Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-02-04

i >'@"StOui SueCtLuS a separation of the
races aud supplying their place with vbits
labor, would be beneficial to bnth This
10000 free negro element is to,the slave as
y u toll, aud the emancipated slave ponnIa.
B kuou would quietly sink into and be al
9 sor6ed by the. great mass of free negroes.
= ana no man would recognize that another
: free negro had been added to the State. In
iact, now, in all but name, the State is free
:. However plausible this apprehension Il
theory, its fallacy is apparent bY. the test
Z of experience
~ lihave collated the statistics of The reIo
tive increase Of the whites and free negroes
OF Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, A careful survey of the table
! Will SHOW that Pennsylvania has Increased
: most rapidly in white, and Maryland in free
negro population. The result is attained.
, , despite the fact that the southern boundary
itiofs sPeunsJlyaGia, through its entire q tent.
Itorms the division. line between freedom
and slavery, and the common belief that
New-Jersey is the receptacle for a large
proportion OF the runaway slaves of Della.
ware and Maryland. The further pratify.
ing result is shown that the relative in
crease of the white population is rapidly
and steadily augmenting.
.Ihe negro is not migratory being. He
Wlll sometimes run from bondage. Like
other men, he has aspirations for freedom.
win no lndueement, to ,emigrate the free
negro rarely leaves the place where he was
reared. lis love of locality is proverbial.
Where he was born, he dies, Those who.
leave their native vicinity, for the most
part congFegate in neighboFing cities
Fhlladelphia contains nearly half the free
negroes Of Pennsylvania. Ipnss by. as nm
worthy of notice, the suggestion of the
probable establishment of the social and
political equality of the races as a, conse-
quence OF freedom. The negro is, and so
long as meas among U.S. ought to remain an
inferior being, under, tutelage, aud as the
whole matter of his status depends on the
will of the white man, those who ascribe
the design to elevate him to anrequality. do
out.cast discredlt upon their understand
ing aud insult upon the people of the State.
he cahnot be equal until the majority SO
decide, and when they shall have arrived at
the point at which equality would bo toler-
ateo' the emancipation of eighteen hun
dred slaves, when there are already twenty
thousand free negroes, could make it none
the more or less probable.
pass now to the consideration of the
rights of the master. Under the usage of
THIS State, confirmed by positive enact |
ments, he has to his slave right, not alb |
solute. but qualified only, and, therefore,
even more than in things BY nature the
subject of dominion, he holds his right sub.
ordinate to the requirements of the public |
good. That this right is conditional, is
sufficiently attested by the statutory pro-
visions regulating the relation. The mas
ter is. prohibited. from dealing with him as
an'absolute article of merchandise. He |
cannot alien him beyond the Jurisdiction !
OF the. State. which, regarding hit1 as \ I
man, extends over him the protection. of |
the law, and by prohititory euactmeuts, |
regulating his sale, restricts his value to
the limit of the home market, thus studi-
ously preventing the State from being !
subjected to the policy of slayepropao
gation for expectation, and removing
the inducement to an indefinite exten-l
sionlofl the system. This restriction on i
aheuation-thej judicial denial of the right
of1the free negro to hold his fellow Ia |
bondage-the criminal responsibility ofi
the slave-all show that under our laws he
is regarded US something different from
mereschattel, and that the nature of the |
lrightiis modified by the attribute of5hut
lnanity. In the pure sense of the term he'I
is not property. His condltion is the legal
determination of the status of person, and
lin5this sense, emancipation is no destruc.
ton of alright of property, but the abroga-i
ton OF a municipal custom, upon the sane.
tion of which alone the right the master
depends. But still there is right in the
nature Of right of property, and, to the
extent to which it is recognized by our
laws, is as sacred and inviolable as his
fright to any article absolutely proprietary.
He cannot be deprived d1of it without com
pensstion. . aaI ta5
I,Only offer to each STAKEHOLDER for solu-
tion the question whether, economically
considered, it is notcheaper to hire labor
thanzto support his family of slaves, SUBJ
Ijeot to the risk of sickness, and other cas-
ualties and liabilities incident to owner.
ship. 'sH slt} 10 lsiisr s. IJ!a1
Most of the slave holders in this State
are Landowners also, aud if2it be true that
the abrogation ofs}the institution will in d
crease the material prosperity of the State,
EIsubmit TO him, whether the value ofihis 4
land may not be augmented to an extent
much greater than the price of his slaves.
| will moi, dwell upon the interest of the 4
master as affected by the fugitive nature of
the property. Against destruction by fire,
insurance Offices prOvide-against the
straying of cattle, good fences are sufficient
/ Esecurity, but thereEis no insurance or safe.
1 guard against the loss of slave determfn.
ted1 to assert his right TO freedom. There
/ are lbuttwo modes by which the extinc-
tion tof slavery can be Rccomplished-by
direct emancipation or by the enactment Of
La law operative on after!boru issue, leav-
ing the!present property ofthe master un-
affected. The former would, of course, be
upon compensation-the latter depriviug
bhim of no right, no compensation would be
Fproper. Compensation, If rendered, must
probably come from the National Govern.
ment. There is no likelihood that the
State will tender it, though I-believe that
1 ifshe were to pay the home valuation for
every slave within her limits, the sum ex-
pended would be more than reimbursed by
the increased value of the land. Should