The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-16
DAILY.
Washington, Tuesday, July Is, 1850.

ton with Northern labor, and are good consumers
of It's productions, While the n ofth has derived
these great advantages, the negroes themselves
have not been sufferers. Their condition not only
compares most advantageously with that of the
laboring population of tbs world, but it is in adj
vance or the position they have been able, at any
time TO occupy at home. The researches Of Gid
don and other antiquarians, show that four thou
sand years ago in Africa they were slaves, and as
black as they now are. Since then, IN that coun-
try where they were placed by Providence, and
where, from their peculiar constitution, they en-
10y the best health, they have existed only as
savages, Icy are there continually made slaves
by the men of more intelligent and enterprsing
races. Nor have they ever gotten out of the trop-
zeal parts or Africa, except when they were car
rled as merchandise. 1t remains TO be proved,
however, yet TO the world, that the negro, any
more man the horse, can permanently exist, In
state OF freedom, out Of the trqpical regions.
lhelr decay atthe North, as well as other cir
cumstancee which have not time to detail, are
adverse to the proposition. And yet, sir, the
Journals of the North, while they deny that the
French and the Germans, the most enlightened of
the continental nations Of Europe, are capable of
freedom, stoutly maintain that the negro is; the
negro, who has never anywhere, when left TO
himself, gotten up to the respectable state of bar
barsm which all the other have attained, not
even excepting our Indians in Mexico and Peru
| While the people of the Northern States and the
negroes have been benefited, am not prepared
to admit that the South (f injured at ally has suf-
fered as generally supposed. The influx Of for
/ eign emigrants, and some other circumstances to
which will presently advert, have in some re-
spects put the North greatly ahead. But if you
deduct the foreign population which goes chiefly
to the North--the little we get not being equal to
that portion Of our own people who go to the
northwestern State if you deduct this, / say, it
will be found that the white population of all the
slave-holding States has Increased faster than that
OF the free States. Owing to the comfortable con-
dtion of our population, if there had been no emil
grafton from abroad, the descendants Of our por-
ton OF the American white family would be more
numerous than the Northern. Nor is ittrue that
that we are the poorer the contrary, If we
are to take the valuations of property in the DIFF
ferent States assessed by the public officers, it
appears that the slaveholdng States are much
richer I'm proportion to their population than the
free. Even if you exclude the negroes ais proper
|ty, and count them in the population, it appears
that the citizens of Virginia-the oldest of the
slave Statesare richer per head than the citizens
Of any one of the free States II will also appear
that the slaveholding States have vastly less pau
perism and crime than the Northern States. Look
ing, therefore, at all these different elements, viz
greater increase of population, more wealth, and
less poverty and crime, we have reason to regard
our people as prosperous and happy.
Sir, have not, for want of time, gone into de-
tails on these points, but contented myself with
the statement of those general views which every
candid inquirer will am satisfied, find to be true.
do not seek to make comparisons that might be
regarded as invidious, unless by way of defence
against habitual attacks on us; but regard it as
right to say on this occasion, that whether con-
sidered with reference to the physical comfort of
the people, or high state Of public and private
morals, elevated sense of honor, and of all gem
erous emotions, have no reason to believe that
higher state of civilization either now exists else
where, or has existed at any time in the past, than
, is presented by the Southern States of the Union
When we look to foreign countries, these views
are confirmed and sustained Brazil, with pop
uaton of two slaves to one freeman, is the most
! prosperous of the South American States and the
! only one which has stable political system.
Cuba is greatly in advance of the other West In
, da islands, though st. Domingo and Jamaica once
equaed her before the emancipation Of their
: slaves. Besides the expense of maintaining her
government at home, Cuba pays Spain revenue
of nearly fourteen millions. This is a greater
sum for her population than two hundred millions
would be for the United States. Could our peo-
, pie, in addition to the expense OF our State gov
ernments, pay SIX times as much as the Federal
Government has ever yet raised by impost and
taxes' That Cuba should be able to bear this
burden, and still prosper, is evidence Of the high
productiveness of the system.
In spite, however, of these great facts, which
ought to strike all impartial minds, the course OF
the North has been constantly aggressive on this
! question. The ordinance of 1887, adopted CO.
temporaneousy with the Constitution, made the
territory North of the Ohio free, and left that
South Of the river slaveholding, giving the North
more than half of all the existing territory. When
Louisiana was acquired, slavery could legally ex-
list in every part Of it. The State Of Missouri hav-
ing formed republican constitution, proposed to
come into the Union, but the North resisted her
application. Though her constitution, recogniz-
ing slavery, was precisely like those Of major
ity of the old States, yet they against all consti-
tuuonal principle, because they had the power in
one branch of Congress, obstnately refused her
admission, until it was provided by act Of Con-
gress that no other slave State should exist North
of SO deg 30 min. By that means, after leaving
the South only territory for single State, Car
kansas,) they acquired enough in extent to make
ten or fifteen large States. Now, encouraged by
their former success, and having become relatively
stronger, they claim the whole of the territory.
Should we give way, what is to be the result 7
California, Oregon, New Mexico, Deseret, and
Minnesota, will come into the Union in less than
FIVE years, giving the North clear majority Of
ten or fifteen votes in the Senate. The census Of
the coming year will, under the new apportion-
Iment, give them nearly two to one in this House.
With immense controlling maorities in both
branches, will they not at once, by act Of Con-
/ gres, abolish slavery in the Statesi Mr. Adams,
who, in his day, controlled Northern opinion on
this question, said that there were twenty provi
sions of the Constitution which, under certain
circumstances, would give Congress the power.
/ would not this majority ind the power, as easily
as they have done in their State legislatures,
where they have complete sway to nullify the
provision of the Constitution for the protection
of fugitive slaves! Have not prominent North
! ern politicians, of the highest positions and the
greatest influence, whose names are well known
to all gentlemen on this floor, already declared
that there is nothing in the Constitution of the
United States which obstructs or ought to OBJ
struct the abolition Of slavery by Congress in the
States' Surprising, however, this should not oc-
| cur in twenty years or less, without new acqui-
stions of territory, they would get the power, by
the coming in of new free States, to amend the
Constitution for that purpose. But have no
doubt, sir that other acquisitions of territory will
be made. Probably, after the next Presidential
election we shall get that part of Mexico which
lies along the Gulf, as far as Vera Cruz and from
which, though well suited to the profitable EN-
pIoyment of slave labor, we should be excluded,
nevertheless, by the adoption of the principle
that slavery should not be extended in area.
/ Conceding, however, that am wrong, in both
| these suggestions, and that Congress would