The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-10-08

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ped at the mouth of the Ohio, by
large barrier of Intervening slave States
The Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri
with their vast tributaries, 40, GOO mile
of navagable water, traversing the rich
est plains on earth, populated by tn,
most energetic and enlightened portion
of the human race, enter the Atlantic
aud the Gulf, within the Jurisdiction O
the slave States. Both the great river.
of Pennsylvania, the Delaware and the
Susquehanna, iud their outlets to the
ocean through slaveholding States. II
what condition should We be in case Of
dissolution, with the ave States il
possession of the mouths of our rivers
from the Potomac down to the Rio
Grande. This is no small item. These
rivers drain the vast Northwest the
G eatest grain growing, and meat grow
ing region in the World They bear
upon their ample bosom the irou, wrought
into shape in the furnaces of Pennsylva-
mia, We lave, therefore, quite an in-
terest in this matter.
l have already spoken of the repeal
of the Missouri Compromise as enlarg-
ing the area for free emigration. CIl-
mate, as [ have said, interposes in some
cases an impossible barrier to slavery.
Let me explain to you, as am far
mer, something in regard to the value
of slave labor. 1 am a farmer, though
known to you only as politician. IwIll
explain to you why slave labor is not so
prUtita bic as free labor, except under
peculiar circumstance. Suppose Ken
tuckian on his side of the Quo river has
100 acres of land, aud have 100 acres
on my side. We each propose to put
100 acres in corn next spring; We know
it will take four field hands to do the
work in four mouths. l can hire the
hands for that time, but he must keep
large family of blacks-old men, aud
women, aud young men, and children
and feed them ali the year. On this ac-
count, it is only in the extreme South
ern latltudes where, owing to the alb
sence of winter hey can carry Oh out
door work all the year, and laoorers can
be paying for their bread and meat, that
Slavery is pro6ta bic. The peculiar cul-
ture OF the soil there is also favorable.
The sugar cane requires eleven mouths
labor out of twelve. This is i'll hu-
mid climate, under hot sun-deleteri-
Gus to the existence of the white man,
but not prejudicial to the black. Un-
der SUCH circumstances, slave labor is
profta BILE; but 1t is not SO in the North,
where we have snow on the earth, aud
the earth frozen to granite for five or
six months in the year. lu such coun-
try, with miscellaneous crop, slavery
would not ouly be q curse morally, but
it would be destructive of the interests
IF the people. Why is not Ohio Slave
State Why is not Illinois Why is
lot all the North W estern Territory |
Because they are too far North for slave
y to be profitable there. Ga the coast
If the Pacific, you find that the same
'eason operates to carry the white pop
Ilation go miles South of the Missouri
inc. in the new State of California, of
which my friend Bigler has been Gov
were here given In the Cali
ornia Constitutional Convention, not
,ue man voted to make it u slave State. |
Why? Because the people saw, from
he character of the country aud the |
nature of the employment i'll which men |
must engage, that slave labor would not
De profitable. [ can inform you that, |
Ill the laws Texas can make, all the |
avs Congress can make, all the laws |
he human mind can devise, caunot make
slave State out of Western Texas. 1t
S grazing country. 1t cannot be rem
lered profitable for slave labor, and |
lavery will never go to any place where
t is not profitable.
may mention fact which is pow
,rful illustration in this discussion In
he State of Kentucky, great part of
which lies north of the line OF $50 S0',
md in Western Virginia, as the late
Governor of the Old Dominion, Mr..
VIM. Smith, and the gentleman from
Mr.. Robert q. Scott,) can |
estify, Is or 20 years ago, there was a
,reat slavery agitation. In Maryland,
t was common for dying men to be-
Iueath freedom to their slaves. A most |
minent citizen of that State told me
hat the example was becoming so con-
agious that in few years Maryland
Tould be free State, but it was delay
I'd because the people did not want TO
cave the negroes helpless, and unable
O bear the expense of finding home.
Jow, all this is changed. Instead of
Emancipation being spoken of in the
Southern States, it is the reverse. Why?
Because you would not let the natural
ceilings of men take their course; be-
ause portion of the people of the
North commenced intermeddling in a
natter foreign to their jurisdiction, and
eyond the orbit of their rightful pow
RS. As soon as this was commenced,
u unfortunate turn was taken in the
ublic mind at the South. They would
ot permit other people to control them.
o do that which they were willing to
o If let alone. The effect of this prin-
iple of coercion on the American mind
nay be illustrated by striking exhibi-
ion which every neighborhood in this
ountry will appreciate. You have here
o national religion. In Europe, the
jhurch in some form or shape, is In
artnership with the government, sus-
aims its auth hority, and gets the benefit
f its support. Large taxes are there
evied on the people to keep up the
hurches; and priests and preachers OF
IL descrip ptions are paid out of the pub
ic funds. According to wrong reason
ng, founded upon no knowledge of hu-
nan nature, man would say that in
he United States, where the law com
elled no man to pay a cent to any
hurch or preacher there would be none;
ut instead of that being the state of
hings, we have in the United States,
lore churches, more ministers, and
.akkar maid c.ernu than anu neonla on