Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-01-24
An,I1sidcltaI Victory.

was the louisville Journal, which
perhaps more than any other agency
in Kentucky olHibgted to the poTI
.litical result in it6H State. We are
therefore the more surprised to find
in its columns recognition of the
fact that slavery e quite extingulshT5
ed in Kentucky, and a recommenda= IN
ton to the Legislature to pass an act
declaratory Of that truth. as4- 10 v.ta''
Its reasons ,e for this course are
first, that the State is completely d.
vided in opinion on the subject of =,
slavery, the strongest slayeholdms
counties having become the most
anti-slayery. 1t says: ss6
"By reference to the official re-
turns of the Presidential election for
our State, which we publish this
morning as far as received, it will be
seen that the extreme eastern and,
western counties have given large
votes for Lincoln. In the counties
of Ballard, Graves, Hickman, Fulton
and McCracken, of Jackson's Pur-,
chase the vote stands: Lincoln,
1914; Mcclellan, 1,9l7. In the
eastern sweep, from Lewis, on the,
Ohio river, to Knox on the Tennes-,
see border, these two counties with
Estill, Greenup, Laurel, Lewis, Pu-
laski, Owsley, Whitley and Rock
castle, gave Lincoln 5,347; McClel-
Ian, ISL. By the census of 1860
the FIVE western counties held S,62S
slaves, and the ten eastern counties
only 3,769. McCraeken and Bal
lard, the two counties at the mouth
of the Ohio river, owned as many
slaves as the entire designated ten
counties in the eastern part OF the
State. Wewill not stop to discuss
the causes why the extremities of
our State are opposed to its central
part There are several different
theories, but they all point to one GER
tain fact-the State is divided in,
opinion, and the division, is becom-
ing more apparent every time an elec-
ton is held .,-o ,,l,f.o.s ,y.l 4
Another reason assigned by thc
Journal for wishing the actual con
dition Of things to be declared BY
law, is that the slave-system, as a
system, has been utterly deranged
"The question now is, not how
shall we save slavery, but how shall
we raise our bread, and bake it after
we have raised it? Where shall We
get the labor? We have now nei-,
ther slavery nor freedom We have
none Of the benefits of either system
Of labor, but are suffering the disad-
vantages of both, in the midst of the
Generalization and anarchy that pre-
vail around us. Shall we let events,
take their course, and without effort
drift with the stream and land where
ever our unguided bark may bring
up? Is this the part Of wisdom, Of
craftsmanship, or, better than either,
of common sense? No one can as
sert it. We say again, let, us NEE,
this question practically; lay aside
prejudices and look to our self-in-l
terests. If we will not emancipate
at once by Legislative act, accompa-,
MED with compensation, which as we.
have shown before, is perfectly con-
stitutional, then there is nothing Left
so far as we can see at the present,
to prevent our laborers slowly, yet
wholly, leaving the State, but So
lemn expression of the Legislature df
Kentucky at its meeting this winter,
that the rebellion has incidentally
already SO demoralized slavery in the
State that its restoration is beyond
hope, and that we must acquiesce in
it's termination. This would be but
the expression Of a matter of fact: it
makes no difference whom we blame
or whom we do not blame, or ,whe-
ther we are pro-slavery or anti-sla-
very. This is a concrete, practical,
question: 'to be or not to be'-to eat
or not to eat that is the question
Shall we let things drift along at
their own will, or shall we interposc
our active efforts to guide results :"
Kentucky is beginning to feel the
evils Of the stringent Legislation by
which the old shareholders protected
their interests. Its constitution pro-
Sides that the Legislature should moi
pass an act emancipating siaves
without the consent of their owners,
Or without paying them full equi-,
yalent, while the. constitution cannot
be amended within FIVE years. BY,
this means the hands of the State are
lied, or otherwise, we infer from the
language Of the Journal, it would fol
low theexample Of Maryland and pro-.
claim itself at once free. IA declara.
tory act of the Legislature might
have the needed effect, though it
would not be all that; the circu1m- iiu1t
stances require. IN. Y, Ereaiag Post.