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Mr. Birney's Remarks

Mr. Birney's Remarks image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
September
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

At the Pontiac meeting last week. Mr. Birney spoke several honra on dificrent topics of the anti-alnvery enterpriee, with mese of which the readers of the Signa) are familiar. On some isonted points, however, a fewthoughts may not be linteresting. In regard to the right of discussion, Mr. B. said mnny good men had honestly ihought that ome things mightproperly be discussed and othrs noc. it could easily be shown th;it a limitaon of tiie right of (iiscussion would uproot the oundiition principies of our government. But 10 absurdity of such a proposition was worthy f notico. Suppose I exert myself in the best ossibie manner in informing myselfon nny eubect by reflection and conversation wiih others. 'hi3 isirvolved in the very idea of discussion. - Ie who oiijecis to my discussion of any subject lust be eitlier inorant or wll informed upon lat subject. If he be ignorant, ho is poorly uaüficd to be a monitor to one who is confessedy iiis superior in knowledge. Ii he bc wcli inormed, how did he become so? Wns it not by nformation derived from others - bytliscussion y the sanie process which he wishes to prohibit n others? A prohibition to discussnny subject resupposes in the prohibitorn superior knowledi'e f that subject - a knowledge which must have een acquired ia a great degree by discuesing its merits with others.Mr. B. advertsd to the eíFect o aboliticm on lie intercsts of thc farmers and mechnnics of the ree States. Here at thc Northwest, and especiIly in Michigan, we have a superabundnnce of vheat, whiríi is struggling to find an adequate íiarket. At a short distaiice from us, at the South.in our own counlry t a within ihe bounds of ruth to sny thero are two and a half millions of íeople vvho do not use any wlieaten bread. Tliis vast multituíío a deirous of purchasing flour of us. and we should be disposed to sell it to hem, but a stern,jinrelentng despotism forbids tt This tyranny wonld not be 6ubmitled to in our intereourse with any forcign nation. An absolute prohibition, by our governmeiU to trade vith a neighboring people who wished to buy of us every yenr from one to two million barrels of flour would soon be reversed. Let free labor ake the place of elave labor, and this market for northern wheat would be tmmcdiately oponed. - t would be a steady and permanent one, because he cultivation of sugar, cotton, rice, and tobáceo can be carried on to greater odvantage in that climate than the raÍ3Íng of breadstuffs.Then look at the effect rf" emancipatic-n on the mechanical and manufacturing interests of the Nforth. Observe its immediate eflects on the laloror. Supposc he receivcs his duüy wnge?. - They will be first appliod in supplying his family with bread. When he has saved a dollar that ho can spare he will supply his nejt most pressing want. If he has only a vest he will want a coat; if he has been bareheaded he will desire a lint; if he has been barefooted, he will want shoes; andstockings will add still more to comfort. He wlll then tbink of improving his miserable cnbin, and an arrangement will be made with the proprietor to rebuild or repair it. Household aiticles of every kind, aud all the comforts of civilized life will eoon nppear where before was only destitution and misery. That this is not a mere fanciful picture, is show n by the resulta of emancip'ition in the'Wcst Inciies. The most astonishing consumption ot cloths. household utensils, and all kind of inanufactui ed articlca has taken place atnong the laborera. All these articles must be supplied trom the North. Tho new house will be framed by Northern tools, fastened togotlier by nerthern naüs, driven to ihcir plnccs by northeru hammers. Schools will start up ntnoner the colored labores, which nmat be supplied with northern stationcry and books. Household furnituro of evcry description will be bought of northern mechantes. The families of the laborers wilHbe clothcd in coiton or wuolen goods made, in norcn facton'es by northern workmen.Those w'ho have not examined the subject are not aware of the immense aggregnte consumption that is the resultof a slight increase in the clemand for any one article. Suppose, fov example, that among the sh es are 500,000 men who wear out one hat a jear, which costs 75 cents. - If the slaves were all freo, those who have no hats would purchasc, and thoee who now wear out one hat a year, might want two, andmany would ako buy bclter ones, at hlgher pí ices. In the habitatione of several hundred ihousand slave families, scarcely a chair can now be found. Suppose each family to be supplied on an average with four each. as they would bo very soon after emancipation, and it would give a prodigiosa stimulus to cvery cliair-factory in the Nortb. - The same is true of shocs, tools, cotton and woolen goode and indeed of every manufacturcd article.Mr. Birney introduced thc followíng resolutions.which were adopted after extended remarks from the mover. Resolved, That ihe Government of the United States was instituted for the establishment and confirmation. not oí slavery, but ofliberty. Resolved. That the coitinued encronchments oí the slave power on the principies ol libcrty as they are embodied in the Declaration of I dence, and in the Constitution of the United States, give just cause of alarm to the friends oí ]republicnn govcrnmcnt, nnd Bhoukl persuade I thcm to use all justifiable menns for arrcstlng ï'.s furlher progress nnd p.edoniinancy n the administration of public aflairs. Mr. B. spoke of the premium that is conceded to theslaveholders by ihe Land Distribution Bill, nnd by the net for distributing the surp'.us revenuc. It was a direct encouragement for raising 6laves. It was, in fact, making donations from the public treasury to encourage onc portion of our couutrymen in robbing another. The greater the robberies they tonmiit. the greater the reward bestowed by the government. The representatives of the free States had not opposcd this uneqtial distribution; they hnd not even nsk ed the slnve power to do otherwisc than it had done. Ye! these slaveholders who thus live by robbery, are accounted tlie excellent ones of our nation - tho knight-errantry - the cavaliers - the chivalry, whose boundless generosity and hospilality are proverbia] thróugh the nation. But it should be remembered that theirs is the generosity of the robber who bestows on others thnt of wbich he has epoiled the rightiul owner. Who could not afibrd to be generous on auch terms? Wh-) of us could not display the most Iavish hospitality on our friends. provided we could every dr.y rob fifty or a bundred of our neighbors orthe pioceeda of tlieir industry? Mr. Bii'Hcy made eome interestingstaiements respect'.ng the invention of the cotton gin by Whitney in 1792. It accompüs'.jes by ono hand what beforeit took 1000 hands to perform, and consequently increased prodigiously the amount ol the cotton crops. As a natural consequence, the valué of sla ves was imniediately augmentcd. and wiih occasional fluctuations. has been steadily increBèing till within the last Itn? years. Mr. Whitnsy vns a gradúate ofYalo College. He went South to spend a winter, and while therc, at the request of a elavehokier, he privntely constructeJ the model of his machine. The fanicof it was noised in the neighborhood. and the rabble insisted on seeing it. Thisr was rcfused, and according to the custom of the South, they broke into the building, and notwithstanding it was patented, they carried it off and set it into operation. lts use soon became general, nnd the !egislature of South Carolina granted hirh $50,000 as a reward for the invention. This entire sum he spent in prosecutrug the vio rat ora of his patent, but he was never nble to obtain a single verdict in his favor. In 1812, he made applicaiion for the renewal of his patent, but the Southernbers of Congress threw out such significant hints of backing out from the war wilh England in case his design should be persistecf in, thnt ths attumpt to rcncw it was aönndoned. In spcaking of the purchaee ofLousianïi, Mr. . 13. laid down the principio that all the slaves in that tcrritory, being somo 10,000 in number, became constitutionally iree tho moment it came into the possession of the United Statea. Thi;y werc figain reduced to slavery by the national authority. Tho same was true in the Federal Dist! iet. Our Government has no more right to establish slavèry, than it has an order nobility. No such power has been dclegated to it. It can no more rightfully make a slave of one of the people. thnn it can make him a Marquisora Duke. Yet this right had been assumed as though it were imlisputable, and on several occasions", thonsands of human beings have been deprived of their 'inalinable right to liberty' by express national lègislation. In referenco to the g:eat national parties. Mr. B. had come to the conclusión that their reformation was hopeless. A large portion of the abolitionistshad voted for the Whig party in 1840. relying on the promises that when they s'iould come into power the right of petition should be restored. The Whigs have had a majority of both Huuses; and have they restored it? Hns it not rather become a matter of uourse thit the gag must be continued? This alone shows how much dependence ought to be put pon their prolessions. As to the Democratie party.its present attitude was that of direct hostility. A late number of the Washington Globe, the organ of tl: eparty, came out with ihe declnration tliat th-.parnj is unarimous in OPPOS1TION TO ABOL1TION! He did r.ot see how a Dcmocrat nfter this could have the.face to csk an abolitionist to vote his ticket. In 8peaking of the late administratíons, he said the great number of remováis frum office, especially of post masters, by Mr. Van Buren, on th."1 ground of their attachment to the other party, was an objection strenuously urged by the whigs agninst his re-election - and he considered it a valid one. Yet the present administration had followed exacily in the tracks of its predecessors. whichithad so loudly condemned. Il appearcd from a statement of Mr. Granger rhat during the short time he was Post-Mnsier General - some seven or eight months only - he had turned out seventeen hvnired postmasters, and had he continued in oifice he would' have discharged thrce tkousan'l more. What was their crime? Why, it appeared from the tenor of the circulara which had been put forth, thnt for a postmasler or other oflicer to oppose the doings of ihe party in power, and act in favor of the opposition, was reason enough for a removM. Some of these were said to be "bratclcrs," and noisy in advancing thcir political seniimcnts, while others operated in a more silent tnanner.Thus the government assumed the prerogative of detorminingin how loud a tone of voice its ftmctionaries might discuss its doings. He contended thia was all wrong- ra dicnlly wrong.- So long as a public officer performcd Uip duties of his office faithfully, the government has no business to establish over him a eystem of espionage. and thus attempt to restrain the bonest expression of his opinions of the measures of the government in any tone of voice he might think proper to use. It is the right of every citizen. whetlier ia or out of office, froely to censure or approve every O2t of government according to his views of itepropriety. He svould go further than that. He would say it was not only the right, but the duly of every good citizen. whether in office or not, eteadily to condemn and oppose every mensure of the ndministraiion which was deserving of condemnation, and support it in carrying out every proper and righteous measure. - So long as an office holder is fai'hful in his official capacity, the governmem has no businesa to Í inquire what party he favors; or what ticket he [ vote.In conclusión. Mr. Birncy rcfnrred to ilic ccrtnin and undoubted triumph whicli awaita oui principies. As God hns constituted the world. they cannot be pernianen'.ly defented. Tle equal ligliis of all raen will yet be acknowledged and respec.ed. Temporary ilis-istcr may attend thc eflbrls we put furth, añil terrible convulsione talie place before the curse of slavery shall be removed, but as sure there ia a Gud wliose Trovidcnce wnichcs over the aííairs of niun, and who has 8eclnred that oppression r.nii violen ce shall censo in the earth, so sure is it that ihc rnoroh of improvement shall go forward. unül the groat foun dation principie of h'inian liberty - tre comíion brothïrhood of man - shall be recogn2ed in all our land, and extend farther and wider until it shall reuch to canh's remo'.est bounds. OTho proceedings of tlie County and Spnalorinl Convontions will be found on onr firpt page. The Waslilenaw Convention was spirited and weil attended.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News