Kanawha Valley star. [volume] (Charleston, Va. [W. Va.]) 1856-1861, 1856-11-04
Slavery.

I In view Of the systematic efforts Of a
large and powerful party Of fanatics in
the North, to misrepresent the institution
of slavery and the interests Of the differ
ent classes Of society in the Southern
States, as appertaining TO the same; aided,
as these efforts have been (unwittingly,
we hope), by the submissionists in our
own State, from John Minor Bolts down
to the small fry politicians of our own
district, we-decm it not improper to offer
few remarks upon the subject. e.
The people of a slaveholding cemmu-
nifty have two separate and distinct in
terests in the institution.
The first of these isa pecuniary interest;
which attaches to the stakeholder
as well as the STAKEHOLDER. In the latter
case, the interest is direct and immediate;
a man owning a slave worth q thousand
dollars being interested in this respect to
the amount of a thousand dollars in the
institution of slavery. In the case of the
non-slaveholder this pecuniary interest is
indirect and contingent, but none the less
real. For, should slavery be abolished,
then its effect would be at once To destroy
the amount of slave-property held m~the
State, and hence, to take that much from
the common stock Of wealth, upon which
We are. dependent for all the means nee
essary to carry on the government. Be-
sides, he who is now STAKEHOLDER
may become STAKEHOLDER, or still more
certainly, his children may become such.
The abolition Of the laws Of. primogeni-
ture and OF entailed estates, in this coun-
try, and the free competition, opened to
all render the possession Of property Of
every description, fuctuating and change
able. Large estates rarely remain in the
same family more than two generations,
most frequently but one. The children
of the wealthy land and slave holder may
possibly, and his grand children very
probably, die the possesser Of neither;
whilst the defendants ofhis poorer neigh
Flor will be proprietors of both. Hence,
in such state Of varying ownership, the
actual possessors of property are really
but the trustees; the rich man holding his
land and negroes only in trust for his poor
neighbours children. Thus much 70, the
peeuniqry interest which both the, slave
holder and the non STAKEHOLDER have in
tho institution of slavery. - t.. "A &,
But theFeis a still deeper interest in
the subject, which, like the pecuniary in
terest appertains 10 all classes, but which
effects the laboring class more seriously
than any other. We mean social in
terest. The abolition of slavery would
at once place the poor white man and free
/ negro upon the same level. This ought
to be apparent without argument; and,
indeed, we will only say, that if any man
doubts this let him go TO the free States
and observe its. practical operation, and
he will doubt no longer. True, its effects
are not so terrible there as they would be
in the south if slavery were abolished
here; for the simple reason that the mum
Der of negroes there is comparatively
small to the number at the South, and
the iaboring white population thrown in,
to contact with them is proportionally
small. But 80 into any locality in the
Northern States where the element is at
all considerable, and snch state ofthings
will be witnessed as would shock and
disgust the sensibilities Of any decent
white Iaborer in the South. The con.