The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-09
From the Lori.yille Council

From the Louisville Council
MR. EDTToR:-Now that this question of Eman-
cipation Is fairly before The people Of Kentucky,
and your columns are open 10 the friends Of the
measure, and as we feel, in common, as we sup
pose, with thousands Of others in the State, a
deep interest in the success Of the cause, we
would ask you TO publish the following incident in
our life, as a reason why we think the question
ought TO carry. Not many months since we found
ourselves in the city Of Louisville, and occupied,
as a journeyman blacksmith, in possession of
good wages and constant employment, good pay,
&c., but with a disposition like most men to bet
ter our circumstances il an opportunity offered.
Such al opportunity, ss we supposed, did offer.
knowing bat little of tae interior of kentucky,
the careless and iniudieous character Of her agd-
cultural population, we were Induced by very fat.
terns representations, to locate ourselves in the
village Of E., and engage in business on our own
account
We went there with the disposition and habits
TO earn an honest livelihood, if one 10 be had
by industry and attention TO business; and If we
could have lived upon cOrdwood, oats, tobacco,
or any such articles, and had plenty Of money TO
have furnished iron and coal. and taken such art-
Giles in payment, we could have had plenty of
work. We found people without money, be-
cause they did not assiduous!y labor; the slaves
are the only persons there who labor. Many of
the wealthy SHAREHOLDERS have slave mechanics,
blac smiths, well as other trades. The bung-
ling manner in which their work is done seems TO
satisfy their employers, and render skill and neat
ness iu workmanship OF no value in such a COM
munity. But this is not all the difficulty. The
want of industry, thrift, and enterprise, that 4
larger free State population would give, is no
where more sensibly felt than here. Ia vain may
nature lavish her gifts in choice locations and fer
tile Wales, if the blight Of slavery be upon il, droo2
il will An old brother chip told us he had lived
there twenty-five years, had labored hard, reared
his family and lived, yet he was not well of as
when he came there; like the town in question,
he was finished.
We are told that this same rule will hold good
in all the interior towns in Kentucky. Hsw IN
like our free State neghbors, where all seems i'm
proVemenl Our observation tells us general
rule, that farmer in Ohio, will upon hundred
sores nf land raise family, educate his children.
and save money, take stock in banks and railroads;
whereas a man Ia an interior county in Kentucky,
with 500 ACRES, and FIVE or ten negroes with sueh
farming and habits as they possess, will never
save dollar.
The want of population and thrift is the true
reason Why the mechanics cannot live in the inte-
rior towns. Slaves Gil the workshops, and howev-
inferior the JOB, it will answer, because il has
cost the master but little, while all the finer ari-
cles of mechanical industry are supplied by the
more skilfu workmen Of the free States.
We soon found we could not live there unless
we could work for nothing and find ourselves.
Yet some Of the advocates Of slavery have the
hardihood to tell us the price Of labor is higher
here than in the free States We give one fact that
fell under our notice while there. We were re-
CURED IN common with all the citizens, to labor
two days on the roads. The overseer informed Us
that he could furnish substitute for seventy 1--WE
cents, S7l-2 cents per day, that plenty Of able
bodied men could be hired al that rate. Now il
any man can be hired in free States al that price
we have never heard IL
We soon found that this was no place for us, so
we have concluded TO leave; but before we do So
allow US 10 notice some OF the reasons presented
by the great champion Of slaveocrscy In a speech
10 the good people Of E., why they should oppose
all schemes Of emsnc paIson. We think you will
agTee with us, that old Meal-Axe was most out of
Argument when he presented such; and II there IS
single son Of vulcan like ourselves, in the State
that agrees with the old fellow in that particular
the greatest harm we could wish him, is that he be
compelled to make living for himself wife and
six children, by blscksmiIhins al E., under pres
ent circumstances.
The old gentleman commenced his argument BY
telling the soyeregns that he in favor of elect
ing ali officers by the people, from the Governor
down 10 Tailor, that the people OF Kentucky werS
entirely too intelligent and well informed TO dele
gate authority 10 any one, that they could better
exercise III power themselves; yet none could
help seeing that this was tub thrown out 10 amuse
the whale. that he thought would divert away the
minds Of the people from thinking about emauei-
potion.
His next argument was, that Kentucky was en-
tirely too poor 10 think OF anything OF the kind
that il would double the taxes. and because the
constitution had guaranteed the right, no subse-
quent assemblage of that people could take from
them their right 10 hold slaves. This doctrine Is
so absurd that person but himself wonld have
ventured on L. We have always understood, the
right 10 property in slaves to exist but by virtue OF
the constitution, and the constitution, like any
other contract can have no force after il has ex-
PRED by limitation with this single exception, that
the old contract shall remain in force until the new
one is adopted BY the parties; they having declared
that new one shall be made, may impose such
may be agreed on, and say what shall
or shall not be property. Had the old msu been |
susceptible ofshame, his cheeks riust have burned
when he pronounced Kentucky too poor 10 eman- |
cipate her slaves, when he looked through the |
county, and different parts Of the State, and saw
made poor, and the process daily going |
DO BY this most unnatural relation.
He next told us that his father lived in Virginia
until the Mason and Dixon line was run. Three |
or four counties in the south-wt stern part Of Penn
sylyania properly belonged TO Virginia, but Mason
md Dixon thought differently, and Virginia foolish
" consented 10 part with them. Virginia was
called the mother Of States but ought 10 have been
called the mother OF fools for this act His father
lived 10 one of those counties transferred to Penn.
sylvania, and she passed emancipation laws, he |
must either sell his land or HIS slaves. He pre-
Iened the former, and took bis slaves and came TO
kentucky, selling his lands, he says, at great
sacrifce Nearly ull The best citizens did the same
hing they would do so here. True. that part Of
was much more hickly settled now
han il was then, and some said with better popu-
alton; he did not think so. He could not COM
pare the shortlegged, lone-bodied Dutehmen and
Yankees with which il is now filed with the for.
ner settlers. ..a-aia-
The old gentleman forgot 10 tell US one thing in
citation 10 this matter, that many shrewdly sus-
,ect viii happen here, and that is, that these same
ands of like quality, and lying contiguous to vir
,inia, arc every where worth one-ihird more than
ands Of ss good quality in Virginia.
In continuation, said be, as in Pennsylvania, so
would II happen in Kentucky. Many of the best
,itizens would sell their lands take their negroes
md remove 10 other States; and what would you \
ret In return, Che sskedA your shortleeged, long
,odisd, butter.hipped pntchmen; psupers from the
Rhine; Yanh ess, with horn fints, wooden clocks,
iotions and nutmegs For himself, he would not |
live one le-sou:ed Kentnckian, or anything be.
onging 10 Kentucky, for oil The Dutch, YANKEES
md foreign paupsrs you could ever chip 70 Ken I
peby. Whit transfer noble, mspsplmous, ssn- |