Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1857-06-04
Free White Labor.

Free White Labor. saa \
We rather ike the sentiments expressed
in the following article copied from the
-Ne,c York Egening Post, formerly, we be-
lieve, an able aad influential Democratic
sheet, but now battling for conservative
Republican principles:
''In vindicating the wrongs of the black
man there is great danger that the Republi-
cans may do what the abolitionists have al
ways done-overlook the rights of the
white man. The struggle which is going
on between the North and South is not
merely, or so much, a struggle in behalf of
the negro az of the white man, for the sim
pie reason that the negro has nothing like
as much involved in the contest as the white
man has. We are opposed to the extern
sion of Slavery because it degrades labor;
it demoralizes the character it corrupts the
young: it diminishes the power of the soil
and the productive power of its population;
it dcpreciatcs the value of all kinds Of prop
erty; it is an obstacle to compact settle
ments, and. as a consequence, to every gen
eral system Of public instruction. literary
or religious; it develops bad passions with
out providing any means of disciplining or
controlling them, and generates lawless
state of society; and finally, under our Con-
stitution, it confers upon slave proprictors
a political representation based upon prop
erty which is denied to other citizens. All
these are reasons why, as white men, we are
opposed to the extension of slavery, and
why we have co-operated most heartily with
that political party.
1t is our duty to keep as much of our fed
eral domain as we can open for the free la
Dor, and prevent its being ovelrun by the
negro to the determination or degradation
of the Industrious but poor white man.
Whether the free man or the slave shall till
tn, soil of this continent is the great ques-
tion which now divides the federal parties.
We hope that Issue NAV not be narrowed
down to the less important question wheth
er the negro ought to be slave, or whether
he can become citizen. We say less i'm
portant, because viewed in their political as
poets, they are of less importance both to
white and black.
In the first place. slavery in the States
where alone it admits Of remedial action, is
beyond the reach of national party; it
must be managed within and by the people
of the State, as they arc managing it now,
and with gratifying success, in Missouri
AS to his political rights, the negro is enti
tied, under the constitution to just such and
so many as the majority of the community
in which he lives, are disposed to give him,
for that is all the whites have. 1t is of
comparatively little practical Importance to
the negro to he citizen even of free
State, so long as in half of the States he is
held in bondage, and in all is generally re-
garded as an inferior creature. What he
most necls is, to rid his race of the preiu-
dice growing out Of the degradation Of
portion of it in bondage. Nothing can be
done to that end half SO efficacions as to en-
large the area of free territories, and in
crease the number and dignity Of free labor
ers.
Besides the extension of Slavery barbara
yes and degrades the whites. This is not
true of the black, to anything like the same
extent. The most that can be said Of the
effects of slavery upon the negro is, that
his improvement does not keep pace with
the civilization around linn.
But there is another reason why ques-
tions which Lcgin and end in the political
and civil condition ofthc black race, ought
not to be accepted as the basis Of action of
national party. The great body of free
laborcrs in the country are, and to some ex-
, tent, not without reason, jealous of the
greater solicitude usually manifested by the
abolition party for the negro more than for
them. This solicitude they do not share; so
far from it, they will neither eat nor sleep
with the black man; they will not labor with
him if they can avoid it, and have never
felt inclined to share with him their politi-
cal rights. This may be narrow and H.
liberal prejudice; it may work a foul injus-
tice to the colored class; nevertheless, the
prejudice exists and while it exists it is idle
to attempt to organize national party
based exclusively or principally upon SYM
pathy with African blood The whites
stand much more in need of sympathy in
the present crisis for they are more hume
rous, they have much more at stake, aud
withthem only is vested the political means
of accomplishing any thing, the blacks be-
ing disfranchised in more than half the
States of the Union, and not holding the
balance Of power in any.
If the Republican party is ever to ac-
complish any national result. it must not
treat free white people as objects of second
airy concern. They are a majority in the
country-they are the only race that is ca
pable of governing it and they will govern
1t; and any party that attempts to make
their interests secondary to those of anoth-
er race, will always be an inefficient minor
ity.