The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-07

II, hno give you passage on tnis point
This we commanded you, that If an
! would not work, neither should he eat. y
, The sense OF it can be no less, than 10 dis
, courage idleness-nay, than TO condemn
!, indisposition to labor as a moral delinquen
lcy. And if this averseness to labor be. fst
IA personal immortality, and then o public
Injury, can it be pretended that an insiitu
ton which fosters it is not an evil
! 1t will not be out Of place to consider
in this connexion, your estimate Of The
wealth and prosperity Of Kentucky, as de.
pending upon her slaves. Theyare in mum
Der about 200, 000-nearly one-fourth parI
of the whole population. You estimate
their value. as property, al about 500, OO0,.
O0o--worth to the holders, you suppose,
about $4,000. 900. annually. This last
estimate you should have verified by some
kind Of proof. ] think il much beyond
the true amount. You will hardly be able
to show that the entire slave property in the
State yields so great an annual interest =
But il, asis undoubtedly true, in some parts
Of the State, the soil has deteriorated in con-
sequence OF the labor OF slaves, with It's
usual accompaniments--if further, as you
will not deny, the influence Of slavery has
been with US. as everywhere else, to bring
down the responsibility, and to diminish the
amount OF labor by white men-and If
still further, as you will also admit, the pre-
sence Of slavery has tended year by year,
to remove from the State many OF our most
useful citizens. working-men of fine char
acter, each one of them worth more to the
country on the single ground OF bis prodnc-
tive industry, than ever so many slaves
why then, even though the slaves were
worth three millions annually, il may slll
be true, and doubtless is, that the aggregate
Of our wealth is diminished, and the vigor OF
our prosperity weakened by their presence.
And this, without taking into the account
the number Of valuable working -men-who
increase the wealth of the State by their
|toil--and Of persons having money to en-
ploy in active business. or invest in produc-
tive property--who have been turned away
from us by our slaves. You will not deny
that many OF both these classes have gone
elsewhere. who would have come to Ken
lucky but for our slaves-and you see how
the loss of them, being due tn slavery. is
to be charged against its value to the Com
monwealth.
You seek an illustration Of the prosperi-
ty OF Kentucky, as she is-snd an argument
against emancipation, and in favor Of sla-
very-in the extreme poverty of so many
persons in the free States, and our exeuip-
ton from such a curse. My heart swells
with Joy, like your own, gentlemen, at the
mention of anything that shows the pros
peri,y, or tends to the honor Of Kentucky.
But no feeling. however generous, must be
permitted to blind our eyes. on subject
like this. Let us examine what you say
1.-The State Of New York contains l40, 900
psupers-and the metropolis OF that State
had to expend in aims, during the past year,
more than half million Of dollars within
Der own limits"
You will bear in mind that the State Of
New York has nearly three millions OF
people-ihe city Of New York not far from
half a million. You will not forget that
the State Of New York, from her position,
receives foreign emigrants out Of all pro-
portion to the other States. Many Of these
emigrants are paupers, shipped to this coun-
try, it is said, from the prisons and aims
houses Of the old world. The city OF Me-
York receives immense numbers Of emI-
grants every year-while the other extremi-
ty OF the State, along the lakes and the
Niagara, also receives many, landed in
Canada, and making their way into the
States. Even many Of those who land at
Boston, and other ports Of New England.
pass into the State OF New York, on their
way to the West, and never get further
You see where large part Of the lao, 900
come from, and how their presence IN New
York has nothing to do with slavery in
Kentucky and is no argument against free
dom. The nalf a million Of money spent
| in aims in the city Of New York, with all
the wreichedness, poverty, andcrime, which
| il implies, is equally destitute OF all rela-
ton to the subject Of slavery. IL shows
how strong tendency there Is in the nature
of things, to gather the poor and miserable
Into ciiies-it finely illustrates the benevo'
lence Of that people, see nothing else,
particularly, that you can learn from 1t.
But the 10000 paupers. Have yor
any idea. gentlemen, Of the number Of pau
pers in Kentuckyi BY paupers, | suppose
you mean very poor people--who cannot
or do not. support themselves. We hsy'
about 200. 900 people in kentucky-nearl,
one in every four OF us all-who are no
only, in fact, destitute Of property Of thei
Town, but by law incapable Of possessing
any. Nov how many OF these, do yot
suppose, are not able TO support themselves
or are unwilling! What proportion o
Them, think you, do not, in fact. whateve
NAV be the reason, earn their livingi dar'
saw. YOU cannot answer these questions
cannot either. But you will agree with me
that the proportion OF such is very consider
able-bsing the very old and in6rm-th
very young-the sick-and the intolsrabl.
lazy and worthless-which are precisely
the classes that make up the 140. 900 in tn
State of New York. Gentlemen, pre-
sumo you do not hold yourselves accounta
BILE for what appears in the Louisville Jour
nal-but you viii allow me to quote sen
ltenco from late writer in that sheet: 81
we can show no magnificent establishment
ISor the support OF paupers. the sick, and u
disabled, Il Is because me shelter thsn
under our oscn roofs. (The italics ar
lhis.) Our lower classes, from whence tn
Inmates OF the Eastern Asylums chiefly Or