Cotton is king, and pro-slavery arguments : $b comprising the writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartwright, on this important subject
History
Cotton is king, and pro-slavery arguments : $b comprising the writings of Hammond, Harper, Christy, Stringfellow, Hodge, Bledsoe, and Cartwright, on this important subject
Scott, Dred, 1809-1858; Slavery -- Justification; Slavery -- United States; United States -- Fugitive slave law (1850)
The _Windsor Herald_, of July 3d, 1857, contains the proceedings of an
indignation meeting, held by the colored people of Toronto, at which
they denounced Colonel Prince in unmeasured terms of reproach. The same
paper contains the reply of the Colonel, copied from the _Toronto
Colonist_, and it is given entire, as a specimen of the spicy times they
have, in Canada, over the negro question. The editor remarks, in
relation to the reply of Colonel Prince, that it has given general
satisfaction in his neighborhood. It is as follows:
"DEAR SIR:--Your valuable paper of yesterday has afforded me a rich
treat and not a little fun in the report of an indignation meeting of
'the colored citizens' of Toronto, held for the purpose of censuring me.
Perhaps I ought not to notice their proceedings--perhaps it would be
more becoming in me to allow them to pass at once into the oblivion
which awaits them; but as it is the fashion in this country not
unfrequently to assume that to be true which appears in print against an
individual, unless he flatly denies the accusation, I shall, at least,
for once, condescend to notice these absurd proceedings. They deal in
generalities, and so shall I. Of the colored citizens of Toronto I know
little or nothing; no doubt, some are respectable enough in their way,
and perform the inferior duties belonging to their station tolerably
well. Here they are kept in order--in their proper place--but their
'proceedings' are evidence of their natural conceit, their vanity, and
their ignorance; and in them the cloven foot appears, and evinces what
they would do, if they could. I believe that in this city, as in some
others of our Province, they are looked upon as necessary evils, and
only submitted to because white servants are so scarce. But I now deal
with these fellows as a body, and I pronounce them to be, as such, the
_greatest curse_ ever inflicted upon the two magnificent western
counties which I have the honor to represent in the Legislative Council
of this Province! and few men have had the experience of them that I
have. Among the many _estimable_ qualities they possess, a systematic
habit of _lying_ is not the least prominent; and the 'colored citizens'
aforesaid seem to partake of that quality in an eminent degree, because
in their famous _Resolutions_ they roundly assert that during the
Rebellion 'I walked arm and arm with colored men'--that 'I owe my
election to the votes of colored men'--and that I have 'accumulated much
earthly gains,' as a lawyer, among 'colored clients.' All Lies! Lies!
Lies! from beginning to end. I admit that one company of blacks did
belong to my contingent battalion, but they made the very worst of
soldiers, and were, comparatively speaking, unsusceptible of drill or
discipline, and were conspicuous for one act only--a stupid sentry shot
the son of one of our oldest colonels, under a mistaken notion that he
was thereby doing his duty. But I certainly never did myself the honor
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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