Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-07-04
From the Parkershurg Gaze,te-1

fFrom the Parkersburg Gaze,te.l
Esltsa FaIk to the People of Western
sinta by One of their own Newspa-
| Pc you, men Of Parkersburg, of
Who'd county, of Western Virginia,
| with TO be safe and have your property
secure and increase, do you wish for
prosperity instead of adyersity, you can
only attainsit by bracing every sinew
aas nerve, bringing every word and ac-
tIon to bear upon the perfection of this
West Virginia as State Government,
aIle not only that but as iState free
from stapes or any of the appendages of
fslasetys at as early a day as possible
| We tsH you, all history tells you, your
Iowa experiences tells you, your own OBJ
So ftist- tells syqa, that you cannot
pass4P;er autii JolE are rid of the instituS
tionaof slavery. Labor will never be
respected until you are free from the
institution, because the Germans, the
French, the Swiss, the Northern men
and families who increase our popula-
ton, will never come in and cultivate
the vine and the corn, cattle and sheep
al wants of man-until you are free
from the accursed institution which has
made the class of people that created
this rebellion. There is no propriety
in blinking this matter The time has
come when it should be spoken out
freely. You think as we think. The
| facts are too palpable. You connot
help it. You cannot ignore it; and if
you do not speak as we do, it is only
because you fear it. Out with it.
Speak the truth. You know we must
have Free State, OF still remain in the
slough that we are now in, without hope
or prosperity, our mines unused, our
land untitled, and our own personal
freedom from the oppressiveness of
the selfish insecure.
We must learn to speak out freely,
that free, white laboring men are por-
tion of the community, blessings to
community, are of the community, are
what were designated in onr great and
true Declaration of Independence, free,
and EQUAL to any men on earth. We
must assiduously cultivate that freedom
and the dignity of labor, if we would be
prosperous and happy people. Any
| thinker knows we cannot have it with
the slightest taint of slavery among US.
The developments and wealth of West
Virginia should be one motive for Con-
gress to abate her territorial extension.
The proposed State embraces 49 couu-
ties, and an area Eve have not the
fgtres before us, but) not far FROM
40, 900 square miles, with population
Il. IL,
5000 slaves, or less than three per cent,
which, at an avarge of $500, and they
are not worth one cent to their owners,
anywhere in Western Virginia, would
amount to S2,7g0, 900. Well, under the
proposed action Of Congress, shis-sua
would be paid to the citizens Of the
State for what would be wortt nothing
The assessed value of this land and all
its improvements is but $T1 600, ,000.-
A few minutes figuring will tell you
that there are in this territory 25, ,600,-
600 acres Of land, and therefore the
whole assessment is less than $500 per
acre with all the improvements upon it
and wealth of the State. The average
value of our land with slaves is not over
So the acre. Taking all things, mine
rails, water power, &c, Ohio land is not
more valuable than ours, except we have
had slaves and they have not. They
have had education, have RESPECTED Ia
Dor, have had equality Of rights and in.
terests, at1d We have not. Yet the
Average of Ohio lands by our standard,
is SIS the acre. Now, what do the
laudh5ld6rs ii this State lose by
slavery?
The S25. 10000 acres of land here
are now worth, with improvements, ST., )
090, 600 situated as Ohio is they would
be worth s339, 100000 The landh old
ers Of this State then lose 1928, ,00a, 600
fo, the pitful sum of S2,700,000 worth
of slaves. Nor is this all; the happiness,
intelligencs and moral worth of the peo-
pie is impaired. Look at the beauty of
almost every farm in Ohio. How many
such do you find in Virginia? Look on
what and where he will, and the slave
is the curse of our State, few as they
are. Let us earnestly work, first for
our State government and tEon to get
rid OF this incubus on our prosperity
and increase of population.
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