The Portland daily press., 1889-01-21
FRANKLIN PIERcES ADMINISTRATION.
A Letter that Revives the Issues of
so.
Some Good Advices to an Incoming
President.

Some Good Advices to an Incoming
President.
Interesting Predictions Regarding
the Slavery Question.
The following letter written by the late
Jabez G. Woodman to President Pierce soon
after his electian will, we think, richly repay
reading:
Portland, Me-, Feb. Is. 1853
MY DEAR SIR:-I congratulate you upon
your triumphant election to the Presidency.
Wnen saw you at Concord last summer on
my way to the Pittsburg Convention, / re-
marked to you that l belonged to a small
party, by means of which could not expect
10 OBTAIN any office; that should not get
one during life, unless by means of personal
friendship and that thought must claim
one from you upon that ground: Although i
then anticipated your election, did not an.
tcipate the greatness of your electoral vote.
In view Of that, think you will find more
applications for office from your political
friends than you can well answer favorably.
have therefore determined ever since the
result was known, that would withdraw all
claims to favor from considerations of per.
sonal friendship. At the same time 1t is
proper that should, as a personal friend, in
form You that although / was in favor of Mr..
Hale, and, of course. opposed both to you
and TO Gen Scott, was more afraid of your
election than of Gen. Scott's, because /
thought the Democratic platform was rather
worse than that of the Wings. While ex-
hibit this frankness in regard to my position
of political opposition, 1t is right that |
should do myself the justice to say that /
abhorred that factious spirit which In this
State and in some Others, endeavored to
make the contest, as between you and Scott,
turn on personal merits instead of great
political principles. That spirit which en-
deayored to excite prejudice against YOU by
intimatiDg want of personal courage or en-
tering into your personal habits upon the
temperate use or otherwise of alcoholic
liquors that spirit which sought to excite
prejudice against Gen, Scott as vain man
by calling him "Old Fuss and Feathers :" and
that spirit which sought to make political
capital on either side by appealing to the
prejudices of Roman Catholics, l consider
equally contemplate and wicked. As an
anti-slavery man upon principle, | was de-
cidedly opposed to both of you. considered
it more important to throw large vote for
Mr.. Hale than to aid in deciding the question
between Gen. Scott and Gen, Pierce.
Well, in course of events you were elected
President as / anticipated you would be.
had not told any man that you were great
man, or that you would make great Presi-
dent. But l have told all with whom
have conversed that you were no timid man,
that you were an independent man, and that
you would be President yourself. trust
that will be found SO. You are the first man
ever elected President with whom / could
claim any acquaintance. Very likely. you
will be che last. cannot expect the admin
istration will in all respects be satisfactory
to me. The platform forblds it. Still, mas
much as you are B0wdoin graduate, still
more as a member of the Athen@um society,
still more as warm personal friend feel a
strong interest in the success Of your admin
istration. | want it to stand right, or as
near right as may be in history a hundred
yearslhsnce. The whole difficulty lies in the
questions connected with slavery. AS have
started with the idea that you lare an indie
pendent man, cannot expect, and do not
expect to influence you single hair unless
by some suggestion that commends itself to
your own judgment. l cannot expect and
do not expect, that you Will violate any
pledge that you have made in adopting the
platform. Still | think there is much room
for you to exercise your discretion, and that
there will be found wide margin for you to
move in. In view OF that thought, beg
leave in the most friendly manner, as l be
lieve am your senior in age by about six
months, to offer you some suggestions. This
favor .sns ask although %gsr.tetn, know now
to give advice whether sought or not
and although know that you are President
elect at salary of 1926, 900 per annum, while
am only Justice of the Peace and Quorum
in Portland, where nearly all the Justices
jurisdiction is taken away and given to the
Judge of the Municipal Court.
How is the question of slavery to be solved
In this country? Is it to be eternal or not?
If slavery is to be abolished, is 1t to be by
peaceful means? or by insurrection, violence
and civil war? According to tables which
have in my possession, the number of slaves
in the slave states in 1870, not including those
few remaining In New Jersey and the Dis
trict of Columbia, was 2,486, 231. In 1850
they had increased to 3,175,7S3. The rate of
increase for ten years was more than q 73-
100 per cent. AT the same rate of increase in
1860 their number would be 4056, 427. In 1880
their number would be 6.6l8,060; in 1900 it
would be 1879. 366; in 1850 it would be &c.
700 1854; and In 2050, at the same rate of in
crease, their number would swell to 424, 124,-
903 Tins at the present rate of increase in
less than 200 years the slaves in the present
slave states without incorporating those of
Cuba, would reach nearly 425 millions. 1
have made this computation myself, and you
may depend upon its accuracy without the
labor of reviewing my work. / am aware
that in political arithmetic aud according
to the laws of population, the rate of increase
diminishes as the country is filled. Still the
slave population In this country has in
creased very nearly as fast during the last
decade as at any time since 1890. am
aware, too, that there are about twice as
many persons in the slave states as there are
slaves. and that they increase very little
faster, than the slaves pro rata. Still there
is room enough in the country under the i'm
provemenrs in agriculture made and to be
made to sustain all this population and mere
too.
The mission of our country is, or ought to
be, one Of peace. III the country should con-
tinue to avoid the policy of war, and If the
population were all free, l apprehend it
would be safe to estimate that the present
3.175.7S would increase hundred fold and
become 81, 578, 300 In 2050. For loss of pop
ulation by the fact of slavery, we will deduct
III, 578, 300 and there still remains total for
| the slaves in less than two centuries of 200,-
| 000, 600; that is to say, in 2050, unless that
result should be prevented by emancipation
| or war. When look at these figures, it is
| enough to make me trembe. Will the slaves
| remain quiet? think not, if held in slavery.
1t may be said the free population in the
| slave States is about tive to one, and that the
rate Of increase is greater than that Of the
| slaves. OF this am aware. But several
hundred thousand OF the free population are
degradation, and will be ready to unite with
| them In the grand struggle for right, liberty
and justice when it comes, if it ever does.
Again, some of the citizens of the slave
States, from motives of conscience
Of the South as Lot did out of
| Sodom. More will in future The prudent
man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself.
| Ii emancipation does not begin, 1t will not be
| long, think, before the rate of increase
among the c0lored population of the slave
holding States will be greater than that
| among the whites of the same States. When
that point has been passed, the colored race
| will rapidly gain upon the whites. / think
the rate OF increase would be greater even
| now, If IT were not for foreign emigration
into the South. That emigration is small
| and will become less unless emancipation
| begins. Most of the colored women who are
slaves in the cotton and sugar States are
| field hands, and in case of collision, could
and would fight, as well as the men. This
most of the white women in the South could
not do. Now what have to propose is, that
slavery cannot be eternal in this country,
Slavery never will be abolished by COLOMBIA
ton. / believe, though have not the data
before me, that the Colonization Society have
thousand to Africa. while the annual increase
was 81, 955, and from 1850 to 1860, the annual
increase will probably exceed $4,000. You
might as well attempt to dip the ocean dry
| with tea spoon in storm. The national
| government think will never purchase the
| slaves. The market value Is so great, 1t
| would cost $l00, 000, 900 per annum to pay the
| interest on the cost. They will not pass off
| before the civilization of the white man as
| the Indian did. Past history refutes such a
| suggestion. Under most terrible oppression,
| they have multiplied with great rapidity like
| the Hebrews in Egypt. They will not be OPP
| pressed so much in future as they have been,
| and will continue to multiply like bees.
| There remains the alternative of emancipa-