Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-01-21
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.


The lecture delivered by ELimU BURRIrr on
Wednesday evening of Inst week, the subject Of
the "ioung-man power" was one Of interest at the
present time. The lecturer proposed n remedy for
the evils of slavery;-it is to appropriate the public
lands for the gradual redemption Of the slaves by pur-
chase The idea is not a new one but the time for
Its practical execution Is more nearly at hand than
ever BEFORE The moment that the price Of slaves be-
gins to decrease from their being excluded from the
territories that will disposition be manifest
ed on the part Of the Shareholder to sell them to the
government for the purpose of manumssion
Fortunately the public land Of the new territories
fit for free labor is about giving out ut the same time
that the new cotton growing lands are growing rare
so that new system o! labor is becoming necessary
both for the North and the South. At the North the
labor hereafter will have to become more particularly
manufacturing, while free and instructed agricultural
labor will have to enter upon the old exhausted lands
OF the South in order to the greater production Of
cotton which the increase of population is demanding
and which the limited capacities Of save-abor will
be inadequate to furnish.
This phase Of the contest between freedom and slay-
cry is nothing ncw since it is the character of all free
governments to Danish monopoies Slave-abor is
nothing but the monopolizng of large part of our
and its few masters and it should not surprise
us TO find that free labor, it feels itself
checked by want of new fields to lay open, will direct
Itself against this monopoly. The lecturer showed
that the number of Africans now ON cur soil is great
or than that Of the white during the Revolution
and that IN less than n hundred years this number
will increase to twenty millions or more, unless some
measures are taken to prevent Il: Our own national
ity threatens thus to be destroyed or ut least our ter
ritory must be distinctly parceeci ont between tho
African and the Ango-Saxon races: for il would be
impossible for such large numbers to live united unde,
the same government upon the same territory.
The plan of the lecturer is for the general govern.
ment to offer any State. whenever she rniaht he In
cncd TO dispose Of her slaves, reasonable compen
saiion therefor and fast they are thus ransomed
to ship them oil by steamships TO Africa This plar
would give new stimulus not only to the manuinc
turing interest," but also to agricultural free labor il
the South, and to ship building and navigation through
ont the country ut hrge. The service Of deportint
our Africans back to their native land would give en-
ployment to thousand, Of our race and furnish sem
mary for senmen which is becoming the more impor
tant in proportion our fishing and whaling intercs
declines.
New England, and Vermont especially, would b,
benefited by this plan, since the numerous stream
which pour from the eastern fanks Of the Greer
Mountains, and which now run lettering in compara
tive dleness TO the sea, would be harnesscd to tn,
Wheel as it were, and made to assist human labor il
Il" INC various productions Of the useful arts. 1t Is
al ouJee', moreover, in political point Of view t,
retain upon New England soil Us many Of her popu
iaon as possible as center Of that practical krowI
edge of civil aud religious freedom which can ,lon,
sci the example 10 the rest Of the world Of free anC
popular govcrnment-an example which is bcconin,
the more necessary in proportion US the population O
the rest OF the country is being mixed with persons q
diverse naonaliiies education and modes Of tbouch.
There was orc point Of view of our national affair.
taken by the lecturer which, in person Of so mucl
meineehce ana enlightenment, seemed quite remark.
"oie' lie assumed rs supposed fac, that score o,
SO OF hiSpano- American States might become homo.
gehous members Of our free and people governed CON
iederacy. Now this supposi,ion would appear tc
many about us absurd it would to say that the pin,
Tree might become an oak, the circle triangle. O,
catholic priest protestant deacon and still retain
his catholic notions. They who reason in this wa,
seem 10 'hnk that republican virtue is contagious
that 1t can be communicated by the touch. not seem
S 10 reflect that is only the Of diseases like
pestiencc and smallpox, that can be communicated
III that way If this mode Of argument continues by
men of sense-that is-f II is propose! TO save ana
enlarge the interests Of our republican government Il,
the annexation Of llspano- American territory. W.
sha not be surprised to next some one prorosinc
plan by which sound apples may be preserved b,
mixing them with rotten oLc,