The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-09-25

How shall matters be so arranged as to
make the triumph Of free labor and re-
publican ideas complete, and to prevent
forever the recurrence Of any similar
struggle?
To answer this question does rot seem
to be very difficult The frst-fruit of the
triumph of our arms must be the total
and immediate abolition of slave holding.
TIE great body of the Shareholders, from
the active, open. and leading part they
have taken in the present revolt, have
made themselves just subjects of confs-
cation, aud have totally forfeited any
right or pretense OF right they might
have had to their slave property under
the Constitution against which they have
been in arms AS to such shareholders
as may be able to show that they have
been loyal throughout, and have given nc
aid or encouragement to the revolt, they
might be justly entitled to pecuniary
indem, ity for the loss of their slaves.
But it would not be their slaves alone
which the shareholders would forfeit as
the penalty of their rebellion. BY the
same rule, they would forfeit all their
lands also These lands ought to be di-
rided into two PORTIONS one to be reserv-
ed as a fund for paying the debts to
Northern manufacturers and merchants
out of which the rebels have attempted
to cheat them; the other, and far the
/ larger portion, to be distributed among
oar five hundred thousand volunteers as
bounty lands, in hundred acre lots, and
on condition of settlement and cultivation.
Let no one cry cut that this is a scheme
Of general confscation against the people
of the South 1t would fall extensively
on the principal and leading rebels, and
would leave the great mass of the South
ern people who cultivate their own lands
with thej: hands not ouly untouched, but
retrieved from the overwhelming blight
( of superc,lious neichbors, and, as we shall
now show. vastly improved in their con-
dition, both social and pecuniary.
1t has been made great objection, and
a very plausible one, TOO, to the abolition
of slavery, that it would throw the entire
industry of the slave states into confu-
sou, owing to tie Discrimination and even
the moral incapacity of The shareholders
to assume the functions Of employers OF
fired labor, and the Discrimination OF the
slaves to work for their late masters.
BY the plan which we propose al! this
difficulty would be got rid of. The five
/ J l. ,,Clr
would understand perfectly the manage
ment of hired laborers. They would set
the negroes an example of industry and
skill by themselves heading the row.
They would take the negroes as appren-
tees. and would soon instruct them III
hundred kinds of handicraft labor now
unknown at the South They would in
spire encourage, and lead on the great
body Of native poor whites by their ex-
ample and these poor whites, by the op-
por;uuity which the general emancipa-
ton would afford them of employing hired
negro labor, would have door opened to
wealth which is now totally closed to
them.
1t is not easy to cxaggerate the blessed
results which must follow this substitu-
ton of free for forced labor, and this
transfer from the North to the South of
haIf million Of intelligent farmers and
mechanics. In ten years the productions
of the South would be doubled, nay, quad
rupled The Northern system Of free
schools would follow iu the wake of free
labor This transfer of population would
bring about a unity of sentiment and
feeling hitherto unknown The whole
South, under this influence, would un-
dergo the same civili2ing process which,
by means of similar infusion of North
ern settlers, has been accomplished in
Southern Ohio, Southern Indiana, and
Southern Illinois, originally chiefly set
tied by emigrants from the slave states.
II is hardly necessary 10 add that, with
these five hundred thousand volunteers
eneamped in the South, and backed by
the great body of the whites and all the
emancipated negroes, the idea of new
shareholders insu. rectons would be quite
out of the question
4 NOBLE REPLY,-Among the Fed
eral prisoners, writes "a CORRESPONDENT
from Richmond, is noble looking and
intelligent Zouave [ saw him on the
field lust after he was taken. While