Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-09-10
From the Nsp York. Independent.
THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

miles, and 956, 144 acres of land, valued at
$lS,890,03l. The territory was carly claimed
by the Dutch, who had for. there, but the
first actual settlement was by the Swedes, at
Christiana, in 1886. The Dutch, however, took |
possession in 1853, aud annexed it to the New |
Netherlands, and so it Iscame Incorporated |
with Now York 10 the hands Of the English in
1854. In 1851, William Penn purchased the
rights of the Duke of York IN this district
which he attached TO his proprietary e,o,-rn
ment OF Pennsylvania, but with separate leg
islature, under the name of Sc The Three Low
or counties ON the Delaware" IN 1876 the
district assumed sovereignty, constituted itself
the state of Delaware, and became one of the
q original thirteen" United States OF America.
1, was thus originally snd wholly northern in
It's origin and in all its habits and associations
In all the earlier geographical cassiicationS OF
the states, it was never reckored with the |
South. The earlier classification made three |
divisions, Eastern Middle, and Southern. The
Middle States'' were New York, New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Not All in
stance can be found in any printed book, pa
per, or record, in which Delaware was ever
reckoned with the South prior TO the year
1920.
Neither was it reckoned as one of the states
having a special interest in slavery, or sup
posed to have its character and policy govern
ed by that institution. BY the census Of 1880,
New York held slaves to the extent Of 627,
per CGuts Vi IUpululloni NSM JtloV9 us-O
per cent, and Delaware 10 per cent: while in
Maryland the slaves amounted to 32 % per
cent. in Virginia TO 80 II and in South |
Carolina to 43 per cent. The following ten |
years reduced the ratio of slaves in Delaware |
to 1858 per cent, and there has been con-
tinued reduction in each decenial period, I'M |
I'll now the proportion OF slaves is only tw1 |
and half per cent. And yet this state has
now been uniformly for thirty-seven years po- |
litically affiliated with the slayeholding states
Undoubtedly, we must look to politics for
the solution Of this phenomenon. We have
seen that the social principle could not have
been the cause, for the people were by their
origin and habits identified with the North,
and not with tire South. 1t could not have
been from economical interests for in 1920
The proportion of slaves to the whole popnll-
tiUn was only 81 per cent, which was Just
What New York had in 1870 and this ratio
has steadily diminished till it is now only 2
per cent, which is less than New Jersey had
In 1870. There are no products in Delaware
which require slave labor; and if there were
the amount of slave labor there would be
quite insignificant
The year 1920 saw the county convulsed
with threats Of disunon, the ever-ready weaT-
ohs oil coercion by the politicians Of the South
IN pursuance OF desperate resolution of the
saveholding interest to secure a permanent CON
troll OF the government. Originally minority
IN point of population, and having only five
states out oil the original thirteen, they had
in doubling the number Of theil
states, gaining five new States, while the AortE
had only gained four, receiving an accession
of Just fifty per cent. And yet with all thei
advantages OF climate and extent OF territory
they saw the North gaining ground in point Z
population, and sure to gain in still large
ratio thereafter. At this juucture the territol
of Missouri wished to become a state and tn
Northern representatives cluinSily uhdtrtuL
to incorporate tho prohibition OF slavery int
the enabling act, when they ought to hay
passed it as direct enactment, as had bee
done with the other territories. The strugg
OF parties became very determined, and
length the representatives Of the State OF De
aware wheeled over into the Southerl lin
and slavery carried the day, thus securing Il
control of the Senate and of the President
election to this day.
The motives by which these representative
of Delaware were governed can only be co
jecturcd. That they seriously feared the a
tual dissolution of the Union, unless Nilsson
was permitted to come in at that moment al
as slaveholding state, is not to be believe
when we consider the intelligence Of the me
and remember that no threats or demonstI
tiOns against the Union have ever had for
enough to diminish the price of lots in Was
ington, to lower the credit of the of the III
ted States, or to affect the stock market
single cent. 1t is highly probable, therefor
that personal considerations with them as
dividualS outweighe1 the dictates of wisdo
and the true claims of patriotism. One
those Senators soon became the owner Of
plantation and slaves on the Mississippi. WI
the others gained the public never knew.
But the effect upon the state Of Delawl
was decisive. From that day Delaware h
been reckOned as Southern state. Slave
has governed its policy and its politics, int
nal and external. Ever since that desertiu
the leading men of the state-the Clayton
the BIyards, and their associates, have d
voted themselves to national politics rah
than to state Improvements and have bee
more solicitons to become iniuenti pOfk
eIans at Washington, than show themsuiYu
statesmen ut home, by their successful labor
to make small state great. From that da
forward Delaware has been comparatively par
alyzed in its advancement Its growth in 81
years has been less than that OF any Othg
state, being only 55 per cent, which is les
imam one per cent. per annum, while RhOd,
island, with smaller territory, has increase,
1850 per cent, or more than double. Its ed
ucatlonal system is so defective, that although
10 per cent. of its white population were bon
IN the state, and only IA per cent. born j
foreign countries, there are 4,536 adult white
unable to read, being nearly Il per cent.
the white population. In thirty years in h;
become quite Southern in this respect, an
has fallen far in the rear Of those progressi'
tree states from whose ranks it was base
withdrawn in 1920.
The whole number of shareholders in t
state is only 800. OF these shareholders,
have from 10 to 20 each, III have from
10, and 612 have less than each. The gt
eral average of the slave states as given
De Bow, shows about one-tfth as owners
single slaves, and one-half having less tn
five each. But in Delaware, 40 per cent.
the shareholders have but one slave each, a
only one-sixth have more than five each. i
sufficient to prove that the slaves arc chic
household servants; or if employed as tie
laborers, they must work along with their oV
ers or other white men, and that there cam
be in the state any planters as patrlcian ella
to claim rank as the lords of men.
MOVEMENT OF POPULATION,
The following tables, the date of which {
taken partly from De BOWS Compendium
the Census of 1850, and partly from DR.. n!
er's accompaniment to Colton's Atlas, ha
been arranged especially for the purpose
comparing the progress Of the three elias
into which the people of Delaware are lega
divided, with that OF the tutalpopuation.
first table also shows the ratio OF the state Pr
ulation with that Of the whole population
the several periods. II shows that, while
state has actually gained in population in
ery period, the gain was commonly very sma
in one decade only one per cent, ana Il
largest gain being in the last decade, seve
teen and quarter per cent. In colnp1ris
with the entire Union, Delaware was almt
two ner cent. in 1890, but was less than on