The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-09-29
Prom the National Era.

No census has ever given Us the numbeI
:, s,.vsbolders. We hear and see and feel
- much of their power, that we are apt to
oonround Them with The iohite population
If ne South. IL is one Of our popular de-
Insious tina, every SoUtherner is the owner
e slaves: whereas, in fact, the people who
are forever threatening TO dissolve the
Toion unless permitted 10 govern it, are a
very small landed srisiocrecy.
In "An Address 10 the Non-SlaveholdeTs
If The South" Published few years since,
here was q long array OF arguments and
xt,,isics. 10 prove that each master could
MOI, on an average, hold less than ten slaves.
or course. on this average, the slave popu-
lslion. divided by ten, would give the num-
her of owners, viz: 24S,771. This num-
bsr deducted from the lchite males over
% wears old, in the slave States and Teui-
,ores. viz: l,Ole, 800, would give Us 761,-
$50 adult white non-slsveholders.
4 fact h2s recently come TO light. that
most conclusively proves that this supposed
average Of ten slaves to the master is very
far belox the true number. Ii seems there
vas a census taken (lS40 in Kentucky OF
voters. slaves, and shareholders. Mr.. I'm
5erwood Of that State, in a recent speech
published in the New York Express, gives
The number Of voters as 139, 6i2; of slaves,
1872 40. and Of Shareholders. STAB! be
ing an average OF more than % slaves TO
esch master. Now, let il be recoIlected,
that The slaves are necessarily less concen-
rated upon kentucky farms, than they are
upon the large cotton and sugar plantations
OF the more southern States. Ii is well
known that the great planters hold from
100 10 1000 slaves. A letter, lately pub
lished in The newspapers, from the Parish
OF Ascension, Louisiana, giving an account
Of the Tavages Of the cholera in the neigh.
borhood. says: Mr.. Fish has lost 20 ne
groes, Kenner 81, Dele 40, Minor GO,
Colonel Bib has lost 20, Bishop Polk 64. "
But applying even the Kentucky ratio,
which is obviously too small, to the whole
slave region, the result is astounding. The
whole number Of slaves-lnen, women,
and children-were, by the last census,
2,467,1l1. This number, divided by y,
gives 1907 a. the sum total of the slave.
holders in the United States. Beyond all
question, this is an exaggerated estimate.
We are now qualified TO Judge Of the &C
curacy Of the reports made by the slave
holders themselves of their number.
Mr.. Horace Mann, in a speech, June
80, lotS, in the House Of Representatives,
Observed: 81 have seen the number of a.
tual slsveholders variously estimated, but
the highest estimate | have ever seen, is
three hundred thousand" He was here in.
EerruPted by Nr. Gayle of Alabama-"Il
The gentleman from Massachusetts has been
Informed mat the number Of Shareholders
IS only 100000, then will tell him his
information is utterly false"
Mr.. Mann-"Will the gentleman tell
Us how many there aIe?"
Mr.. Gayle-"Ten times as many"
Ten times 100000 being 5000, 900,
there were, according to the gentleman
from Alabama, more Shareholders than
slaves, Mr. Meade, Of Virginia, seeing
The awkward position in which Mr.. Gay le
had placed himself, came to his relief by
remarking-"When father or mother owned
slaves, they were considered the joint pro
Perty Of the family; and that, including
the grown aud the young, there were abou
three millions interested in slave properly
Thus was il attempted to neutrslise one ab
surdity by another. Allowing on an aver.
aye, six persons to family, the slavehold.
ers, their wives and children, cannot, in the
aggregate, exceed 100000, nor the slave
holding voters, 100000
This small but powerful aristocracy WELD
the Political authority OF the States in which
they reside; and this they do, not only
through their wealth and superior education,
but By making he masses believe that, by
protecting and perpetuating slavery, they
are promoting the common good. Accord
ing TO Mr.. Underwood, in Kentucky there
are 8 majority of 100, S67 non-slaveholding
voters yet at the recent election, most Of
these men we're persuaded by the Lords
OF the Lash TO 90 for everlasting slavery.
IL is obvious that the power or rne nus.
Iers rests wholly upon the ignorance and
subseWiency of the nonslsveholders.--
Hence the wrath and trepidation manifested
by these masters, whenever an attempt is
made to enligten the masses as TO the infiu-
ence Of slavery on their interests. Some
years ago, the New Orleans papers an
nOunced that 500 copies of an address to
10 the nOn-slaveholders had been received
at the Post Office in that city; but instead
OF being delivered to the persons to whom
they were addressed, they were BURNT!
MI. Barrett has recently been arrested in
South Carolina, and is now in prison. His
sole offence, and the only one of which he
IS accused, is that OF having deposited in
The Post Office, sealed wrappers, addressed
TO certain white citizens, containing print
ed tract, written by native Of the State,
and virtually addressed to the non-slave.
holders Of South Carolina. This tract
points out various provisions in the State
Constitution which il contends were con.
IIved to give political preponderance to
The owners Of slaves. Ii shows that the
representation Of tie several counties in the
Legislature is apportioned according to the
sIaOs and not 10 the white population
Thus it appears, from the tables given, thai
lhe two plantation districts Of Georgetown
and Beaufort, containing 7,743 whites and
sS'o'S slaves, have together 6 senators and
~ representatives. while the district oil
SPsrtanburg, having 1924 whites, ant
only 1857 slaves, has but senator and 5