The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-12-18


Outlines of Scheme for the Removal o.
Slavery.
1. Let the farther importation of slare,
INTO West Virginia be prohibited By lao.
The expediency Of this measure is obyi
Gus.
2. Lette expectation of slaues be freely
permitted, as heretofore; bat Nth this re.
striction, that children Of slapes, born afte,
a certain day, shall mol be exported at all
after they are fire gears old, nor those u,l.
den that age. unless The SLAVES of the same
negro family be exported ,oith them.
| When the emancipation of the after-boru
children Of slaves shall be decreed, many
slaves will be exported, from various mo.
lives. The restriction is intended to pre-.
vent shareholders from defeating the benevo
lent intentions OF the law, by selling into
slavery those entitled to freedom, and old
enough to appreciate the privilege designed
for them. Young children are allowed to
be taken away with their parents and older
brothers and sisters, but not TO be sold Of
separately 10 evade the law.
B. Let the sristing generation of slapes
remain IN their present condition, but lei
their cfspring, born after certain dag,
be emancipated at an age not exceeding rs
gears.
BY this measure slavery will be slowly
but surely abolished, without detriment OF
Inconvenience to SHAREHOLDERS. No pecu-
mary loss can be sustained, except at the
option Of the Shareholders, who, If they
think that the measure will diminish the
value Of their slaves in West Virginia, can
sell them for expectation or take them away,
with the certainty Of making more out Of
them in that way, than they could by keep
ing them and their children as slaves in
West Virginia. IL they choose to stay and
submit TO the operation Of the emancipation
law, they have the certainty Of gaining more
by the rise in the value of their lands, than
they will lose in the market value Of their
slaves, in consequence Of the emancipation
law.
Undoubtedly such a law would imme-
diately attract emigants by thousands from
the North-lamerS, manufacturers and la
borers who would bring their capital, their
skill, and their industry, to enrich the coun-
Gy--to improve its agriculture, draw out
the wealth of its mines, and make IFS idle
waterfalls and coal beds work up its abun-
dant materials of manufacture. Before the
law would emancipate a single negro, it
would already have added more to the value
of the lands and town propeuy-of West
Virginia than all-her slaves are worth. II
any man among US have many slaves and
little or no land, he can easily profit by the
law as we'll as others let him sell negroes
and buy land.
VIII any man argue, that the rights
Of shareholders will be violated, because
those rights extend TO the offspring Of theiI
slaves
Notv the Shareholders right Of property
extends to the offspring Of his slaves, so faI
as this, that when the offspring comes into
existence, the law at present allows him tc
claim il as his. But when the law Of the
land shall in this particular be changed, his
right is at an end; for it is founded solely or
r human law BY nature all men are free
and equal; and human laws can suspend
this law Of nature. only so long as the pub
lie welfare requires it; that is, so long a.
more evil than good would result from eman
cipation. When the law Of slavery il
changed for the public good, all that the
stakeholder can claim, is that in some way
he shall be compensated for the property
acquired by sanction Of law, and taker
away by change Of the law. By ou
scheme nothing is absolutely taken from thu
stakeholder. 1t gives him an option, to re
move without loss, nuisance which ht
holds in the country, or to submit, with |
very small loss Of value, 10 another mode o
abating that nuisance. We say that th'
, people have right to remove this pest; ant
/, that our scheme gives shareholders double
compensation for what they will sufe
{ by the measure We have no doubt tina
before ten years, nearly every slaveholde
would acknowledge himself doubly com
pensated.
4. Let masters be required 10 hare III
heirs Of emancipation taught reading
a0riting and arithmetic; and let churche
: and beneUolent people attend 10 their Teli
,gious instruction. Thus an improved elias
Of free negroes would be raised up. N
objection could be made to their literar
D education, after emancipation was decreed.
S 5. Let the emancipated be colonized.--
I This would be best for all parties. Sup
posing that by expectation, our slave popu
!. lation should in twenty-five years be redu
: ced to 10000. Then about 1000 would &
3 out free the first year, and gradually smal
, Ter number each successive year. The 100,
e could furnish their own outfit, by laborin
e a year or two rs hirelings; and their trans
$ portation to Liberia would cost the people Q
: West Virginia $4,000 dollars; which, a
e population would by that time have probs
bly, reached million, would be an avereg
E contribution Of two and half cents head
: This would be less and less every year
a So easy would it be to remove the bugabo
$ of free negro population, so often held u
to deter Ills from emancipation. Easy woul
: it be, though our calculations were not full
: realized.
: Finally, in order to hasten the extinction
a of slavery, where the people desired it, il
/ counties containing few slaves-the Ian
e might authorize the people of any county
e by some rery large majority, or by consen
of a majority Of the Shareholders to deere
the removal or emancipation of all III
| r Al a.