The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-12-12


This might not and probably would not
close before the end of the thirty-seven
years. At that time We shall probably have
100 100000 of people to share the burden.
instead of 81 100000 as now, and not only
so, but the increase of our population may
be expected to continue for long time after
the period as rapidly as before. because our
territory will not have become full.
| THE RESULTS OF EMANCIPATION.
While it cannot be foreseen exactly how
much one huge example of secession breed
ing lesser ones indefinitely, would retard the
population, civilization and prosperity, no
ore can doubt that the extent of it would be
very great and injurious. The proposed
emancipation would shorten the war, perpet-
uate peace, insure the increase of population,
and pre- pnrtionately the wealth of the coun-
try. With this We should pay all the eman
cipation would cost. together with our other
debts without it. If We had allowed our old
national debls, to run at six per cent per an
MN, simple interest, from the end of our
revolutionary struggle till to day, without
paving anything on either principal or inter-
est, each man of us would owe less upon that
debt now than each man owed upon it then,
and this because our increase of men through
the whole period has been greater than six
per cent, and has run faster than the interest
upon the debt. Thus time alone relieves
debtor nation, so long as its population in
creases faster than unpaid interest accumu-
lates on its debt This fact would be no ex-
cuse for delaying the payment of what is
justly due, but it shows the importance of
time in this connection. The great advan-
/ tage of policy by which we shall not have
| TO pay until We number a hundred of mil
lions, and what, by different policy, we
should have to pay now, when the number is
/ but thirty-One millions. In word it shows
that dollar will he much harder to pay for
/ the war than will be dollar for enlancipa-
/ ton on the proposed plan; and then the lat
ter will lose no blood, 10 precious lite. 1t
will be saving of both.
! As TO the second article, think it would
| be impracticable to return to bondage the
class of persons therein contemplated
Some of them doubtless belong to loyal own
ers, and hence provision is made in this arti-
Gle for compensating such.
THE FUTURE OF TIE FREED PEOPLE.
The third article relates to the future of
the freed people. 1t does not oblige but
merely authorizes Congress to aid in colo
nizing such as may consent. This ought not
to be regarded as Objectionable on the one
hand or the other, in so much as it comes to
nothing, unless by mutual consent of the
people 20 be deported, and the American vo-
;e,S through their representatives IN Con-
gress. cannot make it better known than
it already is, that l strongly favor coloniza-
ton. And VI, wish to say there is one OBJ
jectior urged against the colored persons re-
m.inins in the country, which is largely i'm
agirary, If not sometimes malicious. 1t is
insisted that their presence would iniure and
di>place white labor and white laborers. II
there ever could be proper time for mere
,rgumen,s, that time surely is not now
In ,ime> ike the present, men should utter
n.thins for which they would not willingly
be responsible, through time and eternity.
Is il true. then, that co.ored people can
d;spl &C. any more white labor by being free
than BY remaining slaves? If they stay in
their o'd places they jostle no white laborers.
If they leave their old places. they leave
them open to white laborers. Logically
, there is neither More nor less OF it. Eman-
cipalion, even without deportation. woIld
probably enhance the wages of white labor
and very surely would not reduce theni.-
Thus the customary amount of labor would
still have to be performed. The freed peo-
pie would surely not do more than their
old proportion OF it, and very probably for a
, time, would DO less, l"aving an increased
part to white laborers, bringing white labor
. into greater demand, and consequently en-
{ nancing the wages of it. With deportation
, even to limited extent, enhancing wages to
white lsbor is mathematically certain. La.
{ Dor is like any other commodity in market
, Increase the demand fer it and you increase
f the price of it. Reduce the supply of black
labor by colonizing the black laborers out oi
the country, and by precisely so much you in
crease the demand for, and wages of whit.
labor.
, But it is declared that the freed people
t will swarm forth and cover the whole land
Are they not already in the land ? Will lib
$ Grafton make them any more numerous ,
, Equally distributed among the whites of th'
, whole country, and there would be bat one
y colored man to seven white men. Could tn,
E one in any way greatly disturb the seven p
: There are many communities now havin:
D more than one free colored person to sever
G whites, and this without ally apparent con
p sciousness of evil from it. The District of Col
q umbia and the states of Maryland and De-
0 aware are all in this condition. The distric
$ has more than one free cololed to 81
# whites, and vet in its frequent petitions t
r. Congress, believe it has never presented
J. the presence of free colored persons as on
p of its grievances. But why will emancipa
IS ton south send the freed people north ?
;, People of any color seldom run unless thel
is be something to run from. Heretofore co
ored people to some extent have fled mort
from bondage and now perhaps from bot
bondage and destitution. But if gradu;
: emancipation and deportation be adopted
: they will have neither to flee from. The
II old masters will give them wages, at lea.
N until new !aborers can be procured, and tn
e freed men in turn will gladly give their labe
J. for the wages, until new homes can be foun
It for them in congenial climes, and with peop
" of their own blood and race. This propos
10 ton can be trusted in the mutual interes
= involved, and in any event cannot the Nor,
al decide for itself, whether to receive the
IN again, as practice proves more than theo,
"a in any case. Has there been an irruptio
L of colored people northward because of Il
"a aholishment of slavery in this district la
Or spring? What have said of the proportie
e. Of tree colored persons to the whites in Il
IN district, is from the census of 1860, havir
O. no reference to persons called contraband
. nor to those made free BY the act of Co
d. gress abolishing slavery here.
= THE QUICKEST WAY TO OBTAIN PEACE.
TT, =,