St. Mary's beacon., 1859-04-14
{ From ht Philadelphia Leiger. ]
The Colored Population.

The culored population OF the ILIIeu
States. originally all slaves, arc now divid-
cd into two ciassrS--Slavcs aud free. The
census Of 1920 showed the latter to be 300
600; in 1850. it had Increased u 100000.
and now il is estimated t. exceed half \ mil
lion Abou. sixty thousand reside IL. Penn
sylvauil. The condition Of t'ese people, IT
cannot he disguised, is neither comfortable nor
encouraging for themselves. The circum-
stances which surround them are constantly
changing, and tlIudgh now better educated.
more refined. with more apprcciA;lvc tastes.
comforts and wealth .hcy are still worse of.
and under greater disabilities than thirty
years az. iude"d their very elevation
leads them to feel more kcenly their depressed
state The great redundancy Of white Iaiur,
entering into competition, has driven the COL
orcd man from mILY OF the occupations
which we're his-even by prescription.
Tie natural prcjudiccs of the opposing
race are constantly strengthening, anil the
condition Of the people Of cnlor is rendered
more and more h"pcic>S by legislative enact
ments The frequency Of the latter during
the past winter is startling IT. drfniteness,
aud in their very stringcn; features. Thus;
Arkansas has passed law To cxpcl its free
colored population. 1t is further provided
that, if they do not leave during the pres
ent year. they are liable II be seized and
hired out, so as to procure the means of re-
moving from the State. The lower House
Of the Legislature Of Missouri have likewise
passed bill, by vote Of lightweight yeas
to lwcnty-nine nays, in which il is declared
that all free negroc>' residing in the State
in 1850, shall become slaves II also for6i'lS
emancipation within the limits Of the State.
Similar measures have been proposed in the
Legislatures Of Mississippi. louisiana, Ala
ba,.,l. North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland
and doubtless, in other States. The LeGis-
lature Of Arkansas approved an act winch
prohibits. under severe penalties, tie employ
ment of free negroes" on water crafts nav
iga,ing the rivers Uf that State.
N save, however worthy, can hencef"rth,
in Louisiana and several other States, have
freedom conferred upon him While in ti"s''
States neither is he permitted ~ vrtrtrn
after being cmaacipatcd. The Supreme Jul
dicial Tribunal 81 virginia have decided
that slaves have 10 civil or social rights,
and that the slave cannot choose between
ircc,lom and slavery, i! the offer be made
him by his master; and that, consequently,
a slave left by his master with freedom, il
nc choose TO take il, can have no legal right
to choose freedom, aud must, therefore. still
be a save" II will thus bc seen that the
free culored nan is likely 70 b. driven from
Inc Southern States by new and oppressive
enaCcments and that, where wills allowing
the slave, at the death OF the master, 20
elect freedom or 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 colUred mar is not
desired a. an element Of population. In the
House Of Representatives Of Indiana Dill has
been REJECTED, by vote Of sixty-fve yeas, 10
twenty nays, repeating the existing law
which makes "uegrOes aud mulateOs" in
competent as witnesses. In the Legislature
of Michigan. proposed amendment 70 the
constitution Of that State, granting 70 "negroes'
the right # suffrage on a property qua!lfica-
tim. Was defeated Even in the generally re-
ceiyed prn-African State IF Ohio. law has
JUS. parsed its Legislature. which declares
that no person having ally African blood ia
his veins shall be permitted TO exercise the
elective franchise within that commonwealth.
Petitions from citizens Of Bucks ana PhIla-
dcIphia counties. for a legal enactn,eLt 20 pre-
vent 'negroes" Uf utl.er States frUm settling
in Pennsylvania have been presented TO our
legislature.
Two reasons may be assigned for these
movemeLts- let. the presence o! the free col
ursd people ia the Southern States e deeme'l
undesirable, and attended by evils which
should be discounteuancel; 81. the strife with
the foreigner and laborcr for employment and
for bread suggests measures which render CON-
petition with white met completely irresisti-
Die. The~e are the causes wLi:h have pro-