Smyrna times., 1858-04-29
Slavery in Delaware,

AS this subject seems, at this time, 10 be en-
gaging much of the pubic attention, we pub
lish below an extract from the PcninSuLar NeUS
the principal agitator of the question. The
article in that paper, is headed, Slavery in
relation to our Material Prosperity" and, as
will be seen, strongly favOrs Emancipation.
The Editor urges the gradual abolition Of
slavery, and enumerates his reasons for such a
course, as fellows:
l. 1t would be the means of inducing large
immigration of industrious and energetic farm
ers, mechanics and working men into our State.
This advantage is fully appreciated by ali the
sparscly y-settled States of the West, and hence
we find them making the most herculean
and expensive immigration; books and pamph-
lets are printed and circulated gratuitOUsly
throughout the North Eastern States, setting
forth in the most brilliant coors the advantages
offered to settlers. The most expensive works
OF internal Improvement are constructed to fa-
clltate the passage of immigrants, and every
measure is resorted to, to induce settlers to come
among them. With the highest civilizations
and the greatest wealth, there must always be
associated the most numerous population. If
we in Delaware had twice as many farm-own-
ing agriculturalsts, in addition to the cash they
would bring, the farms would be twice as many,
the land would have to be made twice as pro-
ductive, the stock would be twice as valuable,
and the value Of our real estate would be aug
mented four-fold. In addition 10 all this pros
perity, the demand for mechanics, merchants
manufacturers and professional men would be
augmented in an equal ratlo our towns
would grow and prosper in proportion, and our
materlai prosperity would be such as to thrill
the hearts of our patriotic c!tlzeus with Joy and
gladness. But, says some one, why can we not
have this immigration and this prosperity with
out SD radical a measure as the abolition of
slavery among US We are glad to hear such
questions asked; it shows disposition to know
the Whole truth, and it is gratifying to us to
know that our readers are disposed TO be guided
! by the light of truth and reason. When men
inquire, there is net much danger that they will
be deludcd by ignorance, weakness or preiu-
dice. Well, the reason why we cannot have
this as a slave State is, that white working men
are not prepared to place themselves on an
equality with slave negroes. In slaveholding
communities, working men OF all colors are
considered but the equals of slaves In such
communities 1t is dlsrePutable to labor. In
Delaware it is true that it is not so much the
case as it is in the larger slavehodng States,
because among us there are very few slaves,
and white men and land owners perform in a
great measure their own labor, but notwith-
standing this, it is even in Delaware in some
measure disreputable to labor. Every young
laborng man among us is conscious of the fact,
and hence the disposition SO much manifested
among them to obtain clerkships, and other
stu: tons in what are considered the more gen.
tccl employmGnts. In the principal slavehold-
| ing States where the plantations contain per-
| ,oYN hon or,Io nd eho l;,,o,
IN great palace thereon, with his two hun
dred negroes in cabins to labor for him, while
his sons and daughters are brought up in idle
ness and luxury, there laboring white men are
considered no better than negroes, and Cover
! nor Hammond, Of South Carolina, asserted as
| much-yCs, and more tOO-In the United States
Senate sony few weeks ago. He declared
! that the laborng men of the North were no
better than the slaves of the South. Here,
then, is one of the chief reasons why we can
not have an immigration OF aborng men from
the more thickly settled States Of the North.
2. The abolition of the nominal slavery that
exists among US would relieve Us, in great
measure of the great curse of free negroism
| Ii is a demonstrated problem that neither the
Indian or the negro race can exist in cOmpetl-
| ton with free white labor and enterprise. In
| the Northern free States there are not one-halt
so many free negroes as there are in the slave
States themselves. In the free States a negro
| is placed by the law nearer on an equality with
the white race than he is in the South, but
notwithstanding this, he prefers the South,
where he is less esteemed than even the slave;
but the reason is obvious, he cannot compete
with the energy and skill of the white laboring
man Of the North and he is starved out and
compelled to find Il home In the slave States,
where slave labor is the standard, even though
the law here does deprive him OF rights that he
might enjoy liz q free Stale. The law OF neces-
sity drives him to the slave States. A work
man on a farm in the New England States, or
in New York, will perform one-third more labor
in the field in a day than our tarm-handS do in
Delawar There the standard Of day labor
is the amount performed by a white man; here
it is the amount performed by II negro slave
We have heard free negroes that have gone
from this to free State. to labor on the farm de.
clare that they could not stand the labor that
was required of them, and they were compelled
to return; and these, too, were our best and
most ent.rprsing free negroes. The great
curse of free negroism is ten times more trou-
| blesome to the slave States than to the free,
aud whenever Delaware Legislators are wise
| enough to adopt measures tending to bring free
| white laborers among us, the worthless tree
negroes will be compelled to leave the State or
starve. If there was no slavery in the United
States the negro race would ultimately follow
! in the footsteps of the Indian and be peacefully
exterminated from the soil by the superior en-
ergy of the Anglo-SaXon race. Let our Legis-
alure pass such law as we indicated in our
issue of two weeks ago, viz: that all children
born after the passage of the act shall be free
at Is and 81 and our State will Immediately
take rank as a free State and upon career OF
prosperity heretofore unknown among US; nor
thern capital will seek investment here, immi-
grafton will set in and occupy and improve our
cheap lands free labor and enterprise will drive
out the nest of worthless negroes and convert
our stngnant State, into great centre Of busI.
ness enterprise and prosperity.
But, says some one who knows nothing bot
ter to say, will you deprive us of our property