The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-19


dense as it now is. slavery will srcs1s more s4-
pensiye than free labor. This accounts for the
pertinaeity with which be persisted IN supporting
the late adjustment, 70 establish Anal limits to
slayeholding territory. And this accounts, also,
for his support OF colonization to remove the
free negsoes. and 10 promote emancipation.
Now, il slavery can 30 extlrpated only by the
excessive ehsapness Of free labor, II -
80" w ~ -, than the cost Of food
anu e'o's for slaves, then it must result from
the starvation and OK termination of the old aud
yeung whites. For as long as the labor Of
white adults yields enough to support the young
children and the old parents, 80 long will labor
be sufficiently valuable to rear young and sup
port old slaves. When that is no longer the
case-when human life is compelled to prey on
its own vital energies, aud to parayze the facul-
ty of reproduction for sustenance-th slavery
must cease but it is a singular contamination
for philanthropist to contemplate with de-
light.
We hear much of the superior vigor and eff
fcency of free white labor over that Of slaves.
But when population is dense, there is no free
labor. The efficiency of American slave labor
well fed, is now far greater than the half
fed free labor Of England or France And such
as is the free labor of those countries now, will
be the free llbor Of this country when popula-
ton is g four tines as dense as now.
Mr. CLAY says emphatically, "it is not tho
fault Of tho people OF color that they are de-
graded set." This il palpable falacy, and all
observation proves it, Why are the present ma
tons of Africa degraded! Why, let US again
ask, are the people Of Saint Domingo, instead of
improving since they became free, declining
into pristine barb4rism' Look at Jamaica.
The blacks are free; they are protected from
foreign war and internal disorder by British
power. They permit the vestiges Of European
civilization to fall into ruins around them.
Plantations are going to waste. Sugar mills
are rusting and idle Property has no value
with such people. And yet Mr.. CLAY tells us
that nothing but the prejudices Of white people
here, prevent our free negroes from moral and
social elevation.
The present condition Of Liberia is the most
triumphant vindcation of American slavery.
We publish, to-day, the message of the Presi-
dent of that Republic who is bright mulatto--
formerly Virginia slave. Virgnans, it seems,
white or yellow, have an inveterate propensity to
become Presidents. Liberia, we have shown,
has no natural increase Of population. We con-
versed recently with an intelligent officer of the
navy who was in Liberia lately when vessel
arrived with sixty-five emigrauts from America.
lie informed us that all of these who were able
to pay their passage back, returned in the same
vessel He himself then left there and returned
in few months and inquired after the condition
Of those who had been left, and found that
about one-fourth Of them had died of he ac-
ciimating fever.
But the six thousand American free negroes
who are now at Liberia, have by virtue of the
civilization they acquired in servtade here, as
sumed the control of one hundred and fifty thou
sand native barbarians, and treat them almost
precisely as we treat our Indians. The natives
are not allowed to vote any more than white
people all of whom are defranchised by the
constitution of the black Republic of liberty,
equality and fraternity.
The Republic of Liberia has acquired long
line of territory on the coast, and thereupon i'm
poses duty on all goods from foreign coun-
tries consumed by the native tribes. Over them,
the government, as the President expressly says.
is, and must be, absolute. And if any of the
chiefs are so far behind the ideas Of civilized PEG
pie, as to disregard the government of these
new corners, they are promptly visited with the
power of the new Republic. The President, it
will be seen, refers to several refractory speci-
mems of this kind. In word, this Republic
of six thousand, is despotism over hundred
and fifty thousand savage Africans. And this
is the illustration we have of human equality,
natural rights, and universal philanthropy.
AS for the Ebony line of steamers, which is
proposed as the great instrument of colonial
ton, it is extravagantly consistent with such
scheme and the other chmeras of the age. Mr..
WHITNEY insists on building a railroad where
there are no people--this is line Of mammoth
steamers to place where there Is no trade--of
mail steamers to place that has no correspon-
dence
It's now known that the magnificent steam
line Of Mr.. COLLINS, between the two greatest
commercial cities Of the world, New York and
Liverpool, cannot be supported without more
pay. Yet it is proposed to have four vessels
much larger to run to Liberia
And such is the contagion Of absurdity that
majority of the members Of the Virginia leg
slature and the Virginia convention, have sign
ed 4 memorial in favor of this scheme. This is
the latest specimen of strict construction, of
commercial sagaeity, and Of modern philan-