The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-04-06
From the pbiladelob;a L..doe, I

From the Philadelphia Ledgerl
The CoLoRED PoPULATIoN.-The colored popua-
ton of the United States, originally all slaves,
now divided into two classes-sayes and free.
The census of 1920 showed the latter to be 10000;
in 1850, it had increased to 100000, and now it is
estimated to exceed half million! About sixty
thousand reside in Pennsylvania. The condition of
these people, it cannot be disguised is neither
Portable nor encouraging for themselves. The cir
cumstances which surround them are constantly
changing, and though now better educated more
refined, with more appreciatiye tastes, comforts
and wealth, they are still worse off. and under
greater disabilities than thirty years ago. Indeed
their very elevation leads them to feel more keenly
their depressed state. The great redundancy of
white labor, entering into competition has driven
the colored man from many of the occupations
which were his-even by prescription.
The natural prejudices of the opposing race are
constantly Strengthening, and the condition of the
people of color is rendered more and more hopeless
by legislative enactments. The frequency of the
latter during the past winter is startling in definite
ness and in their very stringent features. Thus
Arkansas has passed law to expel its free colored
population. 1t is further provided that, if they do
not leave during the present year, they liable
to be seized and hired out, so as to procure the
means of removing from the State. The lower
House OF the Legislature of Missouri have likewise
passed bill, by vote of lightweight yeas to
twenty mine nays, in which it is declared that all
"free negroes" residing in the State in 1861 shall
become slaves. 1t also forbids emancipation within
| the limits of the State. Similar measures have
been proposed in the Legislatures of Mississippi,
| Louisiana, Alabama. North Carolina, Virginia
Maryland and, doubtless, in other States The Leg
islature of Arkansas approved an act which prohib-
its, under severe penalties, the employment of"free
negroes" on water crafts navigating the rivers of
| that State.
| No slave, however worthy, can henceforth, in
Louisiana and several other States, have freedom
conferred upon him while in those States; neither
is he permitted to return after being emancipated
| The Supreme Judicial Tribunal of Virginia have
decided al hay civ irb
and that the slave cannot choose between freedom
and slavery if the offer be made him by his master
and that, consequently, slave left by his master
with freedom, if he choose to take it, can have no
legal right to choose freedom, and must therefore
still be slave 1t will thus be seen that the free
colored man is likely to be driven from the South
ern States by new and oppressive enactments and
that, where wills allowing the slave, at the death of
the master to elect freedom continue in servitude
were once favored, now they are under the ban of
law.
The constitutions of the recently admitted free
States show that the colored man is not desired as
an element of population. In the House of Repre-
sentatives of Indiana bill has been rejected by
vote of sixty-fve yeas to twenty nays, repeating
the existing law which makes ''negroes and muat-
toes" incompetent witnesses. In the Legislature
of Michigan, proposed amendment to the consti-
tuition of that State, granting to "negroes' the
right of suffrage on property qualification, was
defeated. Even in the generally received pro-Af
rican State of Ohio law has lust passed its Legis-
lature, which declares that no person having any
African blood in his veins shall be permitted to ex
ercise the elective franchise within that common
| wealth. Petitions from citizens of Bucks and Phil
adephia counties, for legal enactment to prevent
''negroes" Of other States from settling in Pennsy-
vania have been presented to our State Legisla-
ture.
Two reasons may be assigned for these move
mentslst, the presence of the free colored people
in the Southern States is deemed undesirable, and
attended by evils which should be discountenanced
3D. the strife with the foreigner and laborer for
employment and for bread sugg ests measures which
render competition with white men completely IT.
resistible. These are the causes which have pro-
duced and are producing results which are grad
uay taking the forms oflaw throughout the whole
country.