The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-09-14
Emaneipaton of the African Race.

There is no blinking the truth. Years OF
bitter experience-years of hope deferred, of
self-devotion unrequitted, of poverty, of hui
initiation, of prayers unanswered, of sufferings
derided, of insults unresented, of contumely
patiently endurcd-ha~e- convinced us of the
truth. 1t must be spoken out, loudly and en-
ergetically, despite the wild mockings of "how[
ing can't" The freed West India negro slave
will not till the soil for wages; the free son of
the ex-slave is as obstinate as his sire. He
will cultivate lands which he has not bought
for his own vans, manages, and plantains.-
These satisfy his wants he does not care for
yours. Cotton, and sugar, and coffee, and to-
bacco-hc cares little for them. And what
matters it to him that the Englishman bassunk
his thousands and tens of thousands ON mills,
machinery, and plants, which now totter on a
languishing estate hat for years has only re-
turned beggary and debts. He eats his yams
and singers at "Buckra."
We know not why this should be; but it is
so. The negro has been bought with n price
tho price Of English taxation and English
toll. He has been "redeemed from bondage"
by the sweat and travail Of some millions of
Woodworking Englishmen. Twenty millions
Of pounds sterling-one hundred millions of
dollars-have been distilled from the brains
and muscles of the free English laborer, of
every degree, to fashion the West India
negro into a efree and independent labor
err" ssFree and independent" enough he has
become, God knows but laborer he is not and,
so far as We can see, never will be. He will
sing hymns and quote texts, but honest, steady
industry, he not only detests but despises.-
We wish to Heaven that some people in Eng
land-neitherr government people, nor parsons,
! nor clergymem-but some just-minded, hon
est-hearted, and clear-sighted men, would go
out to some of the islands-say Jamaica, An
tigua. or Dominica-rot for a month or three
months, but for q year-would watch the pre-
cious protege of English philanthropy, the free
negro, in his daily habits would watch him
as he lazily plants his little squatting; would
see him proudly reject agricultural or domestic
service, or accepts it at wages lud~lcrously dis
proportionate to the value of his work. We
wish. too. they would watch him while, with a
hide thicker than that of a hiporotamus and a
BODY to which fervid heat is a comfort rather
than an ANNOYANCE, h droningly lounges over
the prescribed task on which the intrepid Eng
lshman. uninured to the burning sun. con.
sumes his impatient energy and too often sac.
ri6ees his life. We wish they would go out
and view the negro in all the blazonry of his
idleness. his pride, his ingratitude, contemptu-
ously sncering at the industry of that race
which made him free, and then come home and
teach the mcmorablelesson oftheir experience
to the fanatics who have perverted him into
what he is.-LondoR Times
We give place to the above article not only
on account of the Information it contains on
subject interesting to all mankind, but for the
purpose of commencing it to the attention o
all our readers, and especially to that class O
the community who are honestly looking for
ward to slavery emancipation in the United
statesas a e~onsumation of the greatest momen
to the permanent peace and happiness of the
country. Let the merchant read it; let tn