Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1866-01-16
From the New York Albion, Dee. 23.l
Slavery Abolished in the United States.

lErOm the new 1ork AlDlOu, Dec. Zo.l
Slavery Abolished in the United States.
One of the events of the past week,
that calls for mention at least in these
columns, is the formal announcement
that the abolition of slavery through
out the length and breadth Of this
Republic has now been legally pro-
mulgated, as it had been practically
established by the war. In order to
change any article in the written or
accepted Constitution, it was requi-
site that any act of the National
Legislature hereon should be con-
frmed also by the local Govern
ments of three fourths of the States.
Twenty-seven of the States have
now given in their approval Of the
new law. The Executive has duly
announced the fact. Human Slavery
is abolished throughout the Union,
hereafter and forever.
Civilized nations-our own in
cluded-that have got rid of a senti-
mentally obnoxious system, at cost
to themselves comparatively trivial,
have long been in the habit of
reproaching this country with its
maintenance. We have often pro-
tested against the injustice of the
sneer, because the cases were by no
means parallel; nay, we have even
gone so far as to assert that if, for
instance, the British Sovereign and
half the Peers and Commoners and
merchants and traders of the realm
had been pecuniarily and deeply in
terested in maintaining it, slavery
would still make the West Indies
productive, and the name Of WILDER
force would be secuted as that of
mad enthusiast. But it happened
otherwise. The many clamored and
legislated, and the weaker side went
to the wall, unconvinced and protest
ing to the last. There was not in
reality much to be proud of-may
our countrymen forgive us for saying
so! Neither, as to the manner of ac-
complishing the change here, is there
room for oger-much Boosting. The
force of circumstances has brought it
all about, and that alone. Neverthe-
less, since the world at large con-
siders universal freedom as a boon,
and deems that the keeping any race
in bondage is blot upon nations |
escutcheon, we do most heartily con-
graduate the People amid whom we
dwell, that they too have wiped |
away the reproach. It cost us little
it has cost them much. |
But when we turn to the race itself |
thus formally emancipated, shall we
proceed to offer them congratulations?
Is freedom such precious boon to
them, as poets and lecturers would |
have us believer The answer is not
easy. The negroes were free during
the war to leave their families and
march to military music and be shot
down and die violent deaths. They
are free now to work for wages-or
to starve. They are free to encounter
all the physical ills that beset the
lowest classes in all lands, and from
which they have heretofore been
exempt. We krow that many thou
sands of them, the flower of this
laboring class, persisted in the process
Of liberation. We know that thou
sands more are rotting now to their
graves; while as to the women and
children-the thought Of their fate is
narrowing. All things considered,
We heartily congratulate the White
Man; We hesitate in respect to the
Black.