Year: 1863




In days gone by, when the abolition Of
slavery was urged upon the attention Of
the people, one of the commonest cxpedi-
ents resorted to by the pro-slavery party,
to resist the influence Of the growing an.
ti-savery sentiment Of the North, was
the assertion that the pecuniary interest
Of the north was SO dependent upon tie
slave system, that the abolition Of The
latter would invariably result in com.
mercial ruin and bankruptcy. In spite
of the millions Of dollars that have slip.
ped through the fingers Of northern men
in consequence OF the rebellion, which, to
great extent, was q consequence Of tho
bankruptcy of the south, there are still
to be found meu who think that with the
destruction Of slavery must come serious
loss to the manufactures aud trade Of the
north. With people who believe in God
and in the equal justice Of the laws which
he has established for the government Il
the world, no argument is needed to show
that the preparation Of wrong toward
one class Of men, must result 10 loss to
all others; and that the doing Of justice, /,
however much it may seem to interfere
with the accustomed avenues Of trade,
must really, by restoring things to their
natural and true relations, increase tho
prosperity and happiness of all concerned.


The natural and sufficient answer to
those persons who antici pated ruined trade
as the result of freedom, was, that by
making the four million slaves free and
Independent laborers, with the wants and
desires that 20 with that condition, the
demand for all these articles the mann.
facture and sale of which have increased
the wealth of the north to so great an
extent, would be increased tenfold The
owner of three hundred slaves, bought,
we will say, one hundred pairs of shoes
in the course Of year. (and this be it
remembered, is rather above than under
the aycrage,) now in q state Of freedom,
instead Of one, there viii be three hun
dred pairs Of shoes needed. And SO it
will be with all the necessaries of life,
while there will be corresponding de-
mand for the aaornments and luxuries of
life also. Any one has witnessed, as We
have, the readiness with which the coloreS
people Of this department spend their
money for the comforts and necessaries of
life, can have no doubt of the really i'm.
nense opportunities which will be opened
to northern enterprise by the abolition Of
slavery. Just as rapidly as they acquire
the means, they will desire to possess
themselves Of those things that are sup
posed to mark in a peculiar manner the
condition OF superior and tree people.


With all the talk about southern hos.
pitality, it is evident to US that q largo
proportion of the planters Of the south
lived in style which would have been
scarcely tolerabe to fourth-rate Penn.
sylvania farmer. Now let these planters
be freed from the incubus of slavery, or
let northern men get the co troll of tho
plantations, and then with the spirit Of
enterprise which freedom will infuse into
alt departments Of labor, new and en-
tlrely satisfactory state of things will
soou appear Where there is one decent
and habitablc house, dozen will be
needed, with the furniture and other
things that belong to decent house. In
fact, there is scarcely a sing article
manufactured at the north which will not
iad ready and profitable market at tho
south and in addition to this. the wealth
of the south being founded upon some-
thing real, the labor Of u free and intell-
g-nt people, commercial bankruptcy and
reputation may be considered among the
things Of the p'st.-fsce South, Beeu.
fort april 1874.