The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-08-01
Airbmono qispatrh.
MORNING. .AUG'1, 1881
Partition of Territory in the Old Union.
One of he mnst shrik1ny lliust raiiN iNns OF the


Partition of Territory in the Old Union.
One of the most striking illustrations OF the
.liberality of the South, and its disposition to
do more than justice in its relations wi ith the
free States under the old Union, and the most
conclusive Of all answers to the hypoo!itical
outcry Of Southern aggression upon the North
is found III ihe pariiiisn of territory, toe rock
upon which, after ali the concessions that had
been made by the South, the uncompromisipg
spirit of the North broke the Union to- pieces.
This declaration is amply supported by an
appeal to facts and figures. l-s -
At the peace Of 1883, the territorial extent
Of the then Unittd States was S07 678 square
miles. OF this, there were but 1863 662 square
miles entered within the limits of Pennsylva
MIA, New York, New Jersey and New Eng
land all the rest was slave territory, belong
ing to the six Southern States. The proper
ton Of slave territory was therefore about four
square miles Of the former to one Of the lat
ter. Let this fact be borne in mind, the pro-
portion Of slare territory to free territory aeos
about four to one Among the earliest ac $ ,f
the Southern States were deeds Of cession, by
territory to tho General Government. Vir-
gina, So is well known, ceded to the Coniede
raoy the whole of her territory northwest Of
the Ohio river, by which the present States
OF Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and
Wise onsin were given to free labor
By the cession of this tract Of slave territory,
which contained 239 55s square miles, the pro-
portion between free and slave territory was
at once greatly changed; for the free territory
which had before the cession been but one ffth
of the whole country, was, by this voluntary
act Of slave State, Increased to more than ore
haC the relative extent of the two sections
now stood thus: Free territory, 409, ,22Q square
miles; slave territory, 39s, ass square miles
Of the latter, the States of n rth Car, Ina,
South Carolina and Georgia conveyed 142, 1856
miles to &hc Unit d States, on condition that
slavery should not be intertered with and
upon this condition it was accepted, and since
that time have been created out Of it the States
of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. Thus,
it will be seen, thst in the first partition of
territory, it was freely and generously divided
by the slave States with the free, the former
giving up their preponderarce of territory,
and Of their own accord putting the latter on
an equality with them. 49,"
Subsequently, large acquisitions Of terri
tory were obtained by the purchase of Loui-
siana and Florida, and by the annexation Of
u =.
when acquired, but they were divided in the
same spirit, and with the utmost iberality to
the North. The Louisiana territory contained
l 1136:496 square miles Florida, IS, 9 square
miles; Texas, 274 $50 square miles making,
in all, l,470l l20 square miles. Observe the
proportion in which this was divided Florida
and Texas were r.s served to the slave States,
making, together, 333, ,624 square miles, ana
by the Missouri Compromise q portion Of the
Louisiana purcha.e was left TO the South,
the South, 4Q2 520. All the remainder, viz ::
977,G ,GJ0 square miles, or nearly il the p1opor-
lion of two 70 one, were accorded 10 tHe free
States! Since that division, the only territory
acquired was that uuder the treaty o! peace
af er the war With Mexico. This contained
665 496 square miles, aid was all free territory.
OF this, the North obtained the ric State of
California, containing lSS 9Sl square miles !;
Utah, 220, ,la6 making q total of 400 l77,
which the Northern States acquired from a war
to which Southern treasure contributed the
principal portion of the means, and Southern
rebels contributed the largest number of sol
diers New Mexico remained, containing
256 500 square miles of not very desirable terri
tory to any section; yet the North, after all the
territory it had received and acquired, would
not accord even this Insignificant portion to the
South. 1t was slave territory, and it was not
as much as the S u was entitled to in pro-
portion to numbers. Yet. this manifest
measure Of justice was denied, and "no COM
promise with an oppressive slave oligarchy,'
was the cry-tbe cry Of the wolf that accused
the lamb of muddying the water. The COM
promise Of CRIrrENDEN and GuTHRIE, which
would have divided the aggregate territory of
the United States, as follows: Free States,
995 ,965 square miles; Slave S tates, 2o0,7lI,
was secuted, and temporary resolution in a
miserable platform made to triumph over
equity and the pacifca ion Of the country.
And now the section which has been built up
by the South, which has been endowed by il,
with territories as well as commerce, is invad
ing our borders with fire and sword to reduce
the South itself to the condition of a territory
/