The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-08-24
Competition OF Free and Slave
Labor.

! onstration 10 inform the people of Indiana
what Douglas Democracy really was. One
of the plainest propositions advanced by
him and most persistenty advocated was
that slaUeiy must e1pand-that it mast haze
more room-that IL mast be admitted to the
Tsrritories-that black SLAVE labor must en-
ter into competition aeith free aohate labor
And as we have heard no Democrat present
deny the truthfulness ofthe proposition, and
as the speech receives the appreciation of the
party organ, we take it as the accepted doc
trine of the party. How do those demo-
| Gratis, who SO strenuously declare that they
want slavery confined to its present limits,
like this doctrine of their party? How do
the many laboring men and mechanics, who
listened to Gov. Dixon's speech, relish this
| doctrine that black sJave labor must enter
into competition a0ith free aohite labor?
In the proceedings of the last session of
Congress we find the following colloquy
between Mr.. Stanton of Ohio and Mr. Sin
gleton of Mississippi, on this subject, which
will well repay a perusal, showing as it
does the views taken by the Republican and
Democratic parties on this subject, which is
really the OitaI question in this canvass:
Mr.. Stanton. Mr. Chairman, the Republi-
can party is opposed to the extension of
/ slavery into free Territories mainly-I think
l might say solely-because free and slave
| labor cannot go there together. The admis-
sion of slave labor is the exclusion of free
! labor. 1t is because we will not permit free
labor and the dignity of free men to be de-
| graded, from being brought into contact and
| competition with slave labor that we do not
want slavery to go into the Territories
That is the essential reason.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, l have no desire, nor
is 1t my purpose, to embarrasS tbs slave
holding States by confning slavery within
| its present limits, if there is any mode of
escaping from it. If as the gentleman from
Mississippi seems TO suppose, the confining
| of slavery to its present limits necessarily
brings about its extinction, pray you, sir,
what sort of confession is that OF the char
acter of the institution?
Mr.. Singleton. There is a very simple |
reason to be stated in proof of my remark |
The slave population at the South is increas-
ing very rapidly, much more so, indeed, than |
the white population; and it does not re-
quire the gift Of prophecy to foresee the re-
suit, unless we are allowed to expand in /
some direction. Expansion ce must hare or
sLaUery dies, and acith ii the safety and pros
perity Of the South.
And the gentleman talks about free and /
slave labor not being compatible in the |
same community, and the former being de-
graded by the latter. The impression is at
tempted to be made, by the gentlemans |
speech, that there is no free labor in the
South. Let me say, that there are free
,.rbs I,Lo -
and throughout the South, who work side
by side with the slave Iaborers upon the cot
ton plantations, and who do not feel them
selves at all degraded.
Mr.. Stanton. | understand that there are
free laborers in the South but | also un-
derstand that a man who is dependent in
the South upon his daily toll for his daily
bread-not the owner of a cotton planta-
tion, but a man who is dependent upon his
toll, compelled to support his family by his
labor-must, by contact and association with
slave labor, be degraded man in slave
holding community.
Mr.. Singleton. The gentleman is utterly
mistaken. There are hundreds and thou
sands of free white laborers in the South,
who cultivate the soil with their slaves, who
would scorn to associate s0ith those aOho make
the charge Of degradation against them.
Mr.. Stanton. 1t is not worth while for
us to get in passion about it. We may as
well keep cool. l know that l have seen
enough of the institution of slavery, with
the little intercourse l have had with it, to
know that amongst the slaves themselves
they regard poor laboring white man as
their equal or inferior A slave will tell
you, when he looks at poor white laboring
man, that he is white trash--a sand hitler.
Mr.. Singleton. You get your cue from
the negroes, then
Mr.. Stanton. The gentleman from Mis-
sissippi had better keep his temper, for he
will not make anything 10y scoidng; he
cannot get me into passion.
Mr.. Singleton. Then treat the people of
my section respectfully.
Mr.. Stanton. l have endeavored to treat
gentlemen respectfully. If I have violated
the rules of Parliamentary order or gentle
manly decorum, would beg the gentleman
to state it.
Before I sit down, have one word in
reply to a remark of the gentleman from
Mississippi little while ago. 1t is claimed
that the slaveholding population cannot be
confined to their present geographical limits.
If so, it results from one of two causes !:
either that the continuance of that policy
upon the same soil must destroy its produc-
tive qualities, or because the increase of the
slave population is such as to put the safe
ty of the community in peril. Hence, gen.
tlemen say that some years hence, slavery
must have more room. Now, ! wish to call
the attention of the South to this single pro-
position; if you must have expansion now, ,
will you tell me where is to be the ultimate
limit of your expansion? You want five
more States this year, or fifty years hence
then hundred years hence you " i'll want
twenty more. The time must come when
the thing will be broken down and destroy
ed by its own weight, and it is only ques
tion of time. There is limit to all expan-
sion. There is limit to the continent-to
its productive capacity and area; and when
that limit is reached, then that calamity
which the gentleman breads must come
and no expansion can save it. 1t is only q
question of time; and it is a question,