The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-04-29

nutable purpose. Ii bears no renlOnstranee.
il respects no prejudice, il regards no boun-
Diary, il pauses for no obstacle Day and
night, summer and winter, with a step thai
never tires, yet which never seems 20 move,
it still rolls on through granite and steel to
its far destiny in the distant south. What
is that destiny and where is the home which
nature has provided for this slow ard sable
wanderer Shall he dwell for long cen
turies among the sugar canes OF Louisiana
and Texas Shall he pitch his tent in
the marsby and death girdled islands of the
West Indian seas Shall he. gradually
mingle with the swarthy bands Of Mexico,
and share with them the. long and disas-
Tous retreat through centuries OF hopeless
contest to the distant shores Of the Amazon
and Orinocol Or like the crew Of the "a
bled Phantom ship, shall he be
a wahderer Ter eternity, be-"
Whose bark drives on and ahd anchored Ter shall
& 70 these questions IhaVs al present NO
answer. The task which undertook was
far more simple and easy | asserted that
slavery was slowly refining to the South,
and | have proved it. That revolution
has begun in all Of the frontier slave
States, and is nearly complete in some, /
have shown, as | think, by indisputabIe
facts. That this revolution is destined to
go forward and not backward in the States
where il has commenced, have not shsd
ow Of doubt. To what new States il may
be extended, or whether it viii be extended
to any, is a question which leave entirely
untouched.
My second proposition is 50 easily estab-
llshed, and so universally admitted, by all
who have examined the subject, that bat for
the sake Of displaying the enomity or the
evil which threatens US, ] should not dwell
upon il at all. As it is, ] will briefly point
out few leading features connected with it, |
and pass or to the last subject, which I /
have undertaken to illustrate.
OF the myriads Of free negroes which /
cucumber the free States, | shall say moth
ing. | will merely advert to this class as
it exists in the frontier slave States. In !
Delaware, although the slaves since 1870 /
have decreased from S,SSI TO zoos, vet in /
Delaware there were nearly Il 900 free ne /
gToes in 1910, and at that time, and Tor !
nearly twenty years back, they had increa- |
sed in a ratio nearly five times greater than !
the whites. In Maryland, although the |
slaves had decreased in 80 years, from ILL., I
SOP to SO, 49,, vet the free blacks had IN /
creased from about $4,000 TO 63,O7S, and /
the ratio Of their increase had been greatly /
more rapid Than the whites In Virginia, I
the free blacks had increased from about
$1,000 in 1870, to about $4,000 in 1S4O, !
and the ratio Of their increase until 1910 /
was generally double that Of the whites; in I
1910 it was slightly less. Ia Kentucky,
the free blacks have increased from ia
in 1870 to 7,317 in 1910. Between 1890
and 1910, the whites in kentucky had in
creased about II per cent, while the free
blacks had increased about 40 per cent. Ia
the census or 1880 the whites in Kentucky
had increased 19 per cent, while the free
blacks had increased 10 per cent. u Is
worthy Of remark that the free blacks are in
creasing in hentncky, with rapidity i'm
mensely greater than that with which they
increase in Tennessee, and thai in Missouri
the ratio of their increase is immensely SUI
perior to that OF Kentucky. In the s;x
States which we have denominaled the Nor
them slave States, there were in 1910. l6O,-
SOP free blacks. whose ratio OF increase. II
Missouri be omitted, was double thai Of the
whites in the same States, and including
Missouri, was still considerably more rspid
than that Of the whites. am aware that
the natural ratio Of increase Of the Tree
blacks in the Northern States IS greatly in
ferior to that Of the whites, and thai in the
South it is inferior TO that Of the slaves. |
am also aware that 1t is the constant aces
sion which the free blacks Of kentucky re
ceive from continued emancipation, which
swells their number so rapidly. The same
cause no doubt contributes to swell the "a
ito Of increase in the other frontier slave
States. Bur this does not in the slightest
degree lessen the danger arising from the IA
pidity with which they are increasing. I'm
less counteracted by powerful and stringent
legislation, Of character which can hardly
be maintained Tor a long time, the free
blacks % Kentucky must for many years
continue 10 increase far more rapidly than
the whites Maryland, Delaware and Viz
GINA, are absolutely flooded, and kentucky
is following in their footsteps with rapid
ity, which ~ill soon cause her TO look arOuns
| for a remedy. What shall she do Instruct
them. Chrstianize them, convert them into
good, enlightened, and industrious citizensl
Alas the dream Of AbOn Hassan, in the
| Arabian tale, was not more vain and mis-
chievous. Take away from man all that
is lofty and ennobling in his nature, the love
Of praise, the deathless thirst for renown,
the ambition that impels, the hope that
cheers, the desire to be loved, to be admired,
to live in the memory Of his fellows, and
what do you leave him! Why YOU cave
him the base emotion Of fear, and the low
passion for the qualification Of his Animal
appetitesI What shall stimulate the eman-
cipated slave in Kentucky, to noble exer-
tom In what walk, profession or calling.
shall he seek to rise TO honor! Where IS
the high nope, that is TO cheer him in the
long struggle Of hfei Will all the virtues
of humanity united in his single person, hlt
him to a social level with the humblest Of
the white racel Will temperance and self
denial, unblemished integrity, daring cOur-
\ age, and lofty genius, cause his color and
{ race to be forgotten, and lift him to level
with the mighty and noble Of the landl-
The convict, discharged from the Peniten-
tiary, may hope one day to rise to honor.