The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-10-17
Emancipation I'm Maryland.


Inc success Of the immediate emancipa-
IIonis's IN Maryland, in the fall elections,
cohn9entiy predicted. This seems too
eooe ihing To expect, and yet if the facts
set ioTth IN the address of the committee of
the unconditional Union party to the
peaepie VI ,nat state have their legitimate
influence the Marylanders will certsinly
determine that the sooner they can rid
themselves of slavery the better and will
! vote accordingly. The address il one of
The most admirable documents we have
SEEN. No northern abolitionist could have
put the matter IN so fair and convincing a
style. There is no assault upon slayehoId-
ers, as If they We're necessarily guilty of all
possible crimes, and no attempt to excite
sacred animosity against the relic of bar
barism. But the political and economic
reasons making the removal Of slavery
from the State desirable are calmly pre-
scented, and only those who prefer their
private interest in slavery to the general
welfare OF their fellow citizens, can refuse
to admit that plain case is made out for
the policy ofimmediate emancipation.
There are but II, 900 shareholders in Ma
ryland, in population of 100000. The
committee prove the bad economy of sla-
very by contrasting the free with the slave
portion of the State. The counties north
OF the Sassafras and Patapsco rivers have
few slaves and are substantially free terri
tory. The free counties contained in 1850,
9S0,141 cultivated acres, while the slave
counties had 1,747 $685. but the free lands
were valued at $47, s5l ,6I5. while the slave
lands were worth only S4l,775,G54 The
farms in slave counties averaged l43 acres
each, worth So, 433; the free farms, averaging
only lOl acres each, were vet worth 81 1865,
The free land was worth SiS,S2, the slave
land S23,9l per acre. The contrast is the
more striking when we remember that the
slave counties are the old, the free coun-
lies the 70 vol Of fho
slave part it sixty-nine millions; of the
free part eighty-five millions. ...
In Maryland as in Virginia the slave
holders have managed to absorb the politi-
cal power of the state. The white pOpula-
ton in the free section of the state is 3S5 643,
while in the slave section it is but l30,275,
and yet the slave section is divided into IA
counties to in the northern part, and so
has ma Ority Of the state senate. This adj
vantage has been industriously used, and
the election of delegates to the assembly is
so fixed that in the northern half964l white
persons have delegate, while in the south
1881 white persons have delegate. Thus
one-tourth the white population have con-
trolled the government of Maryland, and
the small minority of planters have ruled
the state. Having this power and fearing
that it might slip from their hands by the
progress Of population in the free counties,
the shareholders procured an amendment
ton by act of the legislature. They have
liked the taxes to suit themselves, and pay
only about one-third as large tax on
slaves as is levied on other property of the
same value, and in every way have. SO di-
rected legislation as to favor the s,avehold-
ers at the expense of the free laborers of
the State. But the power is in the hands
OF the n-slaveholding, and they will use
it as soon as they comprehend their own in
terests, and all the more freely and radio
ally on account of the abuses they have suf-
tered from the Shareholders. The commit
tee also urge with great force that slavery
is rapidly dying out by force of circum-
stances, and if com pensation is to be accept
ed at all it must be now or never. This is
motive which the slave owners more espe-
clally must feel the force of. Whether the
the peopleof Maryland are yet wise enough
to move at once for the removal of slavery
or not, the logic of events is irresistible,
and the State must inevitobly become free.