Grimshaw's messenger. (Wilmington, Del.) 1858-18??, 1858-04-01
OUR sTATE.

Az bVSoWVo Jul uul(J US iulbuiul IuOUl-
tors Of the people, as editor Of newspaper
to lay before our readers a few facts which
seem to have bearing on the develop.
meut of the resources of our State.
Delaware ought to command an emi-
grafton of twenty thousand souls during
the next five years. This, compared will
Western emigration, is mere trac; yet il
would add materially to the wealth Of ouI
State. Plant five thousand industrious,
cnterprising, thrifty German farmers in
Kent aud Suss X counties, aud The will.
derness will blossom as the rose" We
have set our figures low--6fly thousand
might be added to the population, and the
increase would scarcely be noted, except
by the development of our agricultural re.
sources. The interest Of our State is moi
in the perpetuation of Slavery, neither is il
benefited by manifesting an undue fun.
keyism, or, if you please, doughiaceism, in
passing law after law upon the subject Of
Negroes. We do not belong to that class
which expends its energy on the " cslorcd
brederen'' we are willing that, as "a
Christian community, this portion of our
people should be fairly, kindly and Justly
dealt withj we are unwilling, however,
that the interests and welfare OF all the
white Inhabitants should be neglected in
order that the Legislature should devote
its time, at the peoples expense, to the en-
actment of laws solely for the benefit oil
that very small minority of our eommuni-
.ty, the Shareholders. We say look to the
white man-the poor, aneducated white
man Of our little State; protect him, elc-
vate him, pass laws to keep him from run
ming to the devil and you will do some
good. .rt... ,.,.,.. i...,t, ..,,ersrg
Our positions are, first-Delaware need,
to educate her people. Second -Dila.
ware needs a large increase Of population.
Third Delaware must establish better
system Of Agriculture. No advance has
been made in our system OF schools except
in the city of Wilmington. Our people
do not understand, nor do they appreci-
ate Common School System of Educa-
ton. Most Of tue schools we have visited
are mere shans, useless humbugs--dirty,
ill arranged, uncomfortable shanties-frst
rate for pig-pens, very poor for school pur-
poses. We will not, in this article, argue
the question Of Education, or present our
readers any statistics Of Crime and Pau
porism, to show how these two are the
grim attendants on Ignorance. We desire,
at this time, to suggest that means should
be taken to draw the attention Of German
and English Agricultural Emigrants to
our State. We know that our position as
a Slave State is draw-back--that emil
grants are opposed, as is shown by the his
tory of the South and West, to enigrating
to Slave State. 1t can be demonstrated,
however, that we have only the name, and
that.in few years Slavery will exist on
the statute book rather than in the'honse
or field. In one Hundred in Sussex coun-
ty, in population of seven hundred vo-
tiers, only thirty-tbroe persons are interest.
ed in Slavery, owning only one hundred
and thirteen slaves. 1t is clear that this
need be no drawback to the migration
of white agriculturists. - !,
The great mistake in Delaware is that
we cling to the old custom of owning large
tracts of land. A man may farm twenty
thousand acres of land, and farm them
we'll; he would require, however, as large
aoapital as that of the most extensive Ma
chine Shop. Men in Delaware who own
five hundred, and one thousand acres Of
land, are, in most cases, poor men. Year
after year has passed away, yet we do not