Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-04-27
For the National Era.
TO THE HON. T. L. CLINGMAN.
WASHINGTON, April {

WASHINGTON, April "a 1854
Sir: In your speech on the Nebraska bill,
delivered on the 4th instant, in the House Of
Representatives, you make the following state
ment. respectfully call your attention to it,
to show YOU the egregious error into which
YOU have fallen, in order that you may correct
it when you next gain the floor You say that
Won do not deprecate debate on the subject
of slavery, aud | take it for granted that You
are willing to debate it fairly. Your speech,
considering the position you occupy as an ultra
Southerner, may be regarded as LIBERAL and
fair; and | doubt not that your conclusions,
based upon the facts of the census, are the
honest deductions Of your understanding New
ertheless, ] must show you that you have
reckoned without your host" You Say
"The free States have ffty-four majority on
this floor. Under the old superintendent they
had Hfty-one--a gain OF three members over
tho South in ten years. Sir, during that time
there have been about two millions OF foreign
ers added to the population of this country by
immigration, and nearly every one Of these
persons have settled in the free States. IT,
therefore, their increase by natural means had
been proportionate to that Of the South, they
ought to have made gain of some twenty
members instead Of three, especially when the
admission of California is considered
II refer to this matter to show that our
population has increased moro rapidly than
even that of the free States, great and pros
porous as they are"
You lose sight of the fact, that the appor-
tionment Of population to Representatives has
been increased under the census OF 1850 by
t,cenfv odd thousand, and that, as o conse-
ouence there has been an actual diminution OF
the number Of Representatives. Ii this prin-
ciple had been carried further, and the appor-
tioumeut had given one Representative to one
million Of inhabitants, tho North, with pop
ulation Of 3,434, 93I, would have been entitled
to but thirteen members; while the South, with
S.332,742 inhabitants, would have been emit
tied TO but eight members. The Northern
majority, which under the last apportionmont
is stated by you to have been tfy-one, might
in this way be reduced to FIVE But you per-
ceive that the proportionate majority Of the
North would be preserved, as it is under the
present apportionment.
But to make your error palpable, ] will show
what would have been the representation Of
the North and the South, respectively had the
old number of 20 $50 inhabitants to the Con-
gressional district been preserved and applied
to the new census. Divide l3,434,93l by that
apportionment, and you have 100 for the North
ern representation. Divide 8,332,742 by the
Same old superintendent and you have 1T,
with large fraction Of another, or say lis for
the humber Of Southern Representatives. This
showing gain Of just tt0enfy-one over tho
south This is just one more than tho num-
Der which you say the North should have ON
account of its almost exclusive absorption Of
of the foreign population; and it is hence ap-
parent that the natural increase Of population
at tho North is greater than at the South, lay
ing aside the foreign population
Facts MIR. Clingman, are stubborn things
and it is not safe for man to appeal to them,
unless he is willing to follow whithersoever they
lead You perceive that you made on the floor
Of the House Of Representatives most eyre
gious blunder, and provoked q comparison of
Slavery with Freedom, in point Of view which
might otherwise have escaped observation.
You state that the South has as many
churches AZ the North but you omit to give
the further fact, which the census returns fur
nish, that the value Of church property in the
free States as more fhan hree times greater than
that of the siape States. That value in the
North IN sos 827, 439; in the slave States il ia
only $50 5s9, 200 In the State Of New York
the value of church property Is greater than
that of the whole South: Il is S2i, 1872 707
The value Of church property is the true critic
RON for Judging Of the character Of the build
ings appropriated to public worship; and the
above figures correspond with the experience Of
all who know, practically, anything Of the two
sections Of the Union. In the North, they have
good houses, with pews and apparatus for
warming whereas nine-tenths Of the houses of
worship in the South are beggarly barns, with.
out plastering, and with benches instead Of
pews. Some improvements have been intro
duced Of late years, particularly in the villages
but in the country, the above Is fair dcscrip
tion Of their general character. u il 10 he re-
marked, also, that the cost Of building IL City
per cent higher than in the North, 90 that the
character Of church buildings is not equal to
whit their money valuo might indicate
You lay great stress on the fact that the
South produces some years 3 100, 000, 900 worth
or cotton, and $50 ,000, 900 worth Of sugar and
molapss The COTTON and tobacco are import
mt articles and make great deal Of noise in
TIE world, because the great bulk Of those pro-
ducts 10 exported they are the skapla Of nom