The national Republican., 1862-07-29


For more than three and half centuries
slavery has existed In the West Indies. Indi-
ans from the American coast were conveyed
70 81. Domingo and Cuba In large numbers.
y The plea for the capture and employment Of
anity, which but few lived long to enjoy, as,
under the effects OF labor and the climate they
died with rapidly too shocking TO contem-
plate.
This circumstance directed the attention OF
the Spaniards 70 Africa, from which country
slaves were imported about the year 1908, the
licenses for that object greatly enrichng the
Spanish exohequer for a long period after. The
Introduction s, Of Africans into Brazil and Peru
Of the countries by CorteZ and Pizarro, early
In the sixteenth century. By the middle or
that century the aboriginees Of the West In.
dies had disappeared, and their places were
about this period in very large numbers
throughout the Spanish and Portuguese pos.
sessions In South America. II was but shortly
subsequent that English adventurers embarked
successfully in the slave trade, which they
pursued under charters from Elizabeth and
James ].
The lrst negro slaves were imported into
Virginia in 1918, where they numbered about
1000 in l67O. II Ia believed that the Arst slave
ship fitted out In the English colonies sailed
from Boston In 1916. In 1924 the French intro.
duced slaves into their island of st. Christie.
pher, and soon after into Martinique and Qua
delcupe, and shortly established slavery in all
their American colonies. The Dutch embarked
in the traffic with other civilized nation; so
that the conclusion is Inevitable that all the On.
lightened nations of the world who enjoyed
any extended commerce simultaneously parti.
cipated in n trade now deemed contraband,
and towards which the world ia now AZ equally
united in hostility. Had slavery continued to
expand in numbers In other parts Of America
AS 1t has grown in the United States, there
would. at the present time, be more than 2l,.
nt 10 ala a..f -. ~ IT-tA
States and the British, French, spanish, and
Brazilian possessions. 1t is believed, however,
that In all American countries and islands OF
our seas, except In the United States, the mum.
ber Of slaves was only maintained from time to
time BY the prosecution of the slave trade.
While slavery In North America extended, in
l775, from and including the Canadian provin.
ces to Florida, its northern limit has been
gradually contracting, while indications clearly
point to It's western termini, which have doubt.
less been already attained. The Importation Of
slaves 10 the United States was interdcted by
law in 1908. In l774 the legislature of Rhode
Island fnterdicted the importation of slaves In
to that colony, and the next year enacted a law
Of emancipation by declaring the children Of
all slave mothers TO be born, free. Massaohu-
cetis abolished slavery, by her bill of rights,
in l7s0. In l7s4 Connecticut barred the intro
duction of slaves, and declared all born after
the list of March of that year free at the age
of twenty.six. Pennsylvania, in 1850, by law,
prohibited tho introduction Of slaves, and de-
clared free all children of slave mothers born
Thereafter. Virginia prohibited the introduc.
t!on of slaves from abroad in l77s; Maryland
IN 1888. New Hampshire abolished slavery ID
1892; Few York in 1893; New Jersey in 1890.
Such has been the progress and decline OF Az
rican slavery In our country, where its severi-
ties have been humanity compared with other
TO cling to the institution, the trafho in this
class Of persons was first seriously, as II has
been persistently, opposed. It may not be out
Of place TO state that the American States,
permitted the free colored population to enjoy
every right consistent with their condition as
class, and allowed bond and free to remain,
during their natural lives, In the State or col.
ony where they lived. This fact, although
sometimes questioned, can be demonstrated
beyond cavil; and the contrary can only be
urged by such AZ arc unfamiliar with the sub.
ject or have an object in the misrepresentation.
The plan of gradual emancipation probably
tended to this result, as those who we're living
In bondage continued to be slaves, while their
descendants were generally to become free ut
such period AZ they were qualified to maintain
their own existence by labor.
An examination of the relative number at
different successive periods, until slavery be.
comes extinct, must lead to Conclusions that no
material deportation OF slaves occurred shortly
before or after the passage Of emancipation
acts-a fact which cannot be cOntroverted; and
while il must be conceded that the northern
people prosecuted the slave trade at an early
period with energy and thrift, they are entitled
to the award Of sincerity and honesty in giving
tho earliest examples of the abolition OF the
institution Of slavery within their own Dor.
ders.
INDIAN SLAVERY.
A new element has been developed by the
present census, viz: that of the statistios of
negro slavery among the Indian tribes west Of
Arkansas, comprising the Choctaw, Cherokee,
Creek, and Chickasaw nations; also tho mum,
ber of white and free colsred population scat
tered through these tribes; all OF which, with
an estimate from the most reliable sources Of
the whole number Of aborigines, will be found
appended to tho population tables. By refer
enGe to this table, II will appear that the
ChOctaws held 2 ,297 negro slaves, distributed
among 1856 owners; the Cherokees 1854, held
by 3S4 owners; the Greeks l.65l, owned by
2G7 Indians; and the Chickasaws 9l7 to lis
owners. As, under all the circumstances of
slavery everywhere, tho serve race. Ia very
unequally distributed, 30 will appear 10 be the
case with the Indian tribes. While one Choc.
taw il owner of 227 slaves, and ton of the
largest prOprietors own G3S, averaging nearly
q, the slaves average about six to each owner
of slaves In that tribe, while the Indians mum.
ber about as eight to one slave.
Among the CherOkees, the largest prop rietor
holds 81 slaves; the ten largest own 3j3, ayerag.
ing n little over IS, and the number to each
holder averages II little more than 4 half per
cent. more than with the Choctaws, whilo the
population of Indians in the tribe to slaves az
ahOut nina In ona. Amonp tho NrooEo tun