The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-04-29

vantages IN trade, except Tor fair equivalents
Texas Is NOT in that condition she must make the
| best terms she can, and be contented even with
the worst, If they be the price OF her existence AZ
a nation. There isl reason TO believe, therefore,
| that The demands OF England upon that country
Will be treaty Of comrarrce, granting more Ia
| vorabie terms to her than 10 other nations. This
Is IN the usual course OF her policy and her posi-.
| uon, as friendly mediator and protector will
give her fair pretence for such claim. Texas
| Will have no alternative but to allow 1t.
| But the third object which she has IN view Is
| still more Interesting 10 Even at this day the
| United STATES are her most formidable rlval IN
commercial enter Prise and in manufacturing skill
and industry ; aud, 1t we may Judge from our rap
| I'd advancement hitherto, the time is not distant
Whrn We shall surpass her in all these particulars.
| Whatever Is calculated to embarrass our move
nients or impede our progress Is positive advan-
tagr to her Let lis suppose, them that her present
attempt upon Texas, and, through her, upon the
United States, will succeed. We shall thus be the
better able to estimate the influence which that
state OF things will exert upon the United STATES
The question Is not sectional. Although the first
and most disastrous effects Of such state OF things
would be tell in the ssvehoding States, they would
extend to and embrace important interests in eve
| ry other part OF the country. We must contem.
plate 1t, therefore, as national question, and en-.
deavorIto ascertain its bearing upon the United
States, SUCH and upon the portions Of the
United States 1t is worthy, also, of consideration
as a measure OF humanity. with reference to the
| slaves themselves.
| mo man, VINO KNOWS any tnlnR OF MS own ma
ture, can suppose II to be possible that two Of
men, distinguished by externsl and lnefiacrabe
! marks obvious TO every eye, who have held to-
| wards each other, from time lmmemorla the re-
laOn OF master and slave, could ever live together
as Equals In the same country, and under the same
! Government. If, therefore, slavery be abolished,
! the one or the other of the must leave the
! country or be exterminated. This choice would
be Tor the slave because they the weaker par
y. Where should they hy3 To the neighboring
tree States. tor there would be no other place OF
refuge Would those States receive them! Let
| 1t be remembered that they now number two and
halt millions; and the free negroes, who nlust
share their fate. number near four hundred thou
sand more and let 1t also be rene mbered, that
wise State would willingly take upon Itself the bur-
den OF such population; and, even ii all Of them
were althy laborers, the evil would scarcely be
less. Inc white iabGrer wouls not endure such
competition he would not agree to work side by
eide With degraded caste he would not submit
to have his industry rendered lrss profitable by the
competition OF new corners of strange and dis
honored race. This is sufficiently shown by the
well known occurrences in some of our principal
| towns, within few years past. The chances,
| then, are, that the African would be prosecuted
paureI, even as tree citizen oil a tree State But
even It he should be permitted to share fairly in
! the labor OF the country, that labor would soon
| come to be considered his appropriate sphere,
and as unworthy OF the white man. 1t ia not the
policy Of our States, OF England, thus to dgrade
! labor. To all this may be added, the certainty
that the African race, existing in large numbers as
freemen, In countries whose Governments and laws
recognise no difference Of color, would not long be
satisfied to be excluded from any political right, or
civil privilege, or social advantage, allowed TO the
white man; The dlscords and angry contests
| which would grow out Of This state OF things, and
the effect which they would have upon the tran.
guilty and prosperity of the country, may be east
! ly imagined. wise Government would avoid
them, by at once shutting the door against the
emancipated slave. The only alternative would be
] the determination of his race.
| So far, then, as the slaves themselves are con-
| cerned, their condition would be infinitely worse
than II now Is, while their Influence, us treemcn,
| upon our manners and social condition would not
fail to be IN the highest degree unfavorabe.
But in another view the subject is equally inter-
| esting. What effect wonld be produced upon the
productive industry Of The South by Withdrawing
from 1t all the labour afforded by two millions aud
halt of its people? This is nearly one-half the
entire population Of the slayehoding States 1t is
not possible to suppose that their places wouldsoon
be supplied by white labor Ii there were no other
difficulty in the way, the climate alone would OPP
pose an iasuperable obstacle. But even under
the most favorable circumstances, go large num-
! Der of laborers is not easily obtained. Let it be
| borne in mind that these slaves perform nearly the
| whole agricultural labor of the South. II that la
| Dor should be withdrawn THEN fields must lie
cultivated, their houses and other improvements
must 90 to decay, and their lands be worth nothing.
The utter ruin Of the whole country, and Of its
credi, and creditors, must be the consequence. No
influx Of new settlers could prevent it.. The most
! rapid course of immigration which has ever yet
been Witnessed would be too slow to arrest the
| overwhelming destruction.
| But the evil would not be confined to the slave
holding States. A very large roporiion-probably
not less than three fourths-of the exports of the
United States nre, either directly indirectly the
when we cease to export. To say nothing of the
comforts and accommodations which would thus
be lost or Of the disastrous Influences which would
thus be exerted upon our progress as refined and
| enlightened people, the revenue OF the country
would fail, and the necessary expenditures of CO.
vernment for the civil administration, for foreign
Intercourse. and for the means Of defence in war,
could not be met without resort to direct taxes.
| This would be hopeless experiment. 1t is very
difficult to lay any direct tax in exact conformity
| with the provisions Of the Constitution; and il
would be still'more difficult, If not absolutely i'm
possible, to make such tax acceptable to the people
under the change which would be produced IN the
| ratio OF presentation by the liberation OF the
slaves Besides, the destruction OF so much OF the
| agriculture Of the country would involve, to the
| same extent, that OF It's commerce and navigation;
| and the consequent lmpoverishment OF the people
would render them alike unable and unwilling TO
| pay any tax whatever. II such q state oil things
should prevail, even for singl. year, the conse-
| queuces would be very disastrous
| There is still another interest which must share
largely in this ruin. The vast capital now employ.
ed in the manufacture OF cotton goods must sink in
value in proportion as the labor which produces the
raw material shall BE- withdrawn. TIE incidental
equences would be little less disastrous. The
| railroads, the canals and similar other improve
ncns, which have grown out OF the general pros.
perity of the country depend all the combined
results Of ali the pursuits Of industry. Even Il Sc
rous enb rrassment of that industry for any length
Of time, would materially injure them but it
would be difficult to sustain them at all under such
a shock as we have now contemplated. All that
has grown out of and depends upon them would
fall along with them. We need not follow the
subject through all its notifications; they extend to
all the important pursuits OF industry throughout
the country 1t IS impossible to calculate the
amount OF ruin and suffering which would follow
the sudden emancipation Of the slaves Of the United
States II would not be much less, were that mea-
sure carried, in any form, by any other agency
than that OF the States who own the slaves, and
who can know how rapidly it is practicable or de-
srable to supply their places with other laborers.
Here is indeed, promising field for the policy
Of England. What better encouragement would
the industry Of her colonies require, than the sim