The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-05-06
NINTH CENSUS OF THE UNITED
81" 'N'5it STATES, a'"l''t' '..5'~

March, we copy the following ex-
tracts from an able article on the
Ninth Census. Though apparently
very longs our readers will be more
than repaid for their attention in
reading them: T''f'''1''''' ''''
From these and all similar cases
the emancipation 6f the negroes of
| the Southern States differed in fund
amental particulars. TO begin with
the most important: the masters
there were not mere privileged
class; they considerably outnumber-
ed their slaves, and constituted, in
fact and in the full sense of the term,
a people. The consequence was all
important. In the West Indies the
masters, being mere handful, were
conscious Of their weakness, were
amenable to hostile public opinion,
and were, in truth, half converted in
the course Of the long agitation that
ended in their submission; and in
Russia also the same thing was true
But in the South the masters were in
a position to oppose public opinion
of their own to the public opinion of
the outside world; they were absolute
in their own states, and they ruled
the government of the Union. Thus,
they were able to silence abolition
lists in the South, and even to prevent
the conveyance through the post of
everything favoring abolition. The
result was that a generation grew up
presenting the strange spectacle-in-
comprehensive, had it not been so
often seen in the worlds history-of
people applying to themselves dem
q
ocratic principles in their EXTREMIST
forms, and yet unfolding and hon
estly believing in slavery. AS in the
ancient Greek commonwealth, slave
ry in these Southern States secured
to the free, wealth, leisure and dis
tinction. Releasing them from every
kind Of drudgery, it virtually made
them supreme in. the country
Southern whites directed the coun-
ellis of the Union, Differed it's fleets
and armies, and represented it at for.
eign courts. In short, negro slavery
was for the whites of the South a
patent of nobility constituting them
; in right of their color real aristoc-
racy. They naturally chung to ii
with passionate attachment. In ey-
cry proposal looking to its abolition
they saw a design to degrade them.
selves, and they treated the aboli-
Zionist as a personal enemy. How
gallantly they fought to perpetuate
the institution that gave them thei,
Importance is fresh in the recollec-
ton Of us all. While man could be
had to fill the gaps made by ,ever-re.
curing battles, by hardship, expo
sure, privation and disease, they DIES.
perately maintained the contest
But time came at last when mer
were no longer to be found, and sup
piles Of all kinds failed. Broken in
spirit, worn out in body, and impov
erished in purse, they sullenly laid
down their arms. 1T was while theil
resources were thus exhausted, while
their private affairs were suffering
from their long absence in the field
while the markets of the world were
closed against them byte years o
blockade, while trade was extinct ant
debts accommodating, that Emancipa
Ition came, and at tone stroke deprived
them Of the labor that gave valne t,
their proserties, and at the sam
time reduced themselves to the DIES
pised evel of vulgar toiling hu
manity. z ~ aei*haa r, a'f'fs'.5
Ito say that the measure overturn
ed at blow the political, social ant
industrial organization of the Soutl
is to leave out of sight the most chal
acteristic feature of the whole revo
luton. On the part of the Mort
the war had been waged not in an
degree in the interest. Of the slaves
; it had been waged solely for the pre-
servation of the Union, for the main
tenance Of the integrity Of the terri
tory, and more particularly for II
tention Of the command of the mout
of the Mississippi, the great wate1
way between Europe and the Yves
AS long as there was a prospect {
attaining the object in view withor
interfering with slavery,t slavery .ws
maintained: when the prospect fade
away slavery was abolished. Emal
, cipation was decreed in virtue of I'll