The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-18
Oelaware--Nulnber Of Sla vcholders

L
| DeIaware--Numbero Of sIavchoider..
This little State knows, through its warm
hearted sons, how to do and say true things. and
do good deeds. But since it has resolved to get
rid of Slavery, most of its journals do not meas
ure their language in denouncing the patr archal
institution. Listen TO one of them:
sin the South, there are about one stakeholder
TO four nom slaveholding whites, and the slave
holders are about one TO three slaves; therefore,
one-eighth Of the people of the South bear rule
] in the slave region-and not only so, but by
management and sticking together have been
able to rule the Union. But the time has come
when this mus, end. When Russia is giving
! freedom TO her serfs slaves--when England,
France, and other nations, are giving freedom TO
| their slaves--can America, the land Of freedom,
| extend and perpetuate the curse of human bon
dagel In the name of Heaven, we answer. no
| How much has our Government to answer for.
Was il not TO extend slavery thatTexas as annex
Ell Was il not TO extend slavery that the horrible
| war with Me ,ico was commenced A war that
is swallowing up by hundreds of millions the
| hard earnings Of the operatives-a war that 10
destroying hundreds and thousands of valuable
lives--a war that Is characterized by cruelties
| and outrages almost unparalleled in modern
| times Oh. save us from the extenso of slave
ry! or disunion must be the consequence. But
the South, reckless of her obligations to freedom,
or of her own honor and prosperity, holds On to
this curse with the phrenzy of the maniac, and dc
clares that il must be extended. Can such mad.
ness and folly overcome sober, sound, repubi-
canisnl No, never"
The Era correct Is this sateme mt in one respect,
viz: the proportion Of shareholders TO non-slave-
holders. 1t says "tha, Kentucky in 1916, ac-
cording to the Auditors books, showed only
81 900 SHAREHOLDERS, or not one in twenty Of the
white population" The usual estimate is, tro
Hundred and ffty thousand. The Era deducts
thsrefrom one hundred ami twenty-five thou
sand. This is its calculation:
Louisiana raises no grain TO speak of, prod ces
a small quantity Of rice, some cotton, has scarce
| ~ any manufactures. and but one large city. A
large proportion Of her laboring force is absorb
cd by the sugar-culture. The slave popua ton
must have increased TO at least $4,000 in lSi4.
| Now, allowing ~, 900 slaves for other depart
nlcnts of labor, il is probable that 10000 were
employed on those ,t2 sugar plantations, which
would give about 200 TO each plantation, In
| Georgetown district South Carolina, there are
nearly - slaves to evsry siiss rs-so ii tire DIS
-,
and the proportion of slaves 10 each Of them
will be one hundred
An abstract is given in the Congregational
Journal, Of the report OF the Association Of
Georgia for the Religious Instruction Of Slaves
The movement of the Rev. {. {. Jones. with
whom the enterprise originated, is noticed al
length. lie visited, i, is stated most of the plan
taiions in his district, TO obtain accurate siaiis
tics, &c and, according TO these, "the number
of plantations is l25, owned by LAG owners."
On twenty four, the owners or managers, resioe
all the year round: on forty-one, one-half, or
part of the year, sixty, there is no white per-
son at all, during any part of the year. The en-
tire negro population of the district is 4,2l2,
not more than dozen of whom are free. The
average number Of slaves, therefore, to the slave
holder, is about %. In Kentucky, the average
number TO each STAKEHOLDER is six slaves; in
Missouri, il may be about the same: in Louisi-
ana, we have seen, the sugar planters proba-
bly, own, average, 300 slaves These, per-
haps, are the extreme points, but il may be fairly
| assumed, when remember hat the bulk OF
the slave-popula,ion is in the planting States,
that the average number of slaves to each slave
holder is scarcely less than twenty. This we
think a fair estimate; but if it be correct, the
number Of real Shareholders in the United States
| is only one hundred and twenty five thousand
Let every one make the calculation for himself
he will hardly be able TO arrive at any other con-
clusion, although the ordinary estimate places
them at 250, 900.
The total popular vote in the Presidential
election Off IA, was ,697 $40. The proportion,
then, Of slaveholding voters, ION the SUPPOSE
ton that all the Shareholders are qualified vo-
| ters.) is one to twenty-one.
Now, it needs no argument to show that the
prohibition of slavery in any new territory will
not only not injure American citizens who owl
no slaves, but be of immense advantage to them
especially to such ar might see proper 10 emigrat'
from the slave States. This last class Of persons
of all others, has the strongest reason for desi
ring exemption from the presence Of system
which has operated dsastrousy to their inter
ests, and reduced them TO subsection TO master
class. On the other hand, to permit the intro
duction Of slavery in new territory, while
would tend to augment the power of this master
class, and its already inordinate gains, would b
"a blow at the great mass Of our citizens, Nortl
and Sonth, composed, as it 10 of non-slavehol
ders. The simple question, then, is, Shall tn
will and unjust power and iuordinate interests O
one hundred and twenty five thousand clector
adult white males, if you please override tn
will, legitimate power, and lawful interests q
two million five hundred and seventy-twO thou
sand electors, adult white males Shall ON
. he of more weight, in the scale Of America
politics, than TWENTY-ONE