The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1864-03-12

But let Us arrive at the value of the prop.
erty in slaves as estimated in the article allu.
ded TO-, and then at the value Of the same
article as estimated by the shareholders and
taxed by themselves, and glance at the value
OF the property in the free portion Of Mary.
land, comparing it with the amount of prop
erty in the slave districts, and also compare
the wealth of Massachusetts with that of
Maryland, charging the difference to slave.
holders,-tor if slavery ID so valuable to o
State, as its propagandists claim, and the
visible wealth Of this slave State of Mary
land-as compared with her contemporary
Massachusetts, in date of settlement, and
extent Of territory-falls below that of the
latter, then the slave owners must have it,
and ought to be willing to account for that
apparent difference.
BY reference to the census tables above
quoted we find difference in favor of Mas
sachussetts of S22l ,OOO, OOO which the slave
holders ought to be willing to make good, if
the people Of Maryland have deprived them
selves Of this large sum of money to crafty
the slave owners. This, then, is at least,
clearly what the State of Maryland has de-
MED herself in wealth to crafty her slave
| interest. We have also shown that the
county Of Cecil pays more government tax
monthly than the other seven counties on
the Eastern Shore taken together, which
must be set down to the bill of costs that
the shareholders should not demur at foot
ing. And this proposition will hold good
with regard to the free and slave portions of
Maryland throughout the State.
By referring to the article in The Demo
crat we find the market value Of slaves, be-
fore the war, is placed al $1,000; and this
ON so, OOO slaves will make $9U, OOO, 600 which,
according to the assessment of other proper
ty in the State, such as horses, cattle, ETC.,
should have been assessed on the owners
But i'll place Of this evident rule of justice
having been carried out, we find this proper
ty, whose real value was $50, 900, 900, esti-
mated at scarcely Sl5,Ooo,oOo. Thus we
find the owners Of every SO, 900, 900 of slave
property, exempt from taxation ON 5000,
900 of that property. Or, to make the mat
tar plain, while the owners of every other
species of property in the State have paid
tax on its full value, the owners of slave
property have been taxed on SIS out of
every $50 worth of property.
Now, we ask every honest man if the
Shareholders of this State, in place of charg-
ing, as this article in The Democrat does,
robbery on those who deny the right OF
the shareholders to compensation for their
slaves from our citizens, have not been the
robbers of every other interest; and if the
fostering Of the institution in this State has
been at the expense of millions to her inter
est, on what species of justice can they set
up claim for compensation They have
invested in stock that has become worth
less, while their neighbors have invested in
that which has increased in value. They
have been paid thousand fold for, their
slaves, and whether the owners have derived
the corresponding advantage or not, it is
evident that all other interests have suffered,
on account of slavery, that loss which We
have but partially shown.