, 1861-08-30
Cbirago Griht1tte


NJ &&4&44 kS XH 6 CAO8H OF EE$R l
WAR 7
Il is possible that some well meaning,
patriotic people arc imposed upon by such
hinsy sophistry SIS the following extract,
taken from a--city paper profess
ing great devotion to the Union:
+sBut is slavery the causes of the var!'
Slavery Is only profitable az an agricultural ad-
5unct- Il We #ore % prohibit and prevent the
azd rice, IT would render slavery perfectly val1e-
less. It wculd t4ke .rnm the sns5tu.,on it, profit
sls and It would soon die oa
were immensely proatable crops, slavery would
Eot be he seea con,rolles Of southern peaisics.
staples Without them slavery. would cease to
exist Slavery is not tha cause so much as COT,
ton, fc1 Il there were no cotton sugar; ncs xan
tobacco, there would be no slavery hhy ABOLISH
slavery which il the secondary canses II L NO
mcne Raconsa1utions. to prohibit the growth Of
aasr1y. Why not 60 to the fret cause as well -
to the teecola.
This kind Of reasoning is barely one re-
move above the chattering Of idiocy. If
slavery is secondary to cotton, is not cot
ton secondary to the soil +: Abolish the
earth and there would be no cotton nor
slavery. The earth is secondary to its
Creator Abolish the Almighty and there |
will be neither earth, cotton, nor slavery. |
If cotton is to blame for the war because
it supports slavery, is not the earth still |
mere 10 hlame for supporting cotton?
The absurdity Of the logic in the above
extract must be apparent to the feeblest
understanding.
1t is not true that the existence Of slave
II in the South, depends upon cotton or
sugar. Nor is it true that the growth Of
Of any southern product depends upon
slayery-save one, and that is, aaluzdttoss.
Cotton can be cultivated without sIaw Ia
bor, and slavery Can exist independently
Of cotton. Abolish the growth Of cotton
in the Southern States, and the slaves
would be employed in the next most profit
able pursuit. While there was any busl-
ness remaining from which the masters
could derive livelihood, the slaves would
be kept in bondage. The slaves Of Mis-
souri,, Kentucky, Maryland and Virginia
are mainly employed in growing wheat,
corr, OATS, grass and live stock. Their
masters exhibit no intention to free them
II the laws Of Illinois permitted slavery,
there would be hundreds Of thousands Of
bondmen in our State to-day, employed as
servants and mechanics in the towns and as
field hands On the farms. Slaves are not
NECESSARY to the cultivation Of an acre Of
tie soil of America. Negroes are probably
better adapted to the summer climate Of
the gulf States than whites, thoug h thous-
ands of the latter manage to labor in fields
in The most tropical States, in our Union.
Substitute caM Tor the lash and the negroes
of the South will work harder and more
faithfully than they can possibly be made
to do, by coercion. One Of the strong
est Of human s!imulants is wages
Pay will effect more than punish
ment. Tile negro's nature, in this re-
spect is exactly like the white mans.
His bump Of aequisitiyeness is JUST as sus-
ceptiblc to the magic influences Of the Al
mighty dollar as the Caucassians. The
most cfectua1 spur to move him to action,
is that pointed with gold.
On some Of the most profitable planta-
tions in the South the proprietors give the
negroes share Of the crops, Where this
is done with any show Of iberaiity, the
whip is useless, and the oyerseer's office
becomes sinecure The slave feels per.
soual interest in the seasons products. Hi
is mere economical, steady and industri
Gus, as On his faithfulness depends hi
profits. 1t is false to assert that cotton
sugar, rice and tobacco would cease to b
cultivated if contract were substituted 70
compulsory labor. Pay the colored man 70
his work, and the industry Of the Sout
would not suffer, nor the value Of propert
depreciate. The aggregate products Of IL,
country would be enhanced, and its peae
and security infinitely promoted.
Abolish cotton, and the cause Of the ",
is untouched; but remove slavery, and Il
Cause Of the strife no longer exists, al
the war would cease Take the neg
away from tie South, and the product
cotton, rice and sugar would be great
diminished, though by no means des1oye
The four million bales might shrink
enc, for time. But take slavery aw
from the South, leaving the negro benin
and the staples of that section would CO
tinue abundant. The stimulus of wae
would keep the freed blacks at work. r
experience of Maryland and Delaware,
well as the British and French West
dies, fully proves this assertion true-pl
slavery ISLANDERS to the contrary notwi
standing. There IS NJ more justice
necessity for enslaving the blacks and n
1attoes to raise cotton and rice in the Sou
than there would be in enslaving the G.
mans and Irish to cultivate wheat g
corn in the North. The moral wrong
enslaviDg man Of one complexion is
greater than of enklaving a man Of diff
ent tcolor. The 1ahorer is worthy Of his h
whether his skin be swarthy OF pale. Z
black man who produces for another
bale Of cotton, is in justice and good n
ais, IS much entitled to his penny as
white man who raises sack of wheat
the owner of the land Oh which it ,
grown.
It is the violation Of this plain rul
right that causes the war. 4 class
men have banded together and establis
apractioe Of forcing their fellow me]
toll for them without compensation
promise Of reward. They have gon'
far IN this iniauity, as to call these pc.
their property, and to dominate over Il
as men do over the brutes Of the field.
peculiar class, having endowed themse
with such abhorrent special privile
have undertaken to destroy the Great
public, to the end that they may rear u
its ruins, despotism which denies
tramp1es under foot the inalienable ri
Of men They want to protect the Z
pat;ons Of the system with the strong
and influence Of a government They
tend, after shi7ering the Union, to exf
their system Of unpaid labor over Me
and Central America They purE
when the power is acquired, to wipe
last remnants Of Democratic institu1
from the face Of the Continent.
1t Is to save the Union, to preserve
government, and to resist and defes
unholy scheme Of the oligarchy,
patriotic men have girded on their sv
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