American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1827-05-04
SPEECH

OF the Hon. HENRY CLAY, before the American
Colonization Society, in the Hail Of the House
Of Representatives. January 20, 1897.
(coNcLuDED)
Of all descriptions Of our population, that of tie
free coloured, taken in the aggregate, is the least
prolific, because Of the checks arising from vice
and want. During the ten years, between 1910
and 1890, when no extraneous causes existed to
prevent fair competition in the increase between
the slave and the f ee African race, the former inc
creased at the rate of nearly three per cent per
annum, whilst the latter did not much exceed two
and half Hereafter it may be safely assumed,
and venture to predict will not be contradicted
by the return Of the next that the increase
Of the free black population will not surpass two
and half per cent. per annum. Their amount at
the last census, being 253.550, for the sake OF
round numbers. their annual increase may be as
sumed to be 5000, at the present time. Nov L
this number could be annually transported from
the United States during term Of years, it Is ev.
ent that. at the end Of that term the parent cap
ital will not have increased, but will have be- NJ
kept down at least to what it was at the common,
ment of the term. l. it practicable then to cooe
nize annually six thousand persons from the Uni.
ted States, without materially iapalilng or at
fecting any Of the great interests Of The United
Statesf This is the question presented to tie
judgments of the Legislative authorities Of our
country. This is the whole scheme OF the Society.
From its actual experience, derived from the ex.
penses which have been Incurred in transporting
the persons already sent to Africa, the entire
average expense Of each Colonist, young and old,
including passage money and subsistence, may be
stated at twenty dollars per head. There is rea-
son to believe that it may be reduced considerably
below that sum. Estimating that TO be the expense,
the total cost of transporting six THOUSAND. souls,
annually to Africa. would be S120000. The tom
| - 4, ,Iof,
persons to every five tons (Which is the provisi0
Of existing law) would be $4,000 tons. Butt
each vessel could probably make two voyagesi':
the year. it may be reduced to 1890 And ~
both our mercantile and military marine might be
occasionally employed ON this collateral service,
without injury to the main object Of the voyage,
further abatement might be safely made IN the as-
gregate amount of the necessary tonnage. The
, navigation concerned in the commerce between
the Colony and the United States, land it already
begins to supply subjects Of an interesting tra,le,
might be incidentally employed to the same end.
Is the annual expenditure of sum no larger
than $4,000, and the annual employment of
$500 tons Of shipping. too much for reasonable
exerton, considering the magnitude of the object
in viewp Are they not, on the contrary, wliA!t
the compass Of moderate efforts
Here is the whole scheme of the Society--a pro-,
ject which has been pronounced visionary by those
who have never given themselves the trouble to
examine it, but to which believe most unbiased
men will yield their cordial assent, after they have
investigated it.
Limited as the project is, by the Society, to a
Colony to be formed by the free and unconstraned
consent of free persons Of color, it is no obec j
ton, but on the contrary great Recommendation
of the plan, that it admits Of being taken up an
applied on scale Of much more comprehensive: .'s
utility. The Society knows, and it affords just
cause of feIicitation, that all or any OF the
States which tolerate slavery may carry the scheme
Of colonization into effect, in regard to the slaves
within their respective limits. and thus ulutmate
rid themselves Of an universally acknowledged
curse Areference to the results Of the several emu
merasions If the population Of the United States will
ncontes,bly prove the practeabllity Of It's appca-
ton Oh the more extensive sse@ Ahs Aaye