The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1859-04-05
FREE coLoRED PERSONS.

Writing on this subject, the n. Y, Journal of
Commerce, says: s.. ss.-s s.. t.
1t is a fact, according to the Census Compendium
quoted by 'tWiberforce," that the coloIed popu-
lation of New England and New York was II, ,688
in 1910, 5and Only Y ,090 in 1850. Showing a
decrease in ten years of $685. 1t is a fact that in
all the free States and Territories taken together
the acolored population in the same ten years in
creased from III, 1851 to 1876, $50, or labs per
cent; and that in all the slaveholding States the
free colored population increased only about IL
per cent 1t is fact that in the same period the
slave population of the L. s. increased from q
4S7, AS to 3,2O4, ,313, or 1882 per cent, Gust
double the ratio of the colored population of the
free States.) 1t is fact that the whole popula-
tion of the o. S. within the same period, increased
from IA 1856 to 10 ,553, ,068, or 3774 per cent
It is fact that aggregate of less than 100000
slaves imported into the United States since the
first settlement of the country, (see Census Com
pendium, PIP 83-4, have increased to 3,638, ,S0S,
including those now free. In other words, there
are nine colored persons now, for every one i'm
ported. 1t is a fact, (see Carey the Slave
Trade, and Census Compendium, PIP S3-4, that
100000 negroes imported into Jamaica prior to
1917 had diminished to less than half that num-
Der in 1885, including free colored persons; and
that of /, 200 900 negroes imported into the whole
British West Indies in the course of years. only
100000 remained to be emancipated in 1888.
Add for free colored persons 100000, and we have
total of 100000 survivors. from stock of L.
100000 Surely, if Englishmen, after killing off
and utterly annihilating million negroes, besides
perhaps half as many more who pershed in the
''middle passage have anything to say about
slavery to Americans, who from stock of less
than 100000 slaves imported, can now show, of
their descendants 463S, ,S0S, it should be said in
a tone of deep humiliation and selfabasement.
2. The Mierte Theory. On the supposition
that the Millerite theory of population is correct
it becomes matter of some interest to understand
its application to the above mentioned cases, which
are summarily as follows:
Increase IN ten gears.
Free colrd in non-savehoding States, IA 3S perct
in slaveholding States, ll.00 &c
Total slave population in U. States, 1882
Total white population in U. States, 37.74 "
aggregate Increase
.-. -. .... ..s. from the outset.
Total colored in the U. s., increase
upon total imported. 500 per ct. or for l.
Total colored in jamaica, loss of one-half
from total imported.
Do in all the British W. Indies "A lass of ten-seven-
.-.- teenths from total
imported. %.
Here are all sorts of results from an increase of
seyenteenths of the capital stock in the course of
time The highest ratio of increase is among the
whites, occasioned in part by immigration; the
next highest is among the slaves. .-.,
Formerly the increase of free coored persons
in the nation at large was very rapid, resulting in
part from the process of gradual abolition which
was going on in the Northern States. The an
nexed table, taken from the unabridged quarto
volume of Census returns for 1850, shows the per
centage of increase, in each decade since 1870, of
whites, free colored persons and slaves:
DECENNIAL INCREASE PER CENT. IN
1900. 1910. 1920 1880. 1910. 1850.
Whites, %. .35.6S 36.lS 34.l2 34.03 34.72 3774
Free colrd.62.28 1900 1925 1886 20.87 l247
Slaves ......2S.l 334 29.l0 3o62 1881 1882
1t is thus seen that while the white and also
the slave population, has increased with good
degree of uniformity for period Of 60 years, the
increase of free coored persons fom being 1928
per cent in ten years, has rapidly declined, until
now it is only l2.47 The emancipations at the
South as we'll North, are much less than for
merly. Can the abolitonists tell why? From
1890 to 1S0O the increase of free colored persons
in the slaveholding States was 1927 per cent
%