The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-11
From The .Ntao York Merchants Day Book
The Protection of Slavery or the Advan-
tages of Controlling Mind

In Saturdays paper we showed that the protec-
ton of the black labor at the South was greater
than at the North, and that although he was free
man here he enjoyed less protection than if he
was a slave in a slave State. A slave submits to
to certain municipal regulations, is governed by
stringent laws, but in return he Is guaranteed or
insured against certain evils which the freeman
strives with double ardor and tolls twice as hard
to avoid. To get his daily bread, provide for
himself comfortable lodgings, prepare for sick
ness, the freeman gives his most earnest and un-
ceasing toil-tol which is not half the time re-
warded with half the blessings he strives for, or
with half those the slave has by the laws Of his
country guaranteed to him. But, says our phi
lanthropis, this freeman, bad off he is, will
change places with the slave, therefore he enjoys
more, and his position situation is preferable.
That does not always follow by any means. The
lazy vagabond, who lies half the day drunk about
the docks, will not exchange places with the honest
and respectable aborer; but That proves nothing.
A boy will often ''run away from good home,
and work like slave on board ship, or do some
other equally toisome duty, and suffer all the
evils and privations of dissolute life--but that
proves nothing, only that such boy is very silly.
We cannot, therefore, admit that because the ne
groes Of the North will not exchange places with
the Negroes Of the South they are better off or
happier. Gail the Southern laborer by some other
name, remove the odiousness which society has
put upon the word slare-but let the black man s
condition at the South be precisely that it now is
and we would find hundreds of our poor blacks
seeking SITUATIONS" there.
The benefits Of controlling master mind is felt
everywhere in society, but nowhere more than
among laborers The master mechanic, who d.
reefs and controls the labor of n hundred men,
produces not only more for the workmen than
they can possibly produce if left to themselves,
but seven times more for himself than his own
hands can do.
We will take for example printing office--the
Tribune. Ten years ago Mr.. Greeley was strug
Cling for the necessary means for support. Mr.
McElrath was but little better off. They had been
striving many years to produce by their individual
efforts enough to make themselves comfortable,
say nothing Of surplus. Mr.. Greedy was pos
sessed Of a remarkable mind, but it awaited him
nothing. Mr.. McElrath had great energy, was
very industrious and persevering, but he obtained
nothing more than living. They came together.
Mr.. McElrath took Mr.. Greeley mind and made
it available. What has been the result? Why,
that which brought in nothing is made to bring
in its thousands.
But the benefits do not stop here nearly hun
bred men, who could in no other way earn half as
much as they now get, give up their minds and
labor to Messrs. Greedy & McEhath and they
make them produce wealth in abundance Why
is this' Why cannot these men earn each Just as
much for himself as for Greedy & McE!ralh !;
Simply because he dot know how, Why does
he not kaow how; because he never mas been