Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-03-05

EMANCIPATION IN MissouRI.--A debate of an
interesting and unusual character took Dlac,
lately in tho Missouri Legislature, upon tho
snnJeeto negro emancipation. ltappears that
candidate for Director OF the State Bank was
charged with being an emancipationist, which
charge he did not dsny. This being considered
by the friends OF the sspeculiar institution" a
dangerous precedent, Senator Carr, of Pike
county, introduced the following resolutions =
"M Whereas, circumstances have rendered il
necessary, and it is due to tho constituent body
OF our teow-citfzens of the State of Missouri.
that the Legislature of the State should give an
unequlTocal expression Of opinion in regard to
the subject of tho emancipation OF slaves in tho
State.
"Be it therefore Resolved, by tho General
Assembly Of the State Of MlssO Iri That the
emancipation Of all the slaves held as property
IN this State, would not only be impracticlb
but that any movement having such an object
III view would be ineXpedient, impotic, I'M
wise and unjust and should, in tho opinion of
the General Assembly, be discountenanccd by
tho people of this State.''
Although this resolution was adopted BY large
mJorites both in the Senate and House of Re-
representatives., yet strong speeches were made
against it in each body. A Mr.. Brown, of st,
Louis, was especially eloquent in denouncing it,
He compared the census statistics of Missouri
with those of the neghboring States of Iowa
ana Illinois, showing the greater increase of
social prosperity, as compared with that of his
own State, and boldly asserted that "Emancipa-
ton Is demanded by every consideration of no.
iltlcal economy and social advancement" Such
an open attack upon the system Of slavery in
the Legislative halls of State in which it is ac
khowiudged aud supported, is certainly Il great
innovation on the general order of things
"Ihere is adivinity, says Shakespeare. (which
shapes our ends, rough-new them how we will. y
ana believing, as we do, in the infinite wisdom
OIL TINS divinity, W. have no tear but that this
PuHlihS prohlem OF negro emancipation will
yet be solved, and at day, perhaps, nearer
than We imagine, But, Us we said IN a former
article upon the subject, we believe that the
immediate cause Of this much To DO desired
result will prove to BIS that great controlling
passion Of the human nind--selt-interest. The
ierca and iliiberIl attacksOf sectional prejudice
nave not, and never will effect any thing tow
ards bringing it about. When gIhe owners of
slaves can be made to understand that it is for
their own advantage to part with their property
they Will do so, but not till then. Thatthe peo-
Pic oi Missouri have begun to take clearer
| view OF what their interests demand in the mat
ter, this debate i'll theirlegislaturo demonstrates
most conclusiveiy. Missouri, both from her
| geographical position and Commercial cOunec.
tons, has never boon SO much Southern as a
Northern State. She has more, by far, in COM
mon with the North than with the South, Her
| principal city is th0 great Western mart of tn o
| trade Of that section Of tho Union and
out Of a white population Of over seven
| hundred and eighty thousand souls sho has
but twenty-five thousand Shareholders, and
yet possessing as she does, within herself, nat
ural wealth in the vaStness OF her mineral, COM
| mercal, and agricultural resources, such as few
if any Of tho Uthor members of our contadoracy
| can boast, she nevertheless, according to the
declaration OF ono Of her own lcgis .ators, has
not made as rapid strides iii the great march Of
prosperity as those free States lying in her i'm
mediate vicinity. This being so, Mr.. Brown
concludes, and with Considerable show vi JUS
tice, too, that it is tho fact u her possessing
among hef population these twenty five thousand
shareholders, aud the influence which they exert
over the rest OF tho community, that has caused
her to be outstrippod in this manner by her Sis
ter States, and feeling DESTROYS Of seeing her take
the position which the magnitude of her inter-
nal resources entities her to, he boldly pro-
claims himself an cmancipatonist. We do not,
of course, imagine that this unusual movement
in the Missouri legislature will be productive Of
any immediate good to the cause OF negro eman-
cipatiou, but it is certainly big with promise for
the future. Elements are at work which will
gradually and quietly effect change, which the
INSTRUCTED efforts Of Abolitionism have done
much to rctard. --Phila. Ere. Journal.