The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-08-17
FROM TIE ". u. Ite
A Delicate Distinction,

jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior
of the United States, is opposed to the African
slave trade and Jacob is in favor of and a
supporter of the Virginia slave trade, or any
other slave trade that enables him to add an
nually to his large stock Of African slaves, and
to sell those that are not good subjects, and
not profitable to him.
Jacob will buy and sell the Christian Afri-
can but he would not buy or sell the Pagan
African, although by so doing he would sup
ply himself with simple and contented SER
wants, and convert them from deep paganism
to christianity. 1t is a nice distinction Jacob
draws-so delicate, indeed, in its esility THAT
hard word for jacob that the sharp eyes Of
interest-ef intense selfishness alone-distin-
guish it from the air it floats in; and those
sharp eyes belong to Jacob, ct id genus onane.
Jacob and the stultifed !Saueocrats of the
South fear that the reduction in the price Of
their negroes would be the consequence of the
introduction of slaves from Africa and hence
their illogical opposition to the trade.
But only demonstrate to Jacob d Co. that
their property would be increased in value by
the resumption of the trade, and they would
be as much in favor of it as they are now OPP
posed to it. s
fear Jacob who ought to know, er otieto,
great deal of the interior of our country,
knows precious little about it, and next to
nothing about the exterior, and the political
economies that govern the outside nations.
But Jacob 81 Co. must be made to learn, by
making them ashamed of their ignorance
And SO will pick few scales from their dar-
kened eyes,
The first scale removed, and 10 ! Jacob finds
that the price of slaves and lands and the
general wealth and prosperity of Cuba have
sigpally advanced, whilst the African slave
trade shows regular annual increase What
do you think, Master Jacob, of your new
sight
And the second scale removed, presto =
Jacob sees the wonderful aggregation Of
wealth in the slaveholding States-the ditfu-
sion OF wealth and power throughout all the
States-and the dominancy of the United
States In international relations, due. for the
most part, to the rich productions of slave Ia
Dor; and Jacob cannot now fail to see further,
that if these productions were doubled, the
wealth and power of the country would be in
creased in like proportion but that no con-
siderable annual increase of these productions
can take place without corresponding in
creased tillage Of land; that such tillage of
land cannot take place without additional la
Dor /; and that that labor cannot be obtained
except by the importation of Africans or Coo
lies the latter being but straw substitute OF
the former.
The third scale reveals to Jacob that, whilst
the price of negroes might be reduced, the
price of his lands lying fallow or in the forest,
would be greatly increased in value by due
supply oflabor for their cultivation and thus,
oh Jacob, thou wouldst he more than COM
pensated by any reduction in the price of ne
groes.
Turn this over in your mind, Jacob and
know, also, that you weaken the institution of
slavery when you concentrate its interests in
few hands; and that you greatly strengthen
it when you diffuse it among all classes of the
people. Keep up the price Of the negro to
81 500 or $4,000, and the rich men are the
only buyers--the only slave traders of the
South; reduce the price, Jacob, and the poor
man, as well as the rich one, becomes an own
er. would reduce the price, SO that every
family in the country might possess one slave
at least.
And, briefly, let me tell you, Jacob, and the
Bulletin, that is delighted to find that Jacob
Thompson is against the slave trade, and sings
loud hallelujahs on the OCCASION" that there
are too many shareholders already in the
Southern States-thousands who are so against
their will being unable to buy slaves of Jacob
Il Co.. on account of the exorbitant price
which they command. The safety of the sla-
very institution isjeopardized at this blessed
moment, by the large numbers of non-slaye-
holders of the South The only remedy to
check their increase, and indeed, to rapidly
reduce these numbers, is to reopen the slave
trade with Africa. And thus endeth the first
lesson of THE CLERK