Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1862-06-18
The Cost of Negro Emancipation The
Kentucky Unionists View of it.

/ The Louisville Democrat has taken the
trouble to indite n mathematical response
to Mr. Lincolns scheme of negro omanci,
patton, by compensation on the part Of
the Federal Government The plain prac.
teal people of the country will attach
some Importance to the Democrats figures,
although Of course. they will be consider.
ed nothing Ly the ideal philanthropists,
who are seeking this great change in our
social and industrial system, and who are
resolved to trample upon all the obstacles
that oppose their design. The Democrat
figures, or, to use the Yankee phrase
calculates" the matter thus - WIHle co..
ohio, Democrat
"a calculation OF the expense Of an
emancipation scheme would certainly as.
toniSh the minds Of the people and show
its utter impracticability. Thcre are in
this country, upon a rough estimate, s.,
OOO,O OF slaves, The value Of each Of
these according to the price put upon
them in the late act purchasing and frce>
ing the negroes of the District of Columbia,
is $500 Suppose the price paid down was
only two hundred This would draw from
the people the sum of one thoussnd mil
lion dollars at a single draft, The real
value Of negroes to the master would be,
according TO prices before the war about
$500 apiece. At that time man was worth,
ol an average, $500, woman $50. and il
it but fair to presume that the value of
younger negroes, less than this, would he
made up by the excess OF the price Of the
men and women. This additional 5000,
taken from the owner, is as clearly 5000
to be lost, as the price, $780, paid down.
The cost, then, of emancipation, provided
colonization was not attempted, and pro-
lided that negro labor was as valuable
after emancipation, would lie the round
sum Of $4,000, 100000. Let US be within
bounds--put it at only s, | 200 900. 900.
The negro labor after emancipation is
clearly nothing. We want no stronge:
proof Of this than the stringent laws Of the
Northern States excluding them from
their borders, If the negro labor was at
all profitable in those States, it is hut fair
to presume that they would he admitted,
if not invited, to them, as the white labor
is
"Then we are to estimate emancipation
as removing four millions Of laborers from
la population in the Southern States of
thirteen millions, or nearly one third Of
the whole population, ard at least four
fifths of the whole laboring force. Is it in
the bounds of human calculation TO esti-
mate what such a measure would be? We
believe il iuCalCulabe we believe it inf
mite; the measure would be utterly ruir-
GUS But, in order to make some possible
estimate, we can place it at another S.
2OO,OOOOO This places our debt at 50,
400 900 600. Now, suppose we place the
sum required to colonize these negroes at
SlOO per head, This gives an additional
sum Of SlOO, ,OOO, 0O0 And the sum total
becomes y, 800, 100000. These creatures,
when they are removed, must be suppor>
ted for the first two or three years, Just
for food, clothing and the mere shelter Of
tent, the government pays Sl5l per an
num. This does not include pay, bounty
or transportation. All Of these necessary
articles Of clothing and food would have
for two years to be forwarded to the oolo~
ny. Suppose, to come under the mark
wo we're 10 place this at only 500 per
head for two years. This would be $780,
600 more. The cost Of protection would
probably be $4,000, 900. recapitulate:
For the purchase of freedom, $6OO,OOOOOO
To additional loss to the masteruntii
equally good labor was supplied GOO,OOOOOO
To loss of the aborers, l,2O0,O0O0O0
Expenses Of removal 40O,OOO000
To support for two years, SO0,0O0OO0
To protection, 2OOOOOOO