12

ADDRESS.

" G o d h a t h m a d e t h e m o f one b l o o d " w i t h o u r s e l v e s ; h a t h p r o v i d e d for t h e m the s a m e r e d e m p t i o n ; h a t h i n his p r o v i d e n c e cast souls u p o n o u r c a r e ; a n d h a t h c l e a r l y i n t i m a t e d t o us the d o o m o f him, w h o " s c e t h his b r o t h e r h a v e n e e d , and shutteth up h i s b o w e l s o f c o m p a s s i o n f r o m him." If by our example, our silence, or our sloth, we p erpetuate a s y s t e m w h i c h p a r a l y z e s o u r hands w h e n w e a ttempt to c o n v e y t o t h e m the b r e a d o f l i f e , a n d w h i c h i n e v i t a b l y c onsigns the g r e a t mass o f t h e m to u n e n d i n g p e r d i t i o n , c a n w e be g u i l t l e s s i n the s i g h t o f H i m w h o h a t h m a d e us s t e w a r d s o f his g r a c e ? 4 . This system licenses and produces great cruelty. T h e l a w p l a c e s the w h i p i n the h a n d s o f the m a s t e r , a n d i ts u se, p r o v i d e d he a v o i d d e s t r o y i n g l ife, i s l i m i t e d o n l y b y his o w n p l e a s u r e . C o n s i d e r i n g the absolute p o w e r w i t h w h i c h o u r p eople a r e a r m e d , it must be a c k n o w l e d g e d t hat t he treatment o f t h e i r dependants is, i n g e n e r a l , s i n gularly humane. M a n y c i r c u m s t a n c e s operate h e r e to m i t i g a t e t he r i g o r s o f p e r p e t u a l s e r v i t u d e ; a n d it is p r o b a b l y the fact, that no b o d y o f s l a v e s h a v e been e v e r b etter fed, better c l o t h e d , a n d less a b u s e d , t h a n the s l a v e s o f K e n t u c k y . S t i l l t h e y h a v e no s e c u r i t y l or t h e i r c o m fort but the h u m a n i t y a n d g e n e r o s i t y o f r .k.'i), w h o h a v e b e e n t r a i n e d to r e g a r d t h e m not as b r e t h r e n , but as m e r e property. H u m a n i t y a n d g e n e r o s i t y a r e , at best, p o o r g u a r a n t e e s for the p r o t e c t i o n o f those w h o c a n n o t assert t h e i r r i g h t s , a n d o v e r w h o m l a w t h r o w s no p r o t e c t i o n . O u r o w n c o n d i t i o n w e w o u l d feel to be w r e t c h e d i n d e e d , i f n o l a w s e c u r e d us f r o m the insults a n d m a l t r e a t m e n t even of our equals. B u t s u p e r i o r i t y n a t u r a l l y b egets c o n tempt ; a n d contempt generates m a l t r e a t m e n t , for c h e c k i n g w h i c h w e c a n r e l y not o n v i r t u e , b ut o n l y on l a w . T h e r e a r e , i n o u r l a n d , h u n d r e d s o f thousands c l o t h e d w i t h a r b i t r a r y p o w e r s o v e r those, w h o m t h e y a r e e d u c a t e d t o r e g a r d as t h e i r p r o p e r t y , as the i n s t r u m e n t s o f t h e i r w i l l , as c r e a t u r e s b e n e a t h t h e i r s y m p a t h y , d e v o i d o f a l l t he feelings w h i c h d i g n i f y h u m a n i t y , and but one r e m o v e above cattle. Is it not c e r t a i n that m a n y o f these h u n dreds o f thousands w i l l i nflict o u t r a g e s on t h e i r despised dependants? T h e r e are now, in our whole land, two m i l l i o n s o f h u m a n beings, e x p o s e d , defenceless, to e v e r y