276 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



put the descendants of Ham under the despotic power 

 of all kinds of masters — good, bad and indifferent — 

 learned and unlearned — Christians and infidels — humane 

 and cruel — generous and avaricious — to be dealt with 

 according to the whim, caprice, folly, wisdom or mad- 

 ness, of each. Thus has erring human reason, full of 

 vanity, sat in judgment on the decrees of God's wisdom, 

 which is full of justice, benevolence and mercy, and were 

 it possible for the decree to expire, Canaan would be the 

 loser and not the gainer. For the same power that de- 

 creed him to a life of servitude, has also planted in his 

 bosom, a principle of protection against wanton abuse and 

 tyrannical oppression, so that though he fall into the 

 hands of cruel or avaricious masters, who would exact 

 more labor from him than is just that he should render, 

 no power can force him for any continued length of time 

 to render it. Far different from the poor starved 

 wretches of England's manufacturing towns, he needs 

 no act of Parliament to protect him from over work, for 

 that he surely will do himself. 



I doubt whether one single instance can be found 

 among the slaves of the South, where one has injured 

 himself at long and excessive labor. Instead of a cruel 

 and avaricious master being able to extort more than a 

 very reasonable amount of labor from him, his efforts 

 will certainly produce the contrary effect. This is a well 

 known fact, so much so indeed, that an overseer of this 

 character cannot get employment among masters who 

 know that over driving a negro, as well as a mule, is the 

 poorest way to get work out of either of them. These 

 facts are well understood by all observant masters and 

 overseers, that neither mule nor negro can be made to do 

 more than a certain amount of work ; and that amount so 

 small in comparison to the amount done by white labor- 

 ers at the North, that it is a universal observation at 

 the South. Northern men are always the hardest mas- 

 ters, in the vain attempt they make to force the negro 

 to do even half as much as a hireling in New England is 

 compelled to do, or lose his place and wages. 



