New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-07-22
LET |fERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
LETTER FROM A SHAREHOLDERS.


srR: am citizen of q slsve-boding State and the
o,er os family of slaves consisting Of grandmother
ct;,,r,n and oran.chdren whom l intend shall never
serve another master am firmly convinced OF the evs
ard Injustice of our system of Slavery And, like inou
nds of others in our State for years have been looking
snxiousy for some practical plan by which slavery may
no eradicated Although the evil is manifest and the re-
ourements Of justice clear yet the question remains 70
no decided what me ues are best calculated to extpae
the rR and to freedoms the colcred race WHO
were originally wrongul torn from their native country
and in violation every principle of justice, sold into
state of bondage.
The ardent Anti slavery men of the non-saye hodhg
states will doubtless say Men who are admitted TO be
wrongfuy held in slavery oEgh !, DC .~'sea.s,S
,t remains how shall we convince the numerous owners
of slaves that il is their dy and that nsice demands OF
hem an immediate and instantaneous "a
ali their slaves will not remark upon the difficulties
and evils hch would arise from such sudden ana uni.
yersal emancipation Of the cOored race IL Is suhcieht
TO say that universal and hrm c9nVicuon to
entire community of the slavehodlng States that gS~-
rsl and sudden emancipation OF all our slaves wOuil De
attended with the most enormous evs 10 Doth tue "o
and colored population Whether tins OPINION Is wen %
i'll founded make no difference. For, 50 long as
that opinion exists il is impossible that universal
ronaiGry emancipation take place And that tsrc'-
bic emancipation cannot take place IN the siNehoidihg
States is equally clear
As Won have strongly Justly remarked in your reply
TO Mr. Goodel that non-slsve holding States " have ex-
aetly the rghttul power over Slavery IN ITsha
" or Alabama that we have over Slavery IN CUBA or
" Brazil-not one particle MORE. The power OF moral
influence belongs equally TO all parts OF the unon 10 the
citizens of the nonsayebolding States To give ehect
10 moral influence the subject should be treated as to
convince the judgments and not TO excite the passions
and preudcos of the saye-holding community in the
South sy Of gradual emancipation Is the only one
which is practicable. There numerous advocates OF
such system in the saveholding States, and especially
when coupled with Colonization If our Northern breth-
EN- were refrain from advocating doctrines looking 10
-. aud Hfnff
subject of emancipation belongs exclusively TO the States
in which the institution exstsshould treat the subject
temperatey using only such moral influence a woad be
calculated prepare the public mind for system Oh
gradual emancipation, they would do far toward
adcGtHg Slavery than they reasonably hope to ac-
complish by contrary course.
1t may be thought by that the process OF gradual
emancipation is slow in accomplishing the desired OBJ
;ect But such system may be adopted III each OF the
several States in which Slavery exists the public mind
prepared for it, and, wherever adopted wan entirely ac
Conplish the object desired in reasonable tinle Such
system may he in progress in one two or more states
At the same Time The example of such States will have
powerful influence upon others and IN time all wil come
into the SYSTEM and all will ultimately be relieved Srom
the evils slavery But it force is to be relied upon the
object cannot be attained ii at ALL but by wars, revolu
oI aud the most horrd COMMISSIONS which WILL result IN
severance of happy Union, and the eniament upon
the disrupted parts of perpetual wal These eVs may all
be avoided by tie resort 10 the rational means suggested
above.
VoInstary emancipation is gradually becoming more
and more common This has already had considerable
effect upon the Tare increase of free wste persons AMI
sayes As the commerce and wealth of the nation IN
creases even rapidly than its white population the
tI0re ABILITY the country to coonize free persons "
color is constantly increasing and leaves room to doubt
of our oJtg colombo the whole of coored popula
ton if the sav ehoding States should choose to couple
with their system of gradual emancipation the condition
of colonization in Liberia.
Such colonization would powerfully encourage aud in
duce voluntary emancipation; especially the system ct
emancipation should apply only those hereafter born,
as humane masters would generally emaDcpate the pa
of children who had become free under the system
Of gradual emancipation.
The strong argument with southern Shareholders against
gradual emancipation is that 1t would be interfering
with Cested rights but there cannot be rested rgH In
child unJorn Consequently directors would be shorn OF
this argument by making the system apply only to chill
dren thereafter born If any object to this because such
discrimination would be unjust reply,-better take the
system thus restricted than not az all. As gradual
emancipation only prevail with the assent of the pea
pie of the slavehodng States, policy and wisdom require
that il should be modified as to secure the popular
support 49,
As all strong excitement, the subject Of Slavery
has tendency check The progress OF public opinion IN
favor GRADUAL patton il greatly To be regretted
that the present Congress should have deemed neces-
sary req cal the Missouri Compromise That Compro-
nike had in great degree, given peace TO the country on
the subject of Slavery than thirty years The
repe has thrown the whole subjectopen again The only
remedy the mischief thus DONE elect Members
and Senators who will pledged reenact that Com
promise fully agree with you that ud object should be
kept in view every election until the voice of the
tiOn sha gealy decide that the rroHg done shall be
epaired. Let thus be accomplished, and Douglas
Dixon will ever again dare propose to annu the solemn
compact. The reinstatement OF the Missouri Compromise
may not accomplish all that some of the AbOtiOnss of
the North desire but if n measure secures part what
they WISH dictates that they should heartily sup
port il. The accomplishment OF a partial good will not
prevent them from urging additional measures future
OCCASION which they may deem just and proper. But
they should always rccoect that they to be the
exclusive judges of what best calculated to
relieve the country from an seknoTiedged evil ,ov
Mason Comfy, Kentucky, July 49, 1854