The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-11-14
W ASHIN CT N.
THURSDAY EVENING, Nov'R IA, 1874.
THE BIG FUTURE.


Fifteen thousand Aboltionsts in New York
voted for Birney. These men affect the utmost
horror Of slavery, and they have evinced it to the
world by pursuing course which they were
aware must nfallibly insure the election Of the
Presidential candidate who is pledged to the an
nexation of Texas and the extension of slavery.
No one, we presume, can feel greatly surprised
at any extravaganza which may be committed by
the Liberty party, and therefore we are not dis
posed to wonder at their recent eccentric and
impracticable course.
The Wings occupy the medium ground with
reference to slavery. They are for leaving the
subject to the action of the States in which it
exists. The Locofoco and the Abolition parties
are each anxious to bring the power Of the Fed
eral Government to bear upon the subject-the
one to extend and perpetuate slavery, the other
to abolish it. The Abolitionists take one ex-
IRENE and the Locofocos the other, and any sane
man would suppose that under such circum-
stances conscientious Aboltionsts would be
likely to support that party which was less d.
rectly arrayed against them. But not SO. The
extremes found the embrace Of each other more
congenial than either found that Of the party &C.
cupying the middle ground. Mr.. Brney suf-
fered himself to be seduced by the Locofocos, and
though protesting not to like either the Wing or
Locofoco candidate for President, expressed his
decided preference for the latter, and advised his
friends who thought of voting fer either to choose
Mr. Polk. Acting upon this advice, many doubt
less voted for Mr.. Polk while fifteen thousand
others aided the cause of annexation and perpet-
ual slavery, by throwing away their votes upon
Mr.. Brney.
Now that the Abolitionists have, by direct or
indirect means, secured the election of the Loco
foco candidate, it becomes question of grave
moment whether annexation will take place, and
how it will affect the institution of slavery.
Our decided impression is, that if annexation
does take place, that its immediate effect will be
to augment the evil Of slavery, by causing an
immense emigration from the old to the new
States. In the old, quiet, orderly States Of Ma
ryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, to which
we may add Tennessee and Kentucky, the con-
dtion Of the slaves is far better than in the States
of the Southwest. There are three causes for
this difference In the first place, the moral tone
of society is better. In the second place, the
slaves are in general in the hands of those who
have inherited them, and who consequently feel
a sort of patriarchal interest in them. And in
the last place, they have less incentives to over.
work the slaves in the above named States than
in those Of the Southwest The Abotionsts,
therefore, have exerted their philanthropic efforts
to the detrment OF the slave.
The Nulfers have projected Annexation as a
means of strengthening the South in the balance
of Federal power. We think they will miss the
mark as widely as the Aboltionsts have done.
In the first place, annexation can not take place
unless it is upon some such ms as those sug-
gested in Mr.. Bentons bill, by which the terri
tory admitted will be equally divided between
slave and free States. Allowing that the portion
allotted to the slave States is the best and most
available for the purposes of settlement, the gain
on that score will be trifing to the South. But
how is Texas to be converted into slave States |!
Must it not be by the depopulation of Virginia,
Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ten
nessee! Must it not be by robbiDg Peter to pay
Pau2
Texas is, according to all accounts, the most
fertile portion of North America. The region
peculiarly adapted to cotton and sugar is some
three times as large as Virginia, aud nearly all
of tive may say every foot of it-superior to
the best lands of Virginia. With this fact in
view, il will be easy to estimate the capacity of
Texas to drain off the slave population from the
old slave States.
The slave population of Maryland in 1910 was
$4,000; that of Virginia, 446,000; that Of North
Carolina, 245 900; Tennessee contained $4,000
Kentucky, $1,000; and the FIVE States an sg-