Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-25
RICHMOND WING.
THE NEGRO QUESTION.
A NORTHERN YIEW-STATISTICS OF
SLAVERY IN VIRGINIA.


A writer in the New York Times, who signs
himself A Veteran Observer discusses the
negro question" at some length, and in q ration
al manner. We copy the following extract from
his argument:
al do not ayr e with either OF the ultra schools
Of negro philosophy. The school OF Wendell
Philips and OF m ny VII did not hold his ex-
IRENE views, hold ia substance that the negro
can be put upon an equality with the whites
Legally he my be. but soc ally he never viii be.
IL is simply an lmpOSsi0llity. The Ethiopian
cannot change MS skin, nor the leopard S spots
10 l. entirely true that that back man az be
eleyatel Morally, intellectually aud politically,
so taas We shall readily and eheerfully admit his
equality in these particulars a christian and a
Republican will deny no rights before the law,
q any nan. But il viii not change The natural
facts. The negro carries with hIm eai-marks
visible 10 all, and he must remain a negro. Bot
there is another TACT which, for this generation,
works the same thing. race Of degraded, dark
minced men, cannot be elevated in one generation.
They must not only be free not only educa-
ted-but tlere are OJher thIngs wanting. They
must have the habit OF elevation; they must lose
the memory OF the sc0urge; they must ieel that
No superior race looks down upon them This
they cannot do OF ever IN az least hall centu-
~. We must solve tie problem Of the freedmen
laws OF nature in regard 70 their condition; ID,
70 organize negro industry n the principles Of
Justice: and sd, % observe the laws OF Christian
duty toward them, exactly as toward other men.
TO know exactly what these laws are We have
some aids OF great Importance in the recent CEN
sai statistics. They throw great light on this
whole question. We can do nothing right with
out irsl getting the precise state Of facts have
before me the volume Of Gums statistics Of ~Ac.
ri,ultu-e,' prepared BY Mr.. kennedy, Shich con-
tains the number Oi Shareholders and the number
OF slaves and ;nis very state nent solves come OF
the difficulties u the quelron. As a fair sample
OF the whole, ! Will give The main facts as 70 tle
condition OF sIayerj in Virginia Including West
Virginia, which, having very lew slaves, viii not
materially y1r7 the faCtsl which will show how
easily the frcedmsl question can be se.tled as 20
two material Poiuts-propsrty ana industry. The
following are the man facts, VIZ;
Number OF Shareholders. 52I2s
Number who own over 3Jt.............
Number who own 100 and under 500 .. IlS
Number who own 80 and under lOJ....... TAO
Number who own 10 and under 3d.. 1861
Number who OgI .ess than lO............ 81 us
Nearly hall tie whole number Of shareholders
own less than I'VE each. The idea commonly
held OF great plantations cultivated by slaves Is
entirely gone in regard 70 Virginia; and the
nunDer OF such IN the entire SOlth u COMPARE.
lively few. Ia Virginia there are not over a
thousand slcl pldntIuOns. There are not more
than Sd Ulu PERSONS in Virginia who own farm
laborers ana there are oOCUJ farms Of over ten
acres. 10 a. Therefore, evident that the great
body Of FARMS u Firg.nil are cultivated now by
Tree labor. il the large cOInty If Augusta for
example, there alC but olo tanners who own MON
than Two slaves, AID these axe so farmers. II
Is perfectly CieI- that twO-tEirds the farms ara
cultivated by fgec labor. Nuw, tlese ara most
instructive .ac.s. They SHOW AII in the largest
slave States Ot the Union, les, by the grace of
..... -.
free institutions Wall Oe atteldsu By no practical
difficulty Whatever. one half tie slaves are
nothing more tH1G house servants. Now SUD.
Lose Ju0. Jones owns iOur-a man, waiter a
womea. (coJSl ard two chiid,en-8nd that the
aggregate yliue ls S3UJJ. This is q fictitious
wealth, To- he has 70 pay all their cost Of food,
snsltsr raiDent and medicine. 10 d5y the iag
puts q fictitious y2.ls on them tomorrow, il
puts no value % them. what's the dileren- TO
ann he retains their services pays taem hfty
cen;s day, les them 80 % school, and gets rid
of all ObhgsIJl b Support them. Is he not bet
ter or in every n spect Hscegtainly Is. II they
do no. serve him we'll he AZ once dismisses them.
and tAey give him no further trouble.
la thts changed condition OF things no real
value has disappeared whatever. Virginia is
worth every dollar she was before. She ms lost
noIhilg but mere fiction. The property ques.
lion H. therefore absolutely nothing aad II il
were. not IN ire than Ooe-tOurth tae white people
of Virgins have any interest ~ slave properly.
Suppose the 80 OUi slaveA. lders % be heads Of
flmi les. .-aOUgh man ale mott they represent
my S0OUUU pers0us while Virginia has 900.
U.O white ue3p!e. This ends at once tho whole
humbug OF the south dependent upon save prop
e-.v. NJmiu3ly here we're Jhree thousands OF
M liOus &C. dollars IN slaves, but rsa ~ ths.e
WIS nothing 80 all. The who.e ya.ue - toe
slaves was in their labor aCd their labor IT,.
mains And here ] come % what ZEN irksd
.H o.. % Hn.. g.. ~
We d1 not. M ure vail ride Oye- as. whether We
choose or not. The inst element in the condition
uF the freedmen is that they shOG.d gema n where
tbav are until eaucatOn and sei.support has fit
talthsm ~ seS IN independent existence where.
thew NAV choose % 20. They VINO wish the
freshmen well ana wish 70 restore this country
y peace and h-fmouy, will never encourage the
negroes % Tea,Oye while they can have human
rights where they are. Whore could they 20
Oaly into the Northern states; aud that would az
once excite all The Old pr-judices against them.
AT present .ae popular ieeiIng is 90 aid the ne.
-rJ in an, way likely % do hIn good. This feel
fag however, "a only the result OF the war OF the
rs5s lion. % IS not q permanent thing. Il has
removed no uat1r'l prel1cl a., ard they can be
removed only by time and education. The Back
Laws. as they ore called. in the Northern States
were enGc I'd By the Democratic party in
suoseryieuce % the south. They are now
repealed by "a ir opponents, in opposition 20
the rebellion. NelLAer actOn tests tn pOp-
ular feeling tOgard negroes There q A
srong desile 20 do perfect justice 10 them.
bu; there is also a liked purpose nsver 70 allow
them . cJns there in great numbers. Neither
n 10 tie plrp0se.o Nature. The negro IS a na.
tive VI tropical climates and his natural tenden.
g Is t0war the tropics. This is shown by his
whole history Ia this country. Hence whoever
would do him good would never induce him TO
cone o the NOr.h. Eventually, the negro will
draft into OF Bear the tropics. Thatishis destiny
and his mission and no one need trouble himself
about IT, There il very little Of the territory of
Iie present UuiJed states which cannot be cult
vate By Wlite labor and the immigration from
Europe Eiil hereafter 30 into the South as well
a. the North, and build up new branches Of in.
dustry. = large part Of the negroes will be en-.
pl0yed house servants and as common labo.
Iers until their intelligence, cultivated by educa.
ton en'bies them u become mechanics and
manufacturers, and Ia that business taey viii be
very successful They cannot be land owners 10
any nsiderable extent That requires CAPITAL
and the whites will, for ages TO come retain he
land in their own hands. Do justice to the negro
IN regard 70 laws and national rights, and on
pose no laws Of nature, and the whole problem of
the condition OF the negro freedmen will be solved
easily and readily. In regard % what Justice 10
the negro does require, must speak at another
lime.
Mr. Morse The editor 81 the Augusta y-,,,e, bvfr,.
been damned aud Photographed by lhe Rebels ID =
tuouis b, now cnioying rest and rep0,c nom sns-r
and ursirg peace. submission and 6bedfevr. b. 81,
Jaws, On perifr, security.
The HraiTs Washington correspondence saw. che.
Major General Sheridan ha, been ssigned 10 ne eI
lrarI 10 an the forces west uf The M.....ieri III
M HHr f| fIr