The Virginia Movement

We liave befare ffientioned the Einancipation movemfiiit of Wcs'eni Virginia under the lead of Dr. Ruflhr nnd ofheri The tnovement is foumled on the principie Ümt every State, nnd everv groal división of a Stalc. OLiglu lo. decide for itself whether it will hnve any Slavery oino:. lt is propnsed to extinguitfh il ir. those countieswest of tlie Hlue Ridge hy a general movement of the wlvile section, os well ns by the aclinn of individual counties. From a notice in nn exchnnge paper, we learnthat tho principal points of Dr. Rufïher's project are as follows: 1. Let the further importation ofslaves into Western Virginia bu prohibiied by law. 2. Let the cxportation of slaves be freely permilted, except tliat ihose bom after a certnin dny ihall nnt be exportedj nfier tliey are five years old, nor under that nge, except with thoii' families. 3. The exis'.ing genera'.ion tojemain as lliey are, hut iheir ofispring born after aceitainday, to be emancipated at an oge not exceeding 25 years. In this way there wouldbe no loss to the slaveholders. Those who pleased could export and sell tlieir slaves: those who romained would more ihan receive an equivalent for any damage by manumission n the rise of t'neir lands. 4. Let the rnaslersbe required to leach the heirs of emnncipation, redding, writing nnd ari'hmetic. No objection could be made lo their literary education, nfter their freedom had been decreed. 5. Let the emancipated be colonized in Liberia, as fast ns they graduolly becarne free - they furnishing iheirownout(ii, by working aycarortwo as liirelings: and the people üf Western Virginia pnying for itieir iransportntion. 6. Asan auxiliary mensure, let each county (ietrrmine,if il ehoose, the period of emancipation in its own borders at 7, 10, or 15 years. But this should not be the viain measure, as it would lend to broils, difficulties, nnd embarrassment between adjoining counües. The whole uf Western Virginia, in. a body, should delermine for ireedom on a general principie, leaving the counties, ifso disposecl, to modify t by more Speedy action. Mr. Ruffner, we are told, is an able divine of ihe Presbyterian Church, and in his address, denounces the ' Abolitionists' with great fervor. There are several features in Üiis plan which will notat all harmonize wilh the views of norlhern cntislavery men. It proposes to continue the injusliee of enslaving multitudes for the remainder of iheir lives, merely because they have thus farhad the same injustice inflicted on them. It proposes to enslave, for a limited period, their children, wliom the Decía rat on of Indppendence declares to be born equal with othevs. It proposes to expel from the country, without their consent, a portion of its most valuable and productive laboring population : anc t contémplales the taxing of the whole community for the purpose ofeffecling this niece of injustice. But on several accounts we regard the project as highly encouraging. It brings up the whole question Tor discussion in a slaveholding community. It is chiefly ihough the operation of the selfish prin ciple that we may expect emancipador in the Slave Stales. Slavery will be abolished, by the action of the people o those Stntes, not so much because the sys tem involves a violation of the laws o God, or a disregard of the rig hts of man as because it is n political and pecuniary evil. A slaveholding community is measurably, in a state of barbarism, ant s incipable of those clear and exaltec perceptions of the rights of all men, ant thate:i mesmess for immediate'y carrying them out, which may be founi in fre renublican communities. In Englnm and Ihe European nations generally( E mancipation aivs have been enaclecl from considerationsofhumanity and rnoraüly, while in iheir colonies such views have been nlmost entir?ly wanting. We think it is Tliome nnd Kimball who teil us,thnl afler emnncipalion the people of Jamaca would expatiateby the hour on the benefits of emancipation- the good behavior of the blacks,their inoreased ndustry and productiveness, the rise ofrealestale,&c, without once ïeferringto the wrong of keeping in slavery nearly a million of persons born by naton as freeas themsrlves. The colonists, by their education and hnbits, on the queslion of Slavorv, wcre incnpahle of exaltod moral views, and tlieiefore could not sympathise wilh them in others. Henee nearly or quite 11 projects for emancipaton, originatod by persons in Slave S'.aies, from the days of Washington and JefTerson, down tu Cassius M.Clay and Dr. Rufïher, hnve involved ihe principio cf Graduaüsm; and when we find a community of Slaveholders acüng to secure the errnncipntion, of a ruimerous slave populalion, ihey wil' probably commenco iipon tiic plan of Gra'luaüsm, and as they become enliglitriied, will finally cut short their work bv making tjie libcia:ion of the iiaves mmediate and gnneral.