Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-23
The Mask Lifted.

The corpse of slavery is not so dead but the
mourners round its bier yet have hopes of its rean-
nation. We have more than suspected this for q
long time "The war of races, /" so often and ear
nestly predicted, the terrible cutlery against "igge
equality" "miscegenation," &c, &c, and the bloody
and merciless outrages perpetrated upon the poor,
defenseless blacks only the irrepressibe out
gushings of the barely concealed hope and purpose
to reduce the negro to his "normal condition -
slavery. What was conjecture, based upon strongly
probable grounds, is now seen to have been fact
The late shareholders desire slavery re-estabshed
This atrocious desire is distinctly avowed in lead
ing article in the Louisville Courier Journal Of the
l4th inst. In the article named, the editor de-
nounoes the loyal people of the States as fervid
philsnthropists who have we'll nigh ruined ten
States to make Sambo fool and a vagrant." He
takes the ground that there is conflict of opinion
concerning the efficacy of free labor and slave labor
in the culture of cotton sugar and rice" that stran-
gers yet hold the decision of this question in sus-
pense; and that the North regard the whole ques-
ton as an experiment. Now to settle this question,
the editor proposes that in Cuba the system of sla-
very be fairly tested and that in Louisiana that of
free labor be subjected to the test of experiment.
If as the result, slave labor in Cuba proves a sue
cess and free labor in Louisiana failure, let a
liberal system of apprenticeship, sIGUerg which
ever it may be called" be adopted in the cotton and
sugar growing country of the South. As we would
do even this advocate for slavery unfairness or
injustice we quote in full his statement this sub
ject, as follows
In Cuba, however, slavery still exists let it con-
tinue to exist the one system and the other work
ing alongside of each other, divided only by the
Gulf stream. If the trial of free labor in Louisiana
is success and the trial Of slave labor in Cuba is
not success, abolish slavery in Cuba. If the trial
in Louisiana however, is failure, and the negro
there goes dsgenerating into barbarism as he is
now doing, while in Cuba, under more humane
system than that practiced by the Spaniards he is
1 more and more useful, contented and prosperous
restore to the entire eotton growing, produc
ing country liberal system of apprenticeship oil
slavery whichever it may be called aud, instead Of
trying to elevate the negro into a local demi-god
| let us try to do something for him as a man. BY s
process of this kind Cuba could be made service
| able She would become either a garden spot o.
practical agriculture the seed ground of practca
and perpetual emancipation for, if the negro is MOI
an improbable being, we must make the next bes
thing of him, useful being. As class the negroe:
must either 60 backward or they must go forward
| If they go backward, Cuba will make convenient
| colony for as and Tor them. Ii tney 20 lOrHaru
free labor will vndcate itself and work out its owr
redemption Cuba of itself is q vile spot. But Cubs
| as a field of experiment. and in certain events,
| sewer for the South could be made to pay. Their
| NAV not indeed be great deal of humanity in the
suggestion as terms 60, but it is busness-hke ane
/ thai is more to the purpose.
The editor predicts what the issue of the expert
ment would be- Protesting great affection for thu
blacks, the editor confesses to have lost faith il
their career as free agents dwells upon the negro
dislike of labor and his capacity for barbarism.
Emancipation in Barbados and in Jamaica is ap-
pealed to- to prove these nostulates and 20 supper
the prediction that the proposed experiment wou!'
demonstrate the negro's remarkable fitness for sla
very and unftness for freedom. Here is his owl
statement of the result:
/ The same experience is reproducing itself at tn
South; and we have doubt if the test we propos
were carried out wisely ard firmly Cuba woul
bloom like a garden by the side of desolation in Lou
isiana; the one worked by q mild system of servi
tude and the other bound over to carpet baggers
negro politicians
The Legrees are, by no means, all dead. But s
long as God reigns and the Americans remain tru
to right and TO loyalty and can compare free inst
tutons with the wrecks offs lnvery in the war-blasi
ed South, the dream of these mourners for the lo
cause will never again become reality our sol
SENIOR EDITOR.