New-York daily tribune., 1861-01-19
THE ONLY POSSIBLE Comp.onrsK

H'OSSHnLE COHPROmuAR.
The proposition discussed in The TRIBUNE q
few days ago, that Congress should purchase and
emancipate the slaves in the Border Slave States
has already attracted considerable attention. and
meets with much favor from all but the fanaticay
devOtees of Slavery in the North, who, like
Charles O'Conor, consider the institution q
divine blessing, and would be glad to re-intro-
duce it into the Free States. A resolution in
favor of gradual compensated emancipation in
the Border States and of cOlonizing the negroes
in Liberia, was yesterday offered in the New
York Assembly, and referred to the Committee
on Federal Relations.
The facts are briefly theses In the States Of
Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas,
and Louisiana there are about 100000 slaves.
and more than four times as many whites. Last
week gang of twenty -four cotton and planta-
ton negroes were sold at auction in Charleston
for an average of $437. The price Of slaves, il
is well known, is not 80 high in most of the
States we have named as in South Carolina.
Taking into account the old, and the feeble, the
women and the children, it is evident that the
average worth of negroes cannot be more than
S40O, ard is probably much less. The sum Of
S24O, 600, 900 would, therefore, be an ample COM
the States we have named.
1t is not necessary, however, to contemplate
their immediate, unconditional emancipation.
Whatever scheme may be adopted, should con-
form in a measure to the wishes of the States
Immediately concerned; that is to say such Of
them as may see fit to accept an offer BY Con-
gress to pay for the slaves. Delaware, for
instance which has already upward of 1900
free blacks, could have no serious objection TO
allowing her two thousand slaves to remain after
emancipation az free labOrers. Louisiana, on the
other hand. with more slaves than whites might
prefer to have them gradually emanclpated and
removed to Central America, or to Hayti or
Jamaica. where they would be gladly welcomed.
By an organized system of transportation their
removal to those countries could be effected with
comparatively little difficulty or expense. Some
definite period not very remote, say 1876, the
Centennial Anniversary Of the Declaration OF
Independence, could be fixed upon as the date Of
final emancipation Congress, in the meantime,
buyinp and removing those whom their owners
were willing to emancipate at once for COM
pensation fixed by capable and impartial Com
missiOners.
The arguments in favor of this scheme are that
it offers peaceful solution of the troubles which
| now agitate the country; that it would check the
increase of Slavery, and in time rid us OF an
odious and formidable evil, the ultimate result OF
which, if some remedy be not soon applied, viii
be 10 Africanize one-half Of the continent; and
lastly, that it would add largely to the general
wealth and prosperity of the nation by the lu-
mense rise in value and in prOftableness OF real
estate in the South. For Delaware, Maryland,
Missouri, and Texas, emancipation, with the aid
Of the Federal Government, is not nearly so great
an undertaking as was the abolition OF Slavery
in New-York, New-Jersey, and Pennsylvania,
which was effected by those States without any
assistance from any quarter.
To the nation at large, and especially to the
Free States, the money this project would cost
would be no objection. One year of war would
| cost as much or more. The purchase of Cuba,
on the terms proposed by Mr.. Buchanan, would
have required as large a sum. The nation has
at hand an obvious and available resource to
carry out the financial part of the measure in
the public lands, whose value at the lowest esti'
mate cannot fail TO be more by several hundreds
of millions of dollars than that of all the slaves
| in the States north of the Potomac and west OF
| the Mississippi.