Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1844-07-18
From ne Denoera,ie Ree.e.r. for Julg. lsaa.
T|F ~ p II" y =" = ~
The Remuneration Of IL = in it, in
nncnce on the Duration of slavery.

nucncc on the Duration of slavery.
One of the arguments in favor Of rc-annGxlng Tex
n. which was well represented by Mr.. Walker n
his letter, seems To have been overlooked IN the more
recent discussions of the question. Even Mr.. Cal
houn seems To suppose that tie peculiar institutions
ct the South, n II i the fashion To call slavery, are
to be- rendered moro durable By the anneNation and
the AbOltIoEI>ts, "a well as some # the more ration
nj opponent, Of those Institutions, object to the an
nexatlon on the same ground. Both are wrong. abso-
lutcly wrong. and "A little attention To facts Will prove
The error. Sofa from perpetuatIng slavery IN the Unit
cd States. the annexation of Texas. or of the slave
holding portions of 1t at least. give, the only we'll
groun ed hope, accordin Ia all present APPEARANCES.
Tor IT. ultimate extinction. THIS may appear 10 BE-
n paradox but II J. sober truth, and fully susccpti-
bic 81 denomination. Let H. reason cody and can
didly about tii. matter, without regard To- tie oppo-
site ianauclslns which rage on both Sdesof IT,.
Every one who has either read or thought on the
subject - aware that the value Of a slaves labor ~
never equal Ia that Of freeman, and That thc cxpon o
II h> support IS ercltor. He has lc~ induresucntto
work hard, For he gam. nothing by II; he has 10 III
duccInont L be thrifty. FIR il save, him nothing. lie
gets hns f,pd and his clothing. whatever may be the
crop or the cxlencs Of making I: and III any event
te GETS notaiue else. IL is therefore an milriil. n
all are WHO lie ffon hand to month: and lc only df
fers from otlcr unthrii,- in this, that hc has NJ IN
dueemcn.s 10 reform. IL IS ul.k llaI to-. he learns
nothing lie la no occasion to- think. Whether he
plough dec shallow, II Is all ono - HIM. neS.dcs
"Ns fAN' AIf VIII ~ 'AH" 'FfN
- degraded here. and tho white freeman J. glad To
excuse his natural lazlnc>, hy refusing to wear what
he calls the badgc of >crvitudc. The consequence of
Tins -, that a \ ankcc IA -mcr with his sorS Will Ike
and grow rich upon the corner of a firm. from which
n Virginia planter with has slaves has lust been drIv-
IN a bankrupt. The Yankee works himself. his sons
work Mt his side. his wife and daughters are at work
IN the dairy or IN the kitchen. They all save. for II
- their own. They study to increase the products of
the farm and To improve the farm itself, for II j. their
wealth OF To he their inheritance.
Go down INTO old Fairfax in Virginia. just beyond
tho Potomac. the ncighborlood of General Washing
ton, formerly the garden Of the South. Ten years
ago 1t was almo,, a " wilderness; like Actmon devour-
cd by his own dogs, the planters had been eaten M
by their slaves. First came mortga ecS on the proud
old homestead then mortgages on the slaves to raise
money Ia feed them nj last the Sheriff. and the old
fashioned Virginia gentleman who used TO import his
piIe Of WINE a year and drive his blood horses To the
Springs. has become a lulap dr.nkcr at the stage
house. or has struck out INTO the world to seek his
fortune. But the land was to good to be lost. The
Yankee has bought 1t. He has put UP the fcncc>.and
driven ms plough u the deeper soil, and turned in the
clover; and old Fairfax i, Beginning to smile like "A
colony Of New England.
We have moved one step forward in our argument;
for We arc agrcd now that u freeman can support him.
self by agricultural labor where a slave cannot. But
there i another thing to be considered, and that II
skill. Now and then. yen VIII find IN the South a
smart negro, who has learned n trade. Now and
linen. not Oftcn.-fpr trades are not 10 nc itaIn'u
without attention. and few viii give much attention
To that which II not To repay them FIR this trouble. \
skIlful slave II worth more To his master but he II
worth no more to himself. Ii he even makes himself
n master workman. he gets no wares and If he Is
the vcric~t bo;ch. lac still gets his two suits of clothes,
his corn-mcal and his bacon. The slave mechanics
are therefore few and not expert. The grca, mass of
the slaves IN all countries has always been, and al
ways must be. employed in mere labor, the common
est labor Of the plantation. Taken a a body, they
cannot support themselves by any other than agri-
cultural occupations.
than any other. \ shoemaker can make his living on
SIX feet square, a place Just big enough for his bed
and his bench. \ thousand men can work IN IA SIN
gle mandatory. People who live by their wits,
thank Heaven, are not expected to be great land
holders.
FrccIncn then can be slowed closer and make a
living. than slaves can. The traders. manufacturers.
mechanics. professional rnen. may be crowded INTO
towns, - that a hundred thousand shall live comfort
ably on a square mile of land. The slave must De a
farmer. or rather a farmers laborer. and a lazy. UNI
>kilful and wa>teful laborcr To boot. who makes small
crops. and requires therefore much land 10 raise
enough to clothe and feed hIm-
Remembering this. "a n second fact about which we
are not to have any further argument, let u> GO on IL
another topic.
In new countries. whore land i cheap. agriculture
II careless. That l. to say. the farmer picks out the
best soil and neglcct> the worst. and works over the
best somewhat roughly. When an acre of new land
can be bought for a d liar and a quarter. people are
not apt to paw much for manurlng an old one. In 4
new country. therefore. population i apt To be scat
tered. only the best soils cultivated. and those crop
ped hard. - a 10 make the most of them Tor the tine
When they are exhausted, the settler moves oa t
another tract.
But a the country grows older. land becomes more
costly. People learn the art of living ON smaller
farms. The flrnor tres II improve what &c ha> got
and 70 make 1t weld al that the best culture can brine
out. Population thickcns. and at last the country be-
comes so fun. ard land - dear. that 1t i difficult /
obtain a living hy mere labor. Then II i that en-
grafton begins. and the >urplu, population. incapahis
of finding a >urroit II home. moves away 80 region
where land l. cheaper
Now, f ever such 4 time shall Come 10 the slay'
States. II j. very certain that the slaves. instead e
being valuable property to their masters, Will become
an lncumbrance. Whenever n man cal> more thar
he earns. he must be dependent FIR support On t'
earnings II others: and n ease OF the slave. Tie DC
~pcndencc must he ON the master. Tor no enc else L
bound 20 >up2or, hin. Let this State # things CONT
about. and there VIII NJ objections To abolition. a
least ON the part Of the masters.
And this state of things must and VIII come. a
surely as men continue To cat and drink. The onll
question is-Nhen When VIII the land ct TIL
slave State, be ~ fully covered with population a Il
crowd oar, the slave /, Let Us sec if We can answe
Tins cue >;ion.
There are parts Of Europe which we know TO b
fully stocked with population. where mere laoo
scarcely earns a living. but relies in part on the poor
rates. and where government Is willing To pay an
does paw passage money fr emicrants TO America. Il
order 10 relieve itself &c the burden u supporting
tlcn, ~, homo q, the more fertile part OF the cont