The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-03-26

directly by Legislation to attack IL IN .nJ 80 ~
This mode has not now ao .'.h,;e mind The
cite much apprehension in the pupho MINI. ~
other nlan by which they expect 10 acooniPnsn
the same thing, at a day not lar ai Tha.. ~
nations progress, IS the IonoTns oon6ned ~
that the slaves of the country, being connheu W
tho States where they are now heiu, VIII 80 ~
crease in numbers. in oonnexon win 'ne LI,u III
ncation of the white race that their iaOor VIII pc
pa,ne nnnroftablc not yielding more than enough
g. ,heir hare subsistence, and that their owners
will 6nd IL advantageous to abandon them as
property and allow them TO go free. They DO not
Stop TO calculate how vast will be the misery IN
flicted by thus crowding together our population.
When the pressure has become SO great that the
labor of the slaves will no longer support them'
what will be the condition Of the free laoorers UNI
der the same rate Of wages? To carry out their
fanatical and wicked objects, they are perfectly
willing to place the whole southern country IA q
condition OF indcscribable misery A. 40
The northern anti slavery men express 'Ie ;sh
sire that they should then be nmaiBaiia'eu 49,
49, ,.h;,. 80 The soutbern men who maintain
this hypothesis DESTROYS OF co'oli1ins III =.
abroad AS nobody preiends that we are apie ~
send of the numbers we nov nav, 20 sbnw
il worth while to enter into an argument 10 SNOW
that when greatly increased In numbers, they can
NOT be thus gotten away with more iacihty. now
ever benevolent the scheme nave never resarueu
II ma sufficiently plausible to merit attack. But
hen ia II likely that the liberation itself in this
mode will occurs distinguished statesman, whose
declarations have great weight with many OF our
citizens is represented in the newspapers recently
10 have expressed the opinion, at a meeting held
in this city, that when the number OF slaves In the
United States shall have become three or four times
"a great it now is, that the contingency viii
happen, and that they will become free by the vo-
iuntary act of their owners. AS the slaves have
been doubling their numbers, in little more than
twenty five years, that condition OF things might
he ted 10 be arrived at in the next fifty years.
In that time the population Of the slaveholding
STATES might amount to nearly forty millions, OF
which nearly one-third would be slaves Those
States embrace together an area OF nearly nine
-. mil a n n
forty millions difused them, need not be more
dense than that Of Kentucky now is. 1t might go
I'D to more than fifty millions, before II became as
dense as that Of the State of Maryland La these
States slave labor is not 60 Improbable that its
owners willing voluntarily to give II up, or
even to take the high prices which it commands
further South. Yet these States are not supposed to
be remarkably adapted to the profitable use OF slave
labor-nor are they, as a whole, above the average
fertility Of the saveholdng States. Not only too,
are they able permanently to maintain their pre-
sent population, but nobody, think, doubts but
what it might be greatly increased, without ma
tcrial change in their condition prosperity. Is
there any reason to apprehend that the southern
States are incapable, a whole, OF sustaining
population proPortionably as great, or even much
greater II ia the opinion of friend OF mine, on
the other side of the House, from Mississippi (Mr.
THoMPsoS,) that in single bend in the river OF
the same name there ID a body OF land yet I'M
touched sufficiently extensive and fertile TO en-
ploy pro6taby, in the culture of cotton, all the
slaves now existing in the State Of Virginia. That
our population would, in time, become too dense
for comfortable existence, do not question. But
the period must be longer than that supposed. Be-
fore that time has arrived, possibly the slaves may,
in the opinion of some, disappear in another mode.
But does any man imagine that we shall not &C
quire additional territoryin much lees than nifty
years, Why, Mexico even now seems to be on the
of falling to pieces. should not be surprised, at
any time, 70 hear that the adventurous gold hunt
ers now in California had organized an expedition
and seized upon the Mexican provinces imme
iatei nf TeYaa a
by our emigrants, they cannot be prevented from
passing the Rio Grande and revolutionizing the
neighboring provinces. They are destined to be
occupied by our slaveholding population. IL VIII
fill up all the country around the Gulf, including
the peninsula of Yucatan, and perhaps the north
portion of the South American continent.
This state of things will be likely to occur even
before our interest requires it. That, whether it
be desirable or not there Is no power on this con-
tinent prevent it. Mexico is altogether too fee
BILE. This Government itself cannot do it. 1t had
we'll attempt to curb the waves Of the ocean.
say, boldly, that if the Government makes the
effort, it will itself perish in the attempt AS soon
as we feel the actual want OF additional territory
we shall occupy it, either with or without the aid OF
this Government. Our right to take it will be
neither better nor worse than that by which We
have driven back the original Indian population
Even now we are strong enough to take care
ourselves against any forces that can be brought
bear upon u.s. and we shall be getting relativel.
stronger for some time to come. Sir, the return
of the census for the past year will present con
Within the last ten years some two millions o
foreigners have arrived in this country. They
have almost all become residents of the northern
have given the North more than twenty additional
members Of Congress under tho new apporton-
rnent. But, in point of fact, if you except the two
members she gets by the admission OF California.
she will gain nothing. or at most, but two three
members Notwithstanding, therefore, this great
advantage, as well others which the North has
had, the South will nevertheless very nearly, il
not quite, hold her relative strength. This is due
to the fact that our people, being mostly agricul
turists enjoy Of the comforts of life, and
increasing in numbers faster from natural causes
The condition of society at the North is less favor
able to this progress because OF the numbers en-
gagged in manufacturing, and as servants to the
wealthy, who are without domcils, and who are
frequently reduced to pauperism
/. The next decade will show large increase in
our southern population. We now nearly ten
millions, and there is body of people Of the
same number upon earth better able to defend itsel
against attack Slavery, instead of being ele.
ment of weakness, ia one Of positive strength. The
amount of force which any nation can keep in the
field in time Of war depends not merely on the
number of its men, but also on the amount of iii
production. Few countries, if any, sustain
permanently in the field more than one-sixth o.
their adult male population. We have a popula
ton intelligent, enterprising, high spirited, anc
brave, and ever ready to embark in military expe-
ditions.
Il is due to truth to state that from the formation
of the Government down to the present time, in all
our wars the South has, in proportion to its popu-
lation, sent into the field larger number of SOL
diers than the North. Nor have those men in battle,
either where the SHOWS of Canada lie or under the
tropical sun OF Mexico, exhibited any such want
of courage conduct to justify this Govern
ment in branding them as inferior to the men o!
the northern section, in deprving them of their
proper share of the benefits Of the Constitution.
Our population is large enough TO supply any
call that could be made on it for soldiers, and still
leave at home sufficient number for industrial
equations. We must have nearly one million Of
frecmen capable of bearing arms. Our slave pop
ulation, too, because il Is all employed in labor
produces probably more than the same number O
freemen in any part Of the Union, because a larg'
portion of the free are unemployed during much
If not the whole of their time. No sane man cal
imagine that we need have serious fears of an at
tack from either the northern States any foreign
power. When our numbers are swclled TO thirty
fifty millions, will ~e be relatively less able
Sir shall have the power TO take possession and
hold as much OF the American continent as is ne
cessary for our comfortable existence. If this Gov
eminent shall take position against our progress, il
will be overthrown. Great as are its powers, they
not sufficient to enable it to thus destroy US.
Whether ii shall continue TO exist or not, he who
ma will fba thcrr