est in their denunciation of their
Southern brethren. Slavery is perpetuated by selfishness. Northern
men, to say the least, are as selfish as Southern men; and it would
require nothing, but a change of location, to make them as oppressive
task-masters. Where there is most selfishness, there we will find most
oppression; provided, that surrounding circumstances are favorable.
Most men, in this world, consult their own pecuniary interests. If
they are enhanced by African slavery, African slaves they will have,
provided they can get them; but if they cannot get African slaves,
they will make slaves of unfortunate and ignorant individuals of their
own color. It is the same dominant principle the world over. The
Northern man with his leagues of land, surrounded by ignorant,
indigent and impoverished families, is virtually a slaveholder. He
gets all their labor, and what do they receive in return? A bare
subsistence. Southern slaves get that. These tenants spend their lives
in laboring for their landlords, and receive in return, barely a
sufficiency of coarse food and coarse clothing, to keep soul and body
together through a protracted and miserable existence; the condition
of many of them being worse than that of a majority of Southern
slaves. Most of operatives who live on their daily wages, do nothing
more than earn their victuals and clothes, and slaves are generally as
well clothed, and better fed than they are. It is clear to my mind,
that a majority of slaves are better compensated for their labor, than
the poorer class of people, North or South. I base this conclusion on
the fact, that neither the one, nor the other, receive any thing more
than their victuals and clothes, and the slave is better fed, and
better clothed than the poor white man. This is neither a far-fetched
conclusion, nor yet an exaggeration. It is literally true. I repeat,
that the slaves of the South are generally better provided for, than
the generality of the tenantry, North or South. Hence, the slave is
better paid for his labor than the white man, under these
circumstances, slaves are also exempt from those corroding cares,
perplexities and anxieties, which embitter the lives of the poorer
class of white people. He has but to finish his task, and eat and
sleep; the cares of the family devolve on master and mistress. The
storms of adversity, the losses and crosses incident to all families,
pass over his humble hut. The poor white man has bread an