New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-22
NOT DEAD YET.

II with causes as with men, the time has
been that when the brains were out oil them'
they would die, yet that time seems 10
have passed If this beneiicent law oi ha-
ture were constant in its operation, we need
not have been pestered again with the dead
fol,v of Colonization. Such brains as the
thing had ebbed from it long ago; It's day
is utterly gone by, and yet every now ana then
some perishing fragment OF humanity comes
to the surface with his feeble chatter OF the old
sort on the old subject. We believe Mr.. Mont
gomery Blair was the last who made public con-
fession of his fondness for this fossil absurdity,
and now Mr. Blair has successor and rival IN
one James Mitchell, who sends us pamphlet
which he calls Brief on Emigration and Colo
nization. The pamphlet is accompanied by
private note from Mr.. James Mitchell, which
we merciiuly commit to the basket and do not
comment on.
Did readers ever hear of James Mitchell
Ho is by no means our dear departed John
Mitchell. though we are permitted to conjecture
that the green isle gave birth to both OF them.
But did any mortal ever hear of James Or,
hearing of him once, willingly submit the
second timer The man calls himself "Com-
missioner of Emigration " - whatever that
may be- If Mr.. Lincoln appointed him to
be such. we are sure the late President had
Joke in his mind. and meant that James should
begin his operations as Commissioner by colon
izing himself Unhappily for us, James failed
to see the point of the joke, but,w assure him
it really was not worth while to delay his de-
parture for the sake Of giving this foolish little
pamphlet to the world. Part fit is addressed
to members of the XXXIXth Congress, part
to Secretary Harlan part to Mr.. Lincoln; and
the whole of it will shortly follow bis letter into
our waste basket.
We got through Mr.. Mitchell's preface, but
found ourselves at the end in state OF extreme
bewderment and mental prostratfon. We are
pretty sure Mr.. Mitchell is either negro or an
Irishman, bat We cannot for the life Of US tell
which. For the sake of the colored race we
hope it is the latter and out Of respect to the
Fenian Brotherhood we hope it is the former. II
we could settle this question, we should stu
be in doubt about Mr.. Mtchell's views on
colonization. We thought at first he wanted
all the negroes to emigratc 10 Ireland, ana then
we thought he wanted oil the Irish TO emgraie
TO the South, in order to anal lgamatc with the
negro race-"two white families in Ireland,
as Mr.. Mitchell says, having refused TO amal'
gamate." Ii may be he is for both plans, ana
il nav be he is for neither; but all We know Is
I that We don't know, and We doubt whether Mr..
Mitchell knows any better than .
However on reading Mr.. Mitchclls letter to
NJ. Harlan, we discover some faint glimmer oi
what we suppose Mr.. Mitchell considers an idea.
III shall be permitted to state IT in his Own
words "In opposition to the labor-mongeT
North MS well as in the South, and as formidable
now in the former as in the latter, we ask ma
tionality for the African race and finally thelI
undisturbed rule in the Tropical Belt'-that is
Mr.. Mitchell's little hobby. Becoming pro-
phetic, he adds: Undoubtedly the drift o
events will caryI our freedmen toward
| the Tropical Belt where they will become
, masters of the situation and lords o
the soil" With a little maudlin profanity
| superadded, Mr.. Mitchell informs us that
"The Tropical Belt Of the Old and New World
l is a field nterdicted by an AllWise Providence
S to our healthful habitation, and in equity tc
5 the tropical man it should be interdicted to ouI
dominion, and will be when republican economy
prevails therein" From another passage We
discover that Mr.. Mitchells idea of re
publican economy is q "limited Imperialism,
J such as exists in the British colonies anC
| he favors " a change Of population between tht
Governments of Washington and London, We
| taking the white they the black, whilst in the
end the blacks will take the colonies, as We
drifted off in 1776; whilst, for the time being
the limited Imperialism OF the one is best adapted
TO the proper government of the coored anc
mixed race whilst republicanlsm suits the Cell
, and Saxon best" That may suffice for Mr.
Mitchel's idea, and for specimen of the grace'
of his STYLE as well.
This of Mr. Mitchells is positively the very
latestpattern and fashion of colonization. All We
care to say about it is, that the blacks want to
go to the Tropical Belt or anywhere else, and es
tablish '1imitcd imperialism" or a dominion,
it is their affair." and not ours nor Mr. MitchelrS
Knowing that every lsboring man is urgently
needed at the South, We should regret to have
any of them 60 but We would no more forciby
hinder than help their departure Mr.. Mitch
ellis fantastic fooleres about the matter are o.
no other use than to show what man who