The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1862-09-06
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1t is one Of the great misfortunes of our
country, that no true thing uttered on the sub
ject of slavery, is likely to gain fair hearing.
The majority of the people have been trained
to.cast it aside, as unimportant, visionary, or
fanatical. 1t is one of the last conditions of a
people doomed to ruin, that they are given
over to blindness-unable to see, and therefore
unable to remove the causes that are under
mining the foundations of their institutions.
Many such nations have perished. Is ours to
be added to the number?
We have in this country between four and
five millions of negroes. No matter whether
we like it. or dislike it; they are here, in these
vast numbers. Let us consider this fact. If
they are an advantage to the country,it is well
for us to know it. If they are a source of dan
ger, il will do us no good to be ignorant of it.
How many of them are free? How many are
slaves? What Is their condition? their char
acter? their intelligence? their physical pow
er? their love of liberty? their attachment to
the country? their influence upon society?
their capacity for improvement? What ques-
tions, these for citizens, or for statesmen. How
many have so studied the subject that they can
give an intelligent answer?
About four millions of this race are slaves.
They are held in bondage in those States that
have risen up in the great rebellion. In those
States that have been partially loyal, the pro-
portion of slaves is much smaller than in those
where the rebellion is still fragrant Accord
ing to Mr.. Stewards estimate, in his recent let
ter to Mr.. Adams, the population in the rebel
lious districts is divided as follows "a white
population of four and half millions, and a
negro population of three and half millions,
chiefly slaves" And of the latter, he says
"their sympathies, wishes, and interests, nat
urally, necessarily, inevitably, fall on the side
of the Union. Everywhere the American Gem
eral receives his most useful and reliable in-
formation from the negro, who halls his COM
ing, as the harbnger of freedom"
1t is quite obvious that the negroes, though
they had no part in originating the rebellion,
and have been permitted to have little to do
with 1t since, have nevertheless, inyoluntarily.
most intimate connection with it. President
Lincoln most truly spoke for one race to the
other, when he said, d,-"but for your race among
us, there could not be war, although many men
engaged In 1t, on either side, do not care for
you one way or the other. Without the insti-
tuition Of slavery, and the colored race as ba-
sis, the war could not have an existence"
Every man will bear witness that this is true
The Everlasting negro" has been the cause of
division and strife, in church and State, ever
since he began to be taken by force from his
native land, and brought TO these shores as a
slave. Like the home of Pharoah, when he
had taken Abrams wife, 1--WE have been plagued
with great plaques because of them" And
this is sufficient apology, if any is needed, for
asking the people to enquire-not as philan-
thropists-but as American citizens, who love
their country, and desire to save it-What is
the negro race to do? Or what will the people
OF this country, of other races do with them?
WILL THEY REMAIN IN THIS COUNTRY?
This question is placed before that of their
freedom, because there are some who would
make their freedom depend upon their coloni-
cation. Let it be met fairly. Let not the
people be persuaded to liberate them, with the
expectation they will be colonized in Central
America, or elsewhere, IL such a scheme must
fail
Their rforcibte expatriation against their con-
sent is out of the question. As slaves it ,could
not be done. As freemen it could not be done,
No one advocates such plan. The Christian
world would rise up against it. SO that moth
ing but voluntary emigration is thought of.
The recommendation of the President, and the
acts of Congress, provide for their colonial
tion only "only with their own consent"
No other class of people have such strong
local attachments as the negroes. As much as
they desire freedom, they generally shrink from
seeking it by flight. The associations that sur
round them oftenhave stronger holdupon them
than do free homes upon others. Their knowl-
edge is necessarily of limited and local kind.
They are therefore altogether out of the reach
OF that class of influences that have caused
great emigrations, like that from ireland.
NO case can be found in modern history.
where whole race have voluntarily emigrated
from the land of their birth, even under the
most pressing motives of fear or hope. How
then can people who have never been taught
to act all at for themselves, who know so little
of each other,so little of the world and so little
of the responsibilities of selfcontrol. be ex-