Truth in Memorial to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia:
Senators and Delegates of the
Present Called Legislature: Truth respectfully petitions the present, or at least the next, General Assembly of
Virginia, to take action on the 4th Article and 19th, 20th, and 21st sections of the present Constitution of
Virginia, in relation to the slaves and free negroes — especially in relation that they may pass laws for the relief of the
Commonwealth from the free negro population, by removal or otherwise: and the enforcement of the 19th section, requiring ‘"the emancipated slaves to leave in twelve months after they become actually free, or that they be "
remanded"’ back to slavery, under such regulations as may be prescribed by faw." Truth is not aware of a single instance wherein the penalty of forfeiture for twelve months lingering in the
State has been enforced; yet many are known to have incurred that penalty, and are now in the
State.
Truth is aware that every year the tax of $1 or $1.80 is either not collected at all, on a large portion of this now 60,000 population, or the tax has to be collected, from those of them that can be found, by hiring out by the
Sheriff the free negro at ten cents per day to any one who will pay the required tax, and take the free negroes' services at any time in the year at the fewest number of days, and not unfrequently he is required to work at any time in the year a month, more or less, to discharge this tax. In view of these considerations, and the in creasing number of this population, in
Virginia, to 60,000, in
Maryland to the rise of 70,000, in the District of Columbia to 10,000, and in many of the other States a corresponding proportion of these voluntary liberated Africans,
but not free negroes, (for under the
Federal Organic Constitution of the United States of
America, and the decision of the Supreme Court, there is not a single
free negro or
African in any of the States and Territories of this United Republic of Peace entitled to free citizenship,) Truth petitions the General Assembly of
Virginia, at this called session, or at least at the next session, to enact "that all the 60,000 liberated Africans, and their increase, be hired out, publicly, in each county, city, town and neighborhood of the
State, by the Sheriffs and Constables thereof, at a commission of 5 per cent. when the hire is collected; and then the said amount to be placed in the
State Treasury, as a State Colonizing Fund, that shall carry to, and colonize in, some part of
Africa, adjacent to the now Republic of
Liberia, to be obtained by the
General Government, not less than 10,000 nor more than 12,000 of this population annually; and require all citizens in the future to liberate their slaves in
Africa, or that they become the property of the
State for not less than five nor more than seven years for that express purpose — those who may decide on a permanent residence in the
State to be remanded back to slavery at public sale, and the amount to be collected as the hire, and placed in the State colonizing fund of
Virginia.--Those who are able and willing to secure to the Sheriffs and Constables of the
Commonwealth for each man not less than $50 nor more than $100, for each woman not less than $25 nor more than $50; for each boy over 12 years and under 21, not less than $25 nor more than $50; for each girl over 12 years and under 17, not less than $10 nor more than $20; for each child under 12 years not less than five cents nor more than seven cents, to be exempt from the five, seven, or even ten years general hire; and at a proper selected period in each year — say, the first of January--there shall be removed from the
State not less than ten thousand nor more than twelve thousand of these voluntary liberated Africans, to be carried back to their native land, and thus colonized in the to be
State of Virginia in the to be united Republic of Peace on the continent of
Africa, with the
Republic of
Liberia and Sierre Leone, forming the entering wedge to spread over the continent of
Africa the fights of civilization, and the
Christian redemption, into the bliss of love, and especially the love of forgiveness and forbearance; for the truly brave succeed or triumph to forgive the demoralized worshippers and followers of Evil or the Devil to take, revenge, kill, or destroy, because they
fear their opponents; and, therefore, it is the truth that they who take revenge, kill, or destroy, are justly entitled to the disgraceful epithet of cowardice, which has been too long erroneously misapplied by man to the weak, humble, God-fearing, worshiping, forgiving, forbearing,
Christian, or purified Man.--This is the way that truth now directs the
State of Virginia to take the lead of her sister States in this united Republic of Peace, in completing the sublime new idea to the world; in civilizing, regenerating and redeeming a whole continent of
African barbarians with the peaceful, useful and needed
agricultural implements, of the axe, hoe, wedge and plow, with the
switch, to direct into the blessed lights of Christian Love, and more especially the love of forgiveness and forbearance; that in the course of the next two hundred years these lights shall be planted and established on the continent of
Africa, to blaze forth into the united Republic of Peace
in Africa, and thus continuing its onward progress, this whole globe of earth and water shall be blessed and illumined thereby, with the aid of the Christ of Jehovah, and now the Truth.
The truth informs the Legislature of Virginia, prophetically and profitably, that the petition is of far more importance to the present and future welfare of
Virginia, than the ostensible object of the present called Legislature, which was to transfer her whole State interest in the
James River Canal to a French Company, or rather the
French Emperor and nation, for the annuity of $165,000 to the
State of Virginia forever, with a guarantee of $1,000,000 of
Virginia 6 per cent. bonds to be placed in the
State Treasury for security.
That said Virginia Canal shall be completed to the
Ohio within the next eight or ten years, with an average width of fifty feet, and depth of six or seven feet, with only the 6 per cent to be drawn from the deposit, until the canal is finished; and then carrying up the private stock at once from $13 to $50, or to change the $200 shares into $100 shares, with a guarantee by said French Company of 5 per cent. on the same for the next ten years; and, after that period, to receive the profits on each share made by said completed Virginia canal.
New, truth will suggest, that when the petition in relation to the 60,000 liberated Africans, and their increase, is complied with, that as many of them as may be needed to complete the
Virginia Canal to the
Ohio river, be hired by the
State, by the canal company, or if indispensable, by this French new organization; that these voluntary liberated Africans may leave this grand completed improvement in
Virginia as a monument of their lasting gratitude to the
State, and their kind, generous masters, for the lights of civilization and the regenerated redemption into the blessed lights of Christian love, and especially the love of forgiveness and forbearance herein worked through their muscles; with the peaceful, useful, and needed agricultural improvements of the axe, hoe, wedge, and plow, with the simple switch to direct — that these same lights may now be gradually returned by 10,000 annual installments from the present 60,000 liberated Africans in
Virginia, and their increase, that they may be planted on the soil of
Africa, their native land.
This was the object of the old, generally popular, African Colonizing Society, seen afar off by
America's mental lights, in the persons of
Monroe,
Clay,
Adams,
Webster,
Calhoun,
Marshall,
Wright,
Jefferson,
Madison,
Jackson, and many others, including the now living
John Tyler — believing, as they did, that freedom and liberty was such a priceless boon, that as soon as many of the African slaves were voluntarily liberated by their kind and generous masters, that they would fly, in the ships of the world, across the
Atlantic back to their own native land in
Africa, forgetting, or ignoring, the truth, that the inspired
Moses had not only to persuade the Hebrews from their 400 years bondage to the Egyptians, but that they (the Hebrews) had literally to be
driven, after their liberation from
Egyptian bondage, or slavery, to the Canaan of their promised land.
The same is now true of the half million liberated Africans in the various 33 States and 7 Territories of this united Republic of peace.
They are to be
driven back home to freedom and liberty, in
Africa, by State legislative enactments, with the
General Government to obtain a large portion of
African territory adjacent to the now Liberian Republic, (from
Liber, the book, or word, that called the Ethiopians, or Africans, to the lights of civilization, Christian love, and the love of forgiveness and forbearance on the continent of
America, now to be gradually carried back to the continent of
Africa, planted, and therein established.)--Let the present called Convention remove all
exporte facto quibbles or quibblers out of the way of this just, right, and now-needed act of restitution; and the present called Legislature or at least the next regular Legislature, say in the right,
Virginia leads, sister States, you follow, and soon this angry strife will open the eyes of the short-sighted politicians to the sublime, glorious future destiny of
America and
Africa blessing each other — the latter being the grand peaceful, useful, and needed agricultural army of five million operatives, with the axe, hoe, wedge, and plow, with the simple switch to direct into the lights of civilization, Christian love, and the love of forgiveness and forbearance, to be finally planted and established by the former on the Continent of
Africa, and the rest of this globe of earth and water, in the course of the next three hundred years, will land in
Africa.
the
Just Truth.
Editors who approve the thoughts will please give one insertion; and those who do not, and will copy, shall receive $6 at the end of this year, when they find the Truth.
Uthlacan,
Africa, Feb. 17, 1861. mh 30--It.
