Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-12-10
VOL. 9.---NO. Is.

mnch. 1t saves them from the vagrant desti.
tuition which must largely attend Immediate
emancipation in localities where their mum bers
are very great, and it gives the Inspiring assn
rance that their posterity shall be free forever.
| The plan leaves it to each State choosing To
act under it, to abolish slavery now. or at the
end OF the century, or at any informed late
| time, or by degrees, extending over the whole
| or any part of the period, and it obliges no two
States to proceed alike. 1t also provides for
compensation and generally the mod e of max
| ing it. This, il would SEEM must further mit.
| igate the dissatisfaction of those who favor
perpetual slavery, and especially of those who
are TO receive the compensation Doubtless
| some of those who are to pay and not to ra-
celve Will object, yet the measure is both inst
ana economical. In a certain sense the Iiber-
| alton OF slaves is the destruction of nronar,y
property acquired by descent or by mr..
chase-the same as any other property. n is
| no less true for having been often said that tba
| people OF the South are not more resnonsib,a
| Tor the original Introduction of this nronertv
| than are the people of the North; and when
IL is remembered how unhestatingly we all
use cotton and sugar, and share the profits of
deaing In them, ii may not be quite safe to
say that the South has been more resnonsihIa
than the North for its continuance. II tben
Tor common object, this property is 70 IN,
sacrificed, is it not just that ii be don. ar
common charge' And if with less money. or
fh..
Dement'S of the Union by this means than wa
can by the war alone, is it not also economical
10 do 1t T! Let rs consider il then. Let ns
ascertain the sum We have expended in tbe
war since compensated Characterization was nro
posed last March, and consider whether n
that measure had been promptly accepted by
even some of the Slave States the same snn,
would not have done more to close the No.
than has been otherwise done. II so. the mea-
sure would save money, and in that view wopId
oe prudent and economical measure Ger
tainiy IL Is not so easy to pay something as IL
to pay nothing, but il is easier to nav large
sum than 1t Is to pay larger one. And il ia
easier to pay any sum when we are able than
1t is to pay it before we are able The war "a
quires large sums, and requires them at once
me aggregate sum necessary Tor compensated
emancipation of course would be la-ee. bnt IL
would require no ready cash, nor the bonds
even, any faster than the emancipation pro-
crosses. rms might not, and probably would
not, close before the end of the thirty seven
years AT that time we shall probably have a
hundred millions of people to share the bur-
den instead OF thirty one millions as now And
not only so, but the increase of our population
may be expected to continue for a long time
our territory iyraiI @iiI hot have become full do
not state this inconsiderately. At the same
ratio of increase, which we have maintained
on an average from first national censns
have a population of los ,208, ,415; and why
may We not continue that ratio far beyond that
periodf Our abundant room, our broad "a,
llonal homestead, is our ample resource
We're our territory as limited as are the Brit
sh Isles, very certainly our population could
not expand as stated. Instead of receiving
me foreign born as now, we should be comneI-
led to send part of the native born away But
such is not our condition. We have 2,963.-
)oo square miles. Europe has 3,SO0,OOO. with
population averaging 73a persons to the
square mile. Why may not our country.
'oine time, average as many Is il less fer
lie! Has il more waste surface bv mountains.
vers, lakes, deserts, or other causes? Is il
Interior to Europe in any natural advantage?
4, then, we are at some time to be as ponu-
Gus as Europe, how soon? As to when this
nay be we can judge by the past and the pres
mt. As to when this will be, if ever, de-
'ends much on whether We maintain the u
ion Several OF our States are above the av-
rage OF Europe. 53a to the square mile Mas
aehusetts has l5I, Rhode Island l33 Com
ecticut 80, New York and New Jersy each
U. Also, the two other great States of Penn
yiVania and Ohio are not far below, the for
her having SO and the latter SO. The States
lready above tie European average, except
'ew York, have increased in as rapid ratio
ince passing that point as ever before. while
o one of them is equal to some other parts of
ur country in natural capacity for sustaining
dense population. Taking the nation in the
ggregate, we find the population and ratio of
lcrease for the several decennial periods to
as follows: 1880, 3,929.827; 1900, s, 5,3G5,-
81, oo.O2 per cent. ratio of increase; 1910.
,2o9,sl4, 36.45 per cent. ratio of increase:
$50, 9,63S.l31, 1918 per cent. ratio of in
rease; 1880, II. .S66 ,020, 80. 49 per cent. ra
o of increase; 1910, II, ,O69 453, 80. 81 per
ent. ratio of increase; 1850, 23.191. .876,
. 81 1o per cent. ratio of increase; 1860, 3D.
i3, 190, 35.5S per cent ratio of increase
This shows an average decennial Increase
1890 per cent, in the population through
lie seventy yerrs from our first TO last census
ct taken. 1t is seen that the ratio of increase
no one Of the seven periods is either 2 per
snt, below or per cent above the average.
lus showing how infexible, and'conseauently
DIV reliable, the law of increase in our case
Assuming that it will continue. it gives
e following results 1870, a., ,323 .34I: 1880
1867 ZIG 1890, 1851 1872; 1900, lO3 Dos.
d l9lO l3S, ,9lS 1926; 1920, l86. .684 1876:
'3o, 25I,6o0,9l4. These figures show that
IT country may be as popnons as Europe now
at some point between 1920 and 1880. saw
'out 1919, our territory, at 73ss persons to
e square mile. being of the capacity to con-
In III ,lSl 200 /; and We will reach this too
we do not ourselves reinquish the chance
the foil! and evils of disunion, or by long
ID exhansting war spFinging from the ouly
eat element OF national discord among u.s.
bile 1t cannot be foreseen exactly how much
le huge example of secession, breeding lesser
les, indefinitely would retard populations,
yiiivaton, and prosperity-no one can doubt
at the extent of it would be very great and
Jurieus. The proposed emancipation would
orten the war, perpetrate peace, insure this
crease of population, and proportionately
e wealth OF the country. With these we
ould pay all the emancipation would cost.
gether with our other debt, easier than we
onld pay our other debt without it. five