abolitionists acted--a principle which he was now prepared to
question. He had, on a former occasion, shown that there were only two
parties responsible for the existence of slavery, namely, individual
slave-holders, and slave-holding communities. He would now attempt to
prove, that, as applied to either of these, this principle was not
only false, but that it was a mere figment, and calculated to produce
tremendous evil. Let them first attend to what the abolitionists say
to the individual slave-holder. Perhaps the person addressed was an
inhabitant of Louisiana; where, if it is not directly contrary to
law, to manumit a slave--the law refuses to recognize the act. Was he
to be told then that he should turn off his slaves, the young and
helpless along with the old and the infirm, with the certain knowledge
that so soon as they left his plantation, they would commence a career
of trouble and sorrow most likely to end in their being seized,
imprisoned, fined, and again enslaved. Mr. Thompson had mentioned, in
nearly all his printed speeches, the case of a certain colored man,
who had been thrown into prison at Washington city, and sold into
eternal slavery to discharge the fees which had accrued by reason of
his oppression. Now he (Mr. B.) took leave to say that this story was
false, in toto. It was customary in some parts of America to sell
vagabonds, in order to make up their jail fees; but they were bound
for no longer a period than was necessary to do this. The system was
this--they were taken up as vagrants. If they were able and willing to
show that they had some regular and honest means of livelihood, they
were of course acquitted and discharged; but when they were unable to
do this, they were sold for as much as would pay the fees of
detention, trial, &c. That any person, black or white, once recognized
by the law as free, was ever sold into everlasting slavery, he
positively denied, and demanded proof. In Louisiana, however, it being
illegal to manumit a slave, those whom the abolitionists would set
free, would not be considered free in the eye of the law. They might
be harrassed, imprisoned as vagabonds, sold to pay expenses, as
vagabonds, and so soon as set free again imprisoned. He admitted that
such proceedings would be inexcusable; but what was a benevolent man,
who had the welfare of his slave really at heart, to do with an eye to
them? To act upon the abolitionist principle, would be to consign the
slave to incalculable misery, for they had but one lesson to
teach--turn loose the slaves, and leave consequences to God! The
colonizationists, however, are provided with a better remedy. If
Louisiana would not countenance manumission, nor suffer manumitted
slaves to remain within her bounds, with the usual privileges of
freemen, let them be taken to some other State, where such laws did
not exist; or if this should not on the whole be desirable, let them
be taken to Liberia. No, repeats Mr. Thompson; discharge your slaves
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