Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-02
More of the Missouri Free.oiIers.

A correspondent of the New York Tribune
goes into extacies over the freesoil recruits
that are pouring into that State. OF the
character of those recruits, we subjoin brief
extract from the letter:
"The German element in the population of
Missouri is becoming now most important
one in determining the destinies of the State.
The German shOpkeeper, mechanic and mer-
chant are crowdng one portion of st. Louis,
and already form u population Of nearly 49,
900. The German peasant and vine-dresser,
and farmer are settling all over the hillsides
and the beautiful valleys of the interior,
which the American pioneer had neglected
for the rich river bottoms. Villages spring
up where one hears no language, day after
day, but the language of the old Fatherland.
German Judges of the Peace are appointed in
some of the counties; newspapers are pub
lshed, laws printed, notices posted, school
books issued-all in this foreign tongue. The
best agriculture of the country is falling into
the hands of this busy, thorough people
Slavery melts away before the free TeutOnic
industry. The Shareholders find themselves
competed with On the market, undersod and
far outstripped in the yield of the arabic
lands. They sell their WORKOUT fields to these
Intrusive foreigners, and emigrate with their
negroes, in disgust, to Texas. Besides, as
German well explained to me, the slave is be-
coming too expensive an instrument for labor.
a healthy negro man costs now in Missouri
some 81 200. Capital is worth here at least
10 per cent so that his cost to the owner,
without reckoning expenses Of food. clothing,
medicine and shelter is Sl20 per annum.-
Then there must he added to this the cost of
his absent or sick days, his ..sulkiness' (Which
is, you know, a disease in the medical bOoks,)
his tendency to the 'drapeto mania" Ito run
away. and his general disposition to skirk or
do badly, work in which he has no interest.
Now. against all these expenses and annoy
ances the sum of 500 will procure the SER
vices for the year to the new settler of free,
intelligent, efficient, careful German laborer,
who takes care of himself. and has no sulks.
Is it any wonder, with this statement alone,
that the newcomers, whether American or
German. detest Slavery. and that the old
slave-owners are glad to get rid of their ex-
pensive laborers. and either turn Frec-SOilers
or emigrate to more congenial circumstan-
ces ?'
Ii is not much wonder that the st. Louis
Democrat, should, in view of these facts, an
nounce that freesoilism has already triumphed
in Missouri. 1t says that the battle is already
fought and won, and that the great hope of
the abolitionists is being realized without re-
sort to Legislation. and takes to itself and
ito SO'iSi VII IhO
fact.
The closing paragraph of the above ex-
tract shows very conclusively the relation
between slave and free labor, which is coming
to be with the fanatics harp OF thousand
strings. 1t shows that the Germans come
into the country and by entering into com
petition with slave labor, reduce wages. This
then, is the great benefit of foreign immigra-
ton, to extirpate slavery and degrade the
price of labor. 1t will suit the rich man
very well to grind the poor man to the dust
by n reduction of his labor to barely meat
and bread standard. This is the result Of the
logic, and the only wonder is that the masses
of white men in the North do not detect the
poor humbug political demagogues are i'm
posing upon them, and rise one man, to
put it down. According to the showing of
the 7ri6me's correspondent the continuance
of slavery is the continuance of high wages,
by which the white laborer is benefited rs
much or more than the slave-owner can lie.
But his miserable abolition zeal will not allow
him to see il.