Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-08-14

P0sltlOn Of the NOn.sIaVeholdInG
whites Of the NOuth,

tue Journals which are Mt this time dealin
the heaviest blows ut the institution q
slavery are printed Ia the slave states =
Naturally, men who have grown up In tn
midst Of slavery comprehend all the evil
with which Il curses society; and sucI
hlen as those who write for the Nashville
Union speak from bitter experience; the,
have felt the oppression Of the slave.own
ing AristOctaCy; they know whereof lhey
speak. Tue writer's Of the Missouri HtNo
erai, the Nashville Union, tho Baltlmor,
-imtyiedH, and Of other journals in lht
sOuthetn states which are luteliROntly dis,
cusSinR the evils which slavery inii,ct,
upon the white population among whom II
tGiSts, are southern men. How 10 il thai
they have not spoken btf0rv7 How Is IL
that they speak so boldly now1 What will
be the results Of their diScussionI
They were silent before the war, because
they Wett not permitted TO speak. Tue
Shareholders crushed out all discussion Of
this subject Ia the South. Their excuse for
this tyranny was, that to talk about slave.
~ would at once produce slave insur.
rectiou-that bugbeaF with all the masters
With which they frightened very many who
had hothing to do with the evil. But
recent events have proved beyond doubt
that the slaves do not rise, do not murder
their masters, do not burn, raVagp and
pillage, even when the utmost freedom IL
used in discussing the question. Has
there been slave insurrectiOn in Teuucs.
see! But nowhere has slavery been dc.
nOuuced 10 more lively language than in
the Nashville Unioa the Rblest aud most
popular press in that State, aud one Of the
best 10 the country. Have the slaves Of
Missouri murdered their mAstersP Yet
there their condition hrs been discussed
10 the newspapers and in the Legislature
without stint. Is Maryland desOIAted by
a serVIle WARP Yet in all parts Of that
State the question has been argued BY able
and fearless writer's.
1t appears, therefore, that the old eE.
cuse for forbidding the exercise OF free
speech in the SOuth-that Il would produce
rising Of the slaves and "the horrors Of
midnight massacre'-is, like many other
fables which the Shareholders imposed
on the world, without foundation in
fact. The truth iS. that q free and iutelli.
gent discussion Of the question would In a
very few years have turned every slave
State into free State; the psopls-ihe NON.
slaEehoIding whites-once enlightened by
few capable and experienced writer's and
speakers, would have seen, as they see al.
ready 10 Missouri, thA. every slave takes
bread out Of the mouths Of the free white
worktngmen; that where slavery is system.
affixed, there white labor Is not used at ali:
that the cotton planters preferred to make
carpenters, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, Of
their slaves, and thus starve out ofthe coun.
try all white artizans; and that to preserve
themselves and their families, who form
the great numerical majority OF tue slave
Suites, the non Shareholder must crush
this monster which oppressed them, dis
graced them, kept them in ignorance and
poverty, and would presently e1patria,e
them.
1t was the tear OF peaceful instruction
OF the poor whites against the slave sys.
TEN, and not the fear Of the rising of tbe
slaves, which induced the master spiri,s of
slavery to eXtinguish free discussion at tbe
South. It was for this that they kent the
poor white population in shameful ignor.
auce, and amused tile minds Of those who
"s"t on stumps by the way.side" with mon
strous fables. Their political supremacy
was founded not less on the helpless iguor.
anee of the non.slaveholdiug whites than
on the bonds Of the blacks.
We need not wonder that the momrp,
the arm OF these opprrssors is torn away
men are found to speak so boldly on this
question. The truth Is that in every soutb.
ern state the more intelligent OF The non.
Shareholders have long known aud fel, the
disadvantages uuder which they were
placed by the system which prevailed
there. These have now availed themselves
OF the first opportunity to speak out their
minds. and to proclaim to their fellow
citizens aud ueighbOrs the wrongs which
they have suffered, Hnd the cause of the,s
wrongs. Wherever the tyraunical rule of
the slaveholding and cotton planting atis.
tocsacy has been broken, there has bevnn
at once movement, originated any carried
on by the people of the South themselves,
for the extinction Of slavery, as n necessary
guard against the misrule of the planters
and sure means to bring prosperity 10 the
mass of the people. Wherever our armies
eXpel the rebels and break their poWpr
such movements are begun; the latcs, in.
stance is the establishment of an Rnti.
slavery press at yicksburg, which Is TO be
conducted by a Union. loving MlssiSslpplan::
1t will not escape the attention Of those
who observe this phenomenon Of a free
and Union.lOving anti.slaVpry press in the
South, that there the question Is argued
exclusively 10 relation to the condition
Rud prospects Of the white non. slayehold.
ers. It Is because slavery Oppresscs the
poor white man. because shareholders op.
pose and discourage free schools and all
public improvements except such as are
especially beneficial 10 their class; becausc
where the planters rule there white work.
ingmen are despised, suspected, aud un.
employed; because the overgrown estates
Of the planters swallow up The little free.
holds OF the Standardization these
reasons slavery Is hated and Its extinction
Is urged This Is the peculiarlty Of the
southern anti slavery sentiment, aud thi.
marks It's origin.
What will result from this discussion 7
Undoubtedly, the continuance Of Tree press
Cs In the South insures the destruction O
slavery with the general cousen. Of tb,
people OF the slave states. In Missouri
already, a convention chosen before tn,
war began has passed an ordinance decree
tng gradual emancipation and there IL lit
tie doubt that II a convention fresh from
tue people had handled tho question, thr
duration Of slavery would have been great
n M 81 4 .