The Feliciana Democrat., 1858-07-10
INCREASE OF SLAVE LABOR.

4 must actually abandon those Of inferior quality And
where difference in the quality of land is strongly
marked by geographical lines, one part having pre-
ponderancc OF slave labor and the other Of hirclng
labor, the natural competition between these systems
is not only stimulated, but made sectional. This is an
evil to be avoided at all times but in the frontier
southern statCs where the effect Of price is most
Oily felt, and where abolition influence must have a
more or less direct operation this sectional feature
Of the competition is liable ut any time to become
poliicdi and should be discouraged BY every fair
means
i Ii would astonish most southern legislatures for
any member to openly declare himself IN Abolition.
list wrath and Indignation woud be hcappd upon
him yet for thirty years there have been abolition.
lists in the legislatures Of of the frontier states.
Nnhy rs these states have bated in defence OF sou.
tlcrn civilization, il must be plain TO the impartial
reader Of their history that after all nothing has
saved them from the abolition crusade but The impos.
sibility Of peaceful emancipation. Even The new
state of Missouri which nearly severed the Uuion in
1920 that she might have slaves already harhors IN
her metropolis. an opcu, active ard successful uboi.
tion party. For all this there sarcady explanation
The slaves Of these states owned by comparative.
y few and IN distinct sections, aud their labor Il re.
ncrally suppanted by that of hirelings. What arr
the facts?
The slave population Of Delaware and Maryland
have steadily diminished that of Delaware from
nine to two thousand and Of these thrcc fourth.
are IN the county of Sussex That of Maryland has
decreased twenty-five per cent in forty year. aud II
the present moment, one half are owned III The coun
ties south Of Baltimore and west of the Chesapeake
whore the bulk Of the tobacco crop IL made; whilc
the white population Of these counties Is but tenth
of the whole state. showing their weakness in the lo-
gislaturc in the event Of an abolition crisis
In Virginia, while the slave population has not ac
tually diminished yet such has been the combination
Of causes. the comparative increase has been riHing
aad now four-fhs of her slaves are east Of the Blue
Ridge, in nn Of about third or her territory,
which, though containing her chief cities has Int Il
third Of her white population showing again a Mi
nority in the legislature There are perhaps, twenty
counties in western Virginia, whose aggregate slave
population Is but half that of the little county ul Sur
ry James river and scarcely exceeds that of War
wick. And when we reflect that there arc bat 1000
slaves in the county of ST. Louis in Missouri 10
more than 10000 whites, who have assembled from
every part of the union and the world we need no,
longcrlc surprised at finding thc metropolis Of That
large slave statein the clenccd grasp Of aboonism
The immense prcpondcrancc Of tranclisad hireng
labor insurcs such result and nothing can ayrrl H.
Now, while this state Of things matter Of regret
is impossible that il could have been avoided under
the existing laws and circumstances If tie coantry
The faithful and untirng opposition TO the mroads
Of abolition which the border states have sustained
during long and hOrasang struggle, cntitle them TO
the highest praise from their more southern sisters
yet il Is vain 70 deny That what with the thcr. aud
influences Of the aholitionsts rendering slave prop
crty insecure in the border counties on the one hand
and the growing demand for slaves in the more sou-
hern states on the other a dimnution OF general ald
direct interest in slavery m follow in those states
which the rest ofhc south cannot witness with iaitr.
ference, The concentration of slaves in geogfaIhi-
cal sections is as little TO be desired as their monono.
y by individuals lesS In either case 1t be the resu
of natural causes; which is impossible until we have
fire trade n hbor. until the embargo on slave ana
the bonus on hreng labor are removed
But does it not appear strange that we desire
choapcning of every tbngw buy rreDt L1gr without
which we would have the means of buying nothing
1t i very odd how we throw cmbarassnant3 around
the very institution we are battling for The laws
of the country hold out every nduccmeni 10 tie i'm.
migration Of hireling labor, and prohibit and do.
nonncc the importation Of slaves The result ha,
been, in the course Of half century 10 add nearly
four millions Of hreng labor 10 the free states from
abroad. Here is body Of hreng labor (and il shonld
have been stated before that this term is not used In
derslon) sufficient to establish four large states of
million inhabitants each, while we have moi received
slave labor enough for the humblcst farm but on tbo
contrary, have had enough stolen from us TO bnild
the Pacific Rail Road lsit moi contradiction, tbep
which appeals TO Us so confidently in behalf OF Kan
sas which urges upon us the great importance Of.
extending our arm while that very extension asI
long as the slave trade is prohibited must compara
atiyely diminish our labor at home?
we yield to no one in approaching the importance
OF all extension of territory under the existing con
dlton of onr federal relations but be assured the
north can give rs heavy odds and beat MS at the
game, so long as she receives 100000 immigrants an
nuay, and we not single African to stake against
them, The more territory we acquire, the greater is
our need Of more hJor What would It profit the
south to acquire the entire valley of the Amazon and
yet be prohibited from carrying labor there to cnlti.
vate and reclaim it? 1t is highly desirable that we
SlOull 0c0uirn tprrit0rv lint, l