hke a social compact. Mutual int~rest, faith,. truth, ho~lesty, duty, afl'ection, good-w~ll, are. not 1ncluded, 111 any form whatever, under this r~latwn. . But let us descend somewhat mto partiCulars, and inquire more specifically what is the nature of the empire claimed by the master. rrhat empire is the most abs_olntc_ and r~omprehensive which it is possible to 1magme. I he master considers his slaves as existing solely for IllS benefit. He has purchased, and he posses~cs them for his own sake, not for theirs. His sole obJect IS to obtam the greatest possible profit out of them. . Perhaps to obtain this greatest profit, It may benecessary to feed them plentifully, and clothe them well, and to allow them certain intervals of rest, and other like indulgences. If the master is of that opinion, he acts accordingly. llut in so acting he merely pursues his own advantage. If he has adopted the contrary opinion, if he imagines that he can save ~ore by retrenchment than he can make by outlay, 11l that case he cuts down the a1lowanceof rest, food, and clotlu_ng, and endeavours to supply the deficiency by the stuuulus of the lash. It is a mere matter of calculation either way· not a question of morals, but a. mere problem of' domestic economy. 'The slaves arc not thought of as sentient beings, but as mach,nes to be kept in profitable operatiOn. . . One who visits a slave-holdn~g commumty,_ forth~ first time, if he have any feelmg of humamty an any spirit of observation, is puzzled and shocked, by IN Al\IEitiCA. 39 what appears to him a series of distressing uneongruities. M.cn who in their relations towards those whom they acknowledge as fellow-citizens, fulfil with promptitude and exactness all the duties of benevolence and justice, in their conduct towards their slaves often seem destitute of all human sympathies. ' This course of action results from the very position of a master; and men naturally of the most benevolent dispositions, become reconciled to it by force of custom and education. ".fhe soldier, frank, generous, warm-hearted, ready to share his last dollar with his comrade, from the moment he enters an enemy's country becomes a violent, fierce, and brutal robber, who plunders whenever he has opportunity, without hesitauon or remorse. It is exactly so with the master of slaves. His conduct towards his fellow-citizens, and towards his servants, is regulated by rules and considerations totally distmct. In making this distinction, he is supported by the laws of the land, and the dogmas of the church; upheld by tho example and countenance of his friends and neighbors; and encouraged by the approbation open or implied, of all the world. If nobody lind~ fault With Ius conduct, why should he think of changmg_ lt1 "Why relmqmsh a lordsh1p and a revenue, wh',ch every body tells him he docs right to retain~ 'I he value of this lordsh1p, and the amount of this revenue, would be_ nothi~g at all, if instead of looking steadfastly, and w1th a smgle eye, to his own interest, the master should trouble himself about the wcll-bemg o~ h1s slaves. _Their well-being evidently requires the hberty on thmr part of pnrsuinli their own happmcss, accordmg to theu own notiOns of it · and it clearly demands the disposal at their plcasur~ of the entire frui_ts of thei! ow1~ labor. That is, it requi res ~h~ comp!ete cessation of the_ master's empire. Hut it Is Impossible for the same thmg to be and not to be at the same tune; so that whoever wishes to retain the c_haracter_of a master, and to exercise the prerogatlvcs Which that character confers and implies, is |
