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Letter From Thomas Morris

Letter From Thomas Morris image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
November
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Cikcxxnati, Oct. 2d, 1841. DearSir: - Your communication of the 20ih uit. was notreceived by me until yesterday: it was written and found me confincd to my room and bed with skltness, though now convalcsccnt, yct I am still unfitted for much labor or exercise, The cause of universal freedom lo tnun, and personal liberty to the American slave, secms in iho order of Providence to be ii favored and onward cause, and as you juslly remark ihatProvidence has ulterly distracted the pro-slavery parties of this nation; tbc last Presidential election was carried on (.he popular but corrupt breeze of southern slavery. and yct in a few short months this apparcnlly combination has been broken and riven asundei and the very clements of which it wascomposed scattered and so deranged as already to be almost incapable of action. It niay be s;iid that Ikis is truc only as to the wbig party, be it so; but can the democratie party, should they come into power, hope for bettcr success, while they intermix the poisonous ingrediënt sf slavery with their boasted profesions of liberty; and ding to the sume rolíen system upon which thcir opponents have wrecked all their hcfpesjr.an they,we repeat, have bctter success? It is belicved not; whcre then are we to find place and safety, and that law of liberty, as a living principie, written indeed upon the pages of our conslitutions but a dead and lifeless letter in the hnnds of the slave power of ihe country? Let us not despond. This livingprincipie of liberty stili exists among us, it is found in every part of the country, and has concenlrated itself in the operations of the anti-slavery enlerprize, now being carricd on in our county, while tnutntionsare almost daily taking place in the creeds and professions of men in moral as well as political mattcrs, on the quesiion of the aboütion of American S'avery. I have vet tofind the first man, who, having engaged in this cause, has faltercd in liis course, or looked back, after having put his hand to the plougli. This above all diould inspire us wilh hope and give us full confidence in the ukimate and final success of the cause. It cannot bc otherwise, surely heaven has not doomed this nalion to so early a fatc as must overlake us f the sin of slaveho!ding be not speedi!y repented of and the system enlirely abolished. Let the slavcholder bluster as he may about his rïght to his man, his property in the body and limbs of his slave,lel his apologisl exekim what ihe law makes property is property. The whole is mere farce, dust thrown to blind the eyes of ihe simple. Slavery, such as exists in our country never has, nor ever cun haveany existence by lav,as we use the term, all the slave luws are mere tnantles of hypocrisy lo cover the master. The slave is held by the law of brutos, power and personal forcé. To do away this power and personal forcé, could slavery be contitiucd or exist in our country? The qucslion is answered by aeking, and well does the slaveholder know this? no sir he does not pretend to rely upon the laws even of the free states for the recovery of his fugitive slaves. In the pursuit of his trembiing, fleeing victim, his course is nmrked wilh mobs, violence and blood, whilo he endeavors under the cover of midnight darkness to save himself from just punisliment. This violence Iiowcver is work ing its ott'ti cure. The considérate part of the community see in it noihing ehort of a total overthrow of all law, and a!l safety if it is permitted to continue, and this nstead of weakening the great cause in which you are engaged, it receivcs daily accessious of strength. I would gladly visit your State was it in my power, but th'at I cannot look for or expect this eeason, whatever the next may bring forth. Michigan, in the causo of temperence and liberty, scems destinad tooutrun the eider sister States in the North West. I rcjoice that her citizens seera determincd that her fair face and pure hands shall not be staiued and biackened in upholding slavery. Oppression is not her practicc, but the love of universal liberty her creed, and impartial justice to all men her motto. Pardon U1Í3 scrawl, written in much weakness and accept for yourd and of tho committee, myardent dcsires ior your ■welfare and succcss. THOMAS MORRIS. The following letter bears only the intlials of the wriler. Wc are in possession of the natne, and can vouch for the present worthy charucter of the aulhor. He has been a seamen upwards of ihirtcen years - an Englishman by birlh - an American by choice. The story of his experience and obsërvations upon what West India slavery was ten years siuce, is worthy of prcservation. It will afford us much pleasurc oflen to preserve brief naridüons from his pen. - Ed. F. of M. From. the-Fricnd of Man.Dfar Sir :- In the years 1830 and '31, I lived on the island ot Burbadoes, acting in the ciipacity of overseer to Mr. John Downes, a Scotchman, at flarrcony Hall, 4 miles from Bridgetown, the capital of the island. 1 had charge of 80 slaves. Their employment was to cultívate Guinea and ' Indiancorn. Mr. D.conlracüng to furnish the garrison and Governor'e horses wiih food - we also raised a considerable quantity of vegetables for the garrison and city Mr. Downes obtained his property by marriage with a Miss Amy, a Barbadian creóle, Never was there a mote Karsh and ty rannical masler. He starved and flogged his negroes almost lo deaih. Often havo I seen them laoerated by the punishment inflicted by him, (and with shame I confess it by me,) with a tamarand red which is ihickly studded wilh prickles. In particlar I remember twosluves, one called Kit Thomas, the olhcr a female, called Abagail. Kit was a field negro. Abagail used tocarry the milk to the garrison daily, 8 miles and back. She started at 4clock, and f not bnck at 6, was sure of a lashing. I have scen Kit flogged until her back was raw, and then put into a stinging ants' nest for 20 minutes. Ah! who can describe the ogony'.l 1 left the place as soon as 1 cculd, and the islaud too tbr I could not bear it. But change the scène a few years to the time of emancipation. Not many rnonihs since, I was again at Barbadoe?, and walking through the bay side, I saw a very neat frame cottage, with a small dyer's sign hanging out. My coat had some lar on it, and I called to leave it. The dy er seemed to be a very smart, intelligent colored man; he gave me his card, The name was C. Thomas, dyer and scourer, and, at the bottonri of the card, "Plnin work nnd shirt making taken in by Mrs. A. Thomas." Wben I discovered who thia Mr. Thomas was,I thought my heart would jump out of my mouth. However, 1 was. uut recognized, and wsisspared the shame of being known. I ascertained, beyond doubt, it was the identkal slave Kit, and ihat his wife was ihe same Abigail. I far ther learned that they wesc doing well; he 'was a good worktmn at his trade, and she a worthy, industrious fcmale - both members of the Methodist church. They could both read and write, and his note was good for five hundred dollars all ovef the island. John Downes, their o!d master, had left the island a confirmed sot. lf this simple narrative ineels your approval, I will, from lime lo time, send you oiher sketches of slavery as it was, and freedom asit is, in the West Indies. Yours, &c, W. A. R. Auburn, Sept. 1841.The Hartíord Euglu thinks that ihe members ot Congrcss had beller get up a "ƒ cal agenl" io do their ñghting. lf two members get by ihe ears, fel ihe ogent flog both, aud thus "Icqualize the exchanges." Boston Times. We are of opinión that there arealready fist-ca ageiils enough utuotig the cnembers uf Congiess to per torna all üáting necessary to be done. If any improvemeat is to be made, it should be eüecled by exchanging fiomo of these fist-cal ageafö vüh the people for honest law-makiog agenta. WO ihink the people wilt boou le Tor oiakiug the exühanso themselvcs.