The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-01-26
The oLe.rnsd Biacksmith.n

Elihu Burritt, alias the Learned Blacksmith,
10 again as work upon his ridiculous "Cash plan Of
Negro Emancipation" Oh, Learned Blacksmith,
much learning hath made thee mad. He has is
susd another letter for Compensated Emanci-
patton Convention" like the one held at Cleveland,
Ohio, in August, 1857. The plan. according to an
account by New York contemporary, recognizes
the complete sovereignty of the slave States res
pective,y over the subject; and proposes, on the
part Of the federal government, the payment Of
two hundred and fifty dollars for each slave in
any State when said State shall be ready to close
10 with the offer, by the pay ment Of the balance OF
the purchase money that may be required to
liberate The slave population Of the State. Upon
this point the Executive Committee say that
"although the mancipation of 10000 slaves
the pumber ia the Union In 1S50-wouid cost
ut the rate suggested, 1876, 600 600, but little Of
this sum would be needed in any one year for a
long tine to come. The State most prepared for
emancipation would be the first to accept the offer
Should 1t be Delaware, only about $500 900 would
be necessary; should it be Missouri about twenty
two millions would have to be raised" Next we
are Informed that 'Hon. Rufus King, Daniel Web
ster aud other American statesmen, have suggested
the public lands rs source of revenue which
might be legitimately appropriated to 'compensa
ted emancipation and that it Is officially esiima-
ted that about l,600 900 900 acres still remain
unsold, which at fifty cents per acre, would pay
for over three millions of slaves"
It sot worth while to arg ae the matter grave
ly with the Learned Blacksmith. Our New York
contemporary refers him to tie workings of
compensated Emancipation In Jamaica, the
wrstehedy small price he fers for likely negroes,
aud says that upon another point, he
"Is quite as wide of the marx upon his ratio OF
compensation. He takes the official estimate of
sixteen hundred millions of of unsold public
lands as equivalent u. fifty cents al acre. to au
emsncipat fund Of eight hundred millions of dol
lars But TO set the Learned Blacksmith right
upon this subject. We would call his attention to
the repo, Of The various govern entail
made from time to time, during the last twenty
years, over all that vast region L. ing between the
frontier white settlements thu Mississippi Valley
and the Pacific Ocean He will thus discover with
the further assistance of any Ineligible map,
that between these said limits there are absc-
lutte dest rts and desert mouatains equal at least
to an area of i've hundred millions of acres-an area
of sandy wastes. volcanic debris. and desert sun-
tains, which never will be worth one cent to the
acre while water and vegetation are essential to
animal lie Then. again. over all this vast wilder.
ness Of the Far West. where there are available
patches for agricultural uses we find them mostly
occupied oy our white poneer settlers or by Indian
tribe whose claims must be purchased before we
can dispose of their property for the BEN t Of the
slaves OF the eouth. And how are We to build til
Pacific Railroad If the whole public domain is to be
devoteA to the purposes of negro emancipation p
From any point Of view. this mancipation scheme
10 uttrly imprscticable and Absurd"
All very true, but it would be quite as imprac>
ticabs to induce Eiihu Burrit to listen to reason
~ to prevail upon the people of the South to lis
ton to Elihu Burritt. The poor man is an innocent
mosonaniao. who, having rode the Peace Hobby
70 death. is now becoming demented about Eman.
cipation. Betsks thee to thine anvil, Blacksmith,
for the millennium will not arrive nor slavery be
Ahoiiabed in inv dav