Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1863-07-17
MISSOURI rREE.

Yesterday forty five thousand slaves became
free by act of emancipation in the Dutch West
India Islands. On the same day the great state
of Missouri took the first step towards becoming.
free State.
The State Convention has passed an act by
which Missouri will become a free state on the
fourth of July, l870-in seven years from next
Saturday, that is to say. After that day the
state is free though still all slaves then over for
ty years OF age will remain slaves for life; all
under twelve are to be held till they are twen-
ty-three; and all others till July 4th, 1876. It
is provided that after 1870 no slaves shall be
sold TO non residents or removed from the State
! by their "late owners" and it is also enacted
that all slaves removed by their owners to any
seeded state after the passage of the act of Sc
cession shall, if brought back again, be free
No compensation is made TO owners
According TO the last census Missouri had in
1860, l14,93l slaves. 1t is believed that there
are IN the State at this time less than 10000
Several thousand were run off to the South bv
their rebel masters. These are free, under the
act, if they are ever brought back. Many thous-
ands must have run away to the free states
Those who remain are composed in great part
OF the old, the infrm and the very young
The act OF emancipation, prospective though
1t is, will give great stimulus to the prosperi-
ty OF the state. Missouri has the finest soil, the
richest deposits of minerals, and the most ad-
vantagous water courses of any state in the Uni
on. Nothing has impeded her progress but the
curse OF slavery, which repels free labor, which
alone can make a land rich and develop its re-
sources.
The State debt has been incurred almost alto
gether to encourage and aid the construction of
railroads; it amounts to twenty -seyen million
dollars, which is trife for so large and so rich
a state to bear. With free population flowing
in rapidly, the railroads, which have languished,
Will become profitable, and the people may see
the day, not far off, when their bonds will be
redeemed and their debt reduced at once to the
two and a-half or three millions which existed
before the railroad enterprises were entered up
on. The valuation of the state was, in 1860,
$50, ,9!439s. In ten years of freedom this will
be doubled. lA
The people of Missouri will rejoice with great
JOY, on Saturday next that they are at last rid
OF that which has so oppressed them and inter-
iered with their prosperity and progress Let
them, and let all Americans, remember that this
IS the direct result of free discussion in the state
rour years ago we were assured that outside of
ST. Louis and few small German settlements,
The people We're unanimously opposed to eman-
cipation. With "border rufian" bowie knives
10 stop iree speech, and burn and sink in the
MISSOURI free presses, there remained no way to
expose this falsehood. But when the rebellion
began, when the "border-ruffian" turned his
bowle-knife against his own state and was driv-
en- from it as its worst enemy, the people had
an opportunity to speak. Then it suddenly ap-
Peaaeu IhdI every Oouy, almost, favored emanci-
patton; and the journals who before had most
strongly supported slavery owned that all par
ties IN Missouri were ready and resolved to
make the state free their only differences being
as to the manner of doing this
What is proved in Missouri may vet prove
true also in Mississippi. Who can tell9 What
means has any one for knowing the real senti-
ments of the people of any slave state on this
subIectY We have been told by the slavehold-
ers that the poor whites will not tolerate eman-
cipation. But We heard this also of Missouri;
wewere told that Western Virginia cleayed unto
slavery. Let the subject be freely discussed,
and then the world can know il indeed it is the
Shareholders of the South who maintain the
system which debases them.
We hope the friends of free labor in MARYLAND
and Delaware will take courage from the re-
demption of Missouri. The convention has nut
off emancipation some years, but it has made
the state free. We believe our friends in Mary
land will do wellto seek quicker consumation;
let them only discuss the question boldly, thor
oughly and intellgently, and before another
year passes we may hope to hail Maryland
among the redeemed and purified free states.-
~. Y. Post ID inst