Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-06-19
SLAVERY IN MISSOURI.

eouri Convention refused to entertain, even
for consideration and discussion, the PROPOSE
6on of President Lincoln in regard to COM
pensated emancipation, that il affords any
true index of the prevailing sentiment in that
State. The members of this Convention
which has treated the patriotic proposal with
10 much apparent disfavor, were all elected
pre1eus to the breaking out OF the rebellion,
and of course cannot be considered fair rep
rssentatives of the obviously changed opinion
Of the loyal people Of Missouri upon the sub
rect of emancipation. II the convention re-
fused to discuss the proposition, the people
do not. The Presidents policy has many
warm and able advocates in Missouri, and
they are continually making converts. The
rebellion has already been fruitful in two re-
spects, which promises much good to that
State. One is the federation of free speech,
IN of free press. The people can now
and do, speak and write against slrvery, as
freely ss We are permitted to do IN, these
northern States, at least in many parts Of
Missouri. This is hopeful. If the people
can only discuss the bearings Of slavery upon
the welfare of society--can only compare the
adva ntages of free labor, over servile and
unreguited toll, the State will at no distant
day take active measures to hasten the extin-.
punishment of slavery. The other result is,
that since the rebellion broke out, nearly .fjty
sAos.sand slaves have escaped, or been perma-
nently removed from the State of Missouri.
Col. Gratz Brown, editor of the Palmyra
(Mo9 Courier, gives statement Of the num-
her of slaves in different parts of Missouri
nov and at the date of the last census. He
states as the suit Of his investigations, that
Missouri, which contained in 1860 one hun
bred and four thousand slaves, has at present
little il any more than fifty thousand, thus
having lost almost one-half her entire slave
population as the result of this wicked war.
This is the honey in the dead carcass of re-
bellion. 1t is not known what proportion Of
the slavesstll in the State are held by rebels,
and have been employed to aid the enemy
of course all who have thus been used are
free under the act of Congress passed las,
August; and if Congress should pass an act
freeing the slaves of all who have bee dis
loyal to the government, Missouri would un
doubleday be almost entirely relieved Of sla
very. ..
Some of Col. Browns figures are most in
teresting and must be startling to the slave
holders, who have go stubbornly shut the
eyes to the "signs Of the times" In 1856
st. Louis County had 5,346 slaves; at tn
present time their number does not exeee
$500. In twelve counties in Southeastern
Missouri, which had two years ago 1921
slaves, there are now but 5, 1875, loss OF near
y one-half But this is small compared witt
the loss in the Southwestern part of the State
where the rebels occupied the longest TINT
Eleven counties in Southwestern Missouri
which had in 1860 2,7s4 slaves, have no,
but 3e1 left. That is TO say, these clever
counties, long the stronghold of Gen. Pric
and McCulloch have lost seven-eighthsof thei
slave population by that rebel occupation
The counties which lie along the Kansas boz
der, and which had in 1860 11,129 slaves
have it is said scarcely one hundred remain
ing. Of course the slaves now remaining il
the State, in the present condition of thu
country, and in view of the certain doom q
slavery at no very distant day, are not wortl
one-halt their value at the time the slave
holders rebellion commenced. The slave
holders of Missouri alone, must have lost il
the aggregate more than twenty millions 9
dollars in slave property. TO say moth
ing of the pillaging done by the rebel armies
the forced substance of the Union troop.
the burning Of costly railroad bridges, an
the immense destruction Of the means {
transportation. Does not this showing prov
that however freedom may gain in the Ion
run, it does not pay the stakeholder to rebel
These figures show that slavery is rapid
disappearing from Missouri. The owners
that species of property may moodily refus
10 consider the proposition of compensate
emancipation SO generously made by the gel
erl government, if they choose, but the 10
will be their own. There is rapidly gro,
acti slavery sentiment in that State viii,
will ultimately crowd slavery beyond its be
0ers. @
The NINTH REGIMENT.-We learn til