The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-24

TIE StAvERT QUxvvIoa AND 1Hn Nn0R
QUEsnoM.-The irepggusible abolition 0aileso
pher Of tAe Tribune calls tho attention Of itl
opponents 70 me following fsch-to uit; tina
slavery b on IL last legs In Maryland, snd
that when Il dies In Maryland II dies in Della
ware; that Wess Virginia Is practically re
lieved Of the scourge," and the loyal portions
Of Old Virginia; that Missouri Is On the high
road 10 emancipation; that Arkansas has "re-
nousced the devil snd all bis works." that
Tennessee will soon be recognized q free
State, and likewise louisiana, and thss parts
of Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia
have replaced slave lsbor by free labor, aud
so on; and then the question Is asked. "How is
all this to be reversed"
We answer that no time seed be wasted 10
the discussion of this question; that the war
has virtually settled III that the institution Of
Southern slavery may be considered as . thing
Of tho past; that it Is dying, and that with or
soon after The suppression Of tho rebellion it
will cease 10 exist. Y Is evident that In all the
border slave States and ia all the States along
the Mississippi the war has 90 completely
best possible conditions for the pHspose can
oot restore Il; cad Il is equally evident, from
rebel confessions, that in South Carolina,
Georgia and Alabama the slave population
has become 80 deinoralized by the.war THAI
with the return Of peace, slavery will be ineW.
tably superseded by some other system Of
labor.
Hence we consider 1t waste Of time any
longer to discuss the question, what is, 10 ba
done with this institution of slavery in the re-
construction Of the Unions The tree has been
torn up by the roots, and cannot be replan4ed
There arc cedars in California which. with a
solid trunk Of thirty feet in diameter, tower TO
the amazing height OF three hundred feet. 1t
would be as easy to replace and bring to- life
again one Of these giants of the forest, blown
down bya violent wind. as to restore this pros
ttate institution OF Southern slavery. It's fate
il sealed, and VIC may leave it to its fate.
But the negro question, or the question
what ia, to be done with the black race. Of
the South, begins to boom up as one Of
the most important issues Of the present cen.
fury to US and to mankind at large From the
lights Of experience we think it may be safely
asserted that this war has NOT only uprooted
the institution OF Soutbern slavery, but has
settled the dsstioy Of the African race in this
country. Under the fostering care Of master,
the negro works, thsives and multipiies; left to
himself, he basks 10 the san or sleeps in the
shade tall be wanes away and dies. With the
restoration of peace the blacks of the South
under any voluntary system Of labor. will thus
relapse into African idleness. Destitution and
disease will next assail them, and they viii be
swept on as by = pestiieace. A the same time
the waste places Of the South viii invite more
OF Europe, and with their appearance hume.
rous vineyards and olive groves among the.
cotton fields will spring up from South Caro-
lima to Texas. We need not further pursue the
subject. Lot il suffice the philanthropic abo-
litonist that his boon Of emancipation in
wolves To- the Southern negro those doubtful
blessings es Incidence, restitution, disease and
death. II will be sufficient for the Southern.
Shareholders with the return Of peace, that the
rebellion into which they plunged Tor an ,nde-
pendent slaveholaing empire will have resulted
in the extinction OF slavery.
Nh. DRAPER Has AN EYE ON THE CesroM
Hogss.-The patriotism OF Mr.. Simeon Draper
has inspired him with The brilliant idea Of get
ting up . President Lincoln association: but
from the we'll known enterprisng character of
Mr.. Draper we guess that he has an eye upon
the New York Custom House. and has made up
his mind that with the reelection of Old Abe
this Lincoln association will advance its founder
to the desirable post Of honor and profit now
held by Hiram Barney. In brief, Mr.. Draper
is striking for the Office OF Collector. A similar
explanation will apply to the patriotic gentle
men concerned in the Lincoln resolutions of
the late New Hampshire Republican State Con
venton, and to tho Lincoln pronuncidmiento OF
the republicans Of the Pennsylvania Legisla-
ture, or we are no judge Of the tactics Of Gene
raj Simon Cameron. OF course the bulk Of
the federal oficeholdors, contractors, jobbers,
DC, are strong in the belief that President Lin
coin Is entitled to q reelection. But still, as
" there is many slip 'twixt the cup and the
lip" It is possible that oil these Lincoln move
ments may be upset in the Republican National
Convention. We know that Martin Van Buren,
was upset at Baltimore in 1874, in spite of .
majority to that Convention elected as Van
Buren, delegates; we know that Henry Clay,
under similar circumstances, was superseded at
Philadelphia in ls4s by old lack Taylor; and
we know that Mr.. Seward, at Chicago, was,
quito unexpectedly to bis supporters, engineer
ed of the track in 1860
But just to take single case. II the mill.
tary popularity Of General Taylor was too
strong for the great popularity Of Henry Clay
as statesman, how much more will the mill
tary achievements Of General Grant, or even
General Fremont, when the time comes eclipse
the craftsmanship Of Abraham Lincoln. Let
Mr.. Draper "put this into hls pipe and smoke
IT,"