The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-25


| Dir. GEORGE N. SANDERS comes and de-
tends the project Of the Ebony line Of steamers
against some structures we Incidentally made on
lin an article the other day on Colonization We
wonder he should take the trouble of writing
three-fourths OF column against what We said,
when he asserts that "most" of it sis irrelevant
and that except txO Of our assertions, ~the rest
refute themselves in the mind Of every nteli-
gent reader"
The two assertions that he undertakes to im-
pute to us, and to refute are: |. That the pro-
ject is unconstitutional 3. That there is no
trade to justify the establishment of the line
In refuting the first, he says-"Take the Ebony
line apart from negro emigration, there is no con-
stitntiona objection to it, that is not applicable to
all and every steam line now in operation" True
enough. But take it apart from negro eman-
cipation, and you take it to pieces. Negro emf
grafton is part Of the memorials, part of the re-
port, and part Of the bill-and the principal part
of all Of them. For without that, who would
think of establishing line Of the largest steam
ers in tho world, to trade with republic of six
or seven thousand citizens, and they, further off
than forty nationsin Europe with some two hun
dred millions Of people. AS commercial line,
or a mail line, the project is too preposterous to
consider
Mr.. SANDERS, therefore, does net find It expe-
dent to argue the merits of his line on the i'm
mcnse amount Of commodities and letters we
exchange with Lberia-but devotcs threu-fourths
of his letter to the colonization part. He says,
the success of the lines Of steamers between New
York and Europe, and between New York, Cal
ifornia and Oregon, depends aentircly upon the
immigration from Europe and tho emigration to
California" argues that negro emigration is
as constitutional an object OF government NJ
white. Now, it is not the fact that either of
the lines from New York to Europe depends,
entirely, or even materially on emigration. Mel
ther of them carries emigrants in any number, or
realizes an important part Of its income from
them. And as for the lines to California, they
refund the government in postage the pay they
receive. None of them were established for
emigration. Nothing is said about it in the laws
or contracts by which they were established ;
nor did we ever say, MS he charges, anything
about colonizing California when those lines
were established, for the very good reason that
California was not ours when they were adopted
As specimen of the extraordinary constitu-
tional and commercial sagacit of Mr.. SANDERS,
100 m riff fuyn ms
are to take ON his authority, as he does not con-
descend TO argue them The constitutional one
is, that none Of the Northern States which have
recently passed laws adverse to the free negroes,
aud none Of the Southern States, ever contem-
plated the possibility of the federal government
closing the door upon the voluntary emigration OF
these unfortunate peopler" The relevancy of this
proposition, we suppose, consists in the assump-
ton that refusal to establish an Ebony line is
closing the door. 1t is natural for one who
puts forth such proposition AZ that for its rel
evancy, to fail to see the relevancy of most
of our remarks. The commercial proposition
is, that there was, when the present Pacific line
of steamers was established, :" less trade with
California than We now enjoy with Africa. The
African enterprise will be second only in com
mercial Importance TO that of California;" Is
this intended as logical deduction or pro.
phecy! We hardly know what would be the
wiser, to appropriate a few millions for steam
limo or the strength of the prediction or the de-
duction.
Mr. SANDERS tells there is no doubt that the
line would run full Of passengers and freight
We don't think it would supper! itself even il
it did ut ten dollars head for passengers, even
if il returned full Of European emigran,s. But
is it not rather high calculation that the free
negroes of This country, of whom there are now
but four hundred thousand, who have furnished
seven thousand cmisrants to Liberia in thirty
years. would send enough at ten dollars head
to support this line, because Of the superior at
fractions of steam and of low fare!
Mr.. SANDERS says we are consistent in in
consistency on the free negro question, having
never recommended anything useful or practical.
He uses language with freedom which results
from his ignorance OF its meaning. five have
never supported any useful measure on that sub
ject, that is no reason that we are inconsistent
We have abstained from recommending any
thing, except that the free negroes should be
treated with humanity. As for African coloni-
cation we have, on perhaps two occasions, ex.
pressed our opinion that it is failure. But
we know that many good and sensible men
think otherwise; and we admit that il the eli
mate were healthy, and free blacks capable OF
self government, it would be well for them to
90 to Liberia with nil the aid that private phi
Ianthropy could give them. But when we see
so many symptoms of the incapacity of white
men in this country for selfgovernment, we
confess that we have but little hope of the
black.
Mr. SANDERS ought TO consider that few
men have such enthusiastic philanthropy ~
himself, and he should have charity for more
al ,Ua