UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

.
THE
What
KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
87
"
South. It is unhappilytoo notorious that
they exist everywhere, in England, in
New England, and the world over ; but
they can only arrive at full maturity in
pounds, current money.
wickedness under a system where the law The language of this law, like many other
clothesthem with absolute and of these
irresponsible protective enactments,isexceedingly
suggestive ;
power.
the first suggestion that occurs
is,What sort of an institution, and what
sort of a state of society is it țhat called
CHAPTER V.
PROTECTIVE ACTS OP SOUTH CAROLINA AND
LOUISIANA.
"
IRON COLLAR OF LOU- ISIANA
AND NORTH CAROLINA.
Tennessee.
Certain
miscellaneousprotective acts
In South Carolina, the act of 1740
the wilful, deliberate murder of a
slave by disfranchisement, and by
Thus far by way of considering the pro-
acts of North Carolina,Georgia and
very fond
tective
of comparing it to the apprentice system of
England and America. Let us suppose
that in the British Parliament, or in a New
of EnglandLegislature, the following law is
proposed, under the titleof An Act for the
Protection of Apprentices, "c. "c.
various other states will now be cited,
merely as specimens of the spirit of legislation.
punished
ct
""
Stroud, p. 39. J
2Brevard'3 a tine or seven
iij
hundred
j
pounds
igest,P.24i ċurrent money) or" in default of
payment, imprisonment for seven years.
But the wilfulmurder of a slave, in the sense
contemplated in this law,is a crime which
would not often occur. The kind of murder
which was most frequent among masters or
overseers was guardedagainstby another
section of the same how act," adequately
the reader will judge for himself, from
following quotation :
the
If any person shall,on a sudden heat or passion,
or by undue correction, kill his
^?*"V2kB^'
own slave'or the slave of any other
yard's Digest, person,
he shall forfeit the sum of
241. James' three hundred and fiftypounds current
Digest,392.
^^
by putting
or small stick, or
irons on, or confining
or imprisoning such slave,
out a law worded like this'? Laws are
generally not made againstpractices that
do not exist, and exist with some degree of
frequency.
The advocates of slavery are
In case any person shall wilfully cut out the
tongue,put out the eye, or cruellyscald,burn,or
deprive any apprentice limb or member, or
of any
shall inflict any other cruel punishment, other
than by whipping or beatingwith a horse-whip,
cowskin șwitch or small stick,or byputting irons
on or confiningor imprisoning such apprentice,
every such person shall,for every such offence,
forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds, current
money.
What a sensation such a proposedlaw
would make in England may be best left
for Englishmento say ;
itwould
but in New Eng-
every such person shall,
for every such offence,forfeitthe sum of one hundred
land
simplyconstitutethe proposer
a candidate for Bedlam. Yet that such a
statute is necessary in South Carolina is
evident enough, if we reflect
that,because
it has
there is no such statute in Virginia,
been decided that a wretch who perpetrates
all these enormities on a slave cannot even
be indictedfor it,unless the slave dies.
But let us look further :
"
is to be
In 1821 the act punishing the wilful
murder of the slave onlywith fine or im-
was mainlyrepealed, and it was
prisonment the penaltywhen any of these fiendish
things are done '?
be punished
Why, the man forfeitsa hundred pounds,
current
money. Surely he ought to pay as
enacted that such crime should
by death ; but the latter section, which relates
to killing the slavein sudden heat much as
or
that for doing so very unnecessary
has been
passion, or by undue an
correction,
act, when the Legislature bountifully
altered onlyby diminishing the allows him to inflict
pecuniary
any torture which revengeful
penalty to a fine of five hundred dollars,
ingenuity could devise, by means
of
authorizing alsoimprisonment for six months.
horse-whip,cowskin, switchor small stick,
or
The next protective statute to be
putting
noticed
irons on, or confining and
is the following from the act of One would surelythink that
1740,South
here was sufficient
Carolina.
scope and varietyof
legalized means of torture to satisfy any
In case
any person .shall wilfully cut out the ordinaryappetite for vengeance. It would
tongue,put out the * * *
eye,
or cruelly scald,
appear decidedly that
Stroud, hum,
p. 40. or deprive any slave of any
more piquant
any limb, varieties of
2 Brevard's or member, or shall inflict any other
agony oughtto be an extra
Digest. 241. cruei punishment,oth^r than bywhipping
charge. The advocatesof slaveryare fond
or beating with a horse- whip,cowskin șwitch of comparing the situationof the slavewith
imprisoning