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Mr. Editor. - When Our Southern Neighbors Speak Great Swelli...

Mr. Editor. - When Our Southern Neighbors Speak Great Swelli... image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
September
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
Letter to the Editor
OCR Text

Mr. Editor. - When our Southern neighbors speHk great swelling words, and tell us what daringfeats they wül perfurm to support slavery, their darling inslitution, it seetns proper to raeasure ihe strenglh uf these champions, and not venture too far, lest the cráter shouid burst, and one wide ruin overapread the land. Tliose who provoke the chivalry or gasconade of the South, shouid count the coat. Well then, what is the power of the South to do mischief, by blows, not by words? Doubtless lier real efficiënt power cannot be greater than the excess of the white over the black population. For the blacks must be considered as enemies in the camp, and must be gtiarded, or they will join against their oppressors, and assert their rights. Huw then stand the relative numbers? Tke South Carolina, the laad of gapcoháding, and we find there aro 76,000 more blacks than whites. - Such a State must be very powerful. - Now add to South Carolina, Alaba ma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, and the blacks will exceed the whites by 75,000. Take in Georgia and you have the five south-weslern stales and one Territory and in all that región there are only 78,000 more whites than blacks. Admitting that one in eix is able to bear arms, and do active service, and you have arrny of 13,000 men. How terrible! Who would not boast to Bee 13,000 slaveholders, and slave drivere, and white Blaves all rushing to battle? Thirtecn thousand men to defend a territory larger thnn France. Tako now Nonh Carolina and Virginia, in which the whiies exceed by 459,000, and add to the other five state?, and the excess of whites is 527,000. Can any reasonable man believe, that for ;■}' efficiënt warfare these seye.j trreat states anu one TiTmory wouid bo equal lo the tate of Main e with her 500,000 inhabitants? In the thirteen slave states, Floria and the District of Columhia, there re 4,017,000 whites,and 2800,000 blacks - the excess of whites 1,847,000 which is 12,000 less than the New England state? -583,000 less than New York- and only 13,000 more than Pennsylvania. Who lien can believe. that the whole 6luve egion could supnort a prolracted war asveil as íew England, or as New York? See what feats ihe South have performed n Florida, when backed by the army of he LTnited States, and then judge what hey would effect by their own proves. - Surely euch valiant Knihts muy well tirow up their caps, and bid defiance lo lie worid. It muy be na id that a srnall orce would be eufiicient tu keep the blacks 'rom rising, and that, thercfore, a inuch arger nutnber might be calculated (or deence, than what I have allowed. I grant, hat in a lime of peace a small íorce may overawe the blacks - not so, when an invaling army 3 near. Let the cry of Liberty be sounded, and tiiey would rush 'rom every point. And however their old masters might despise them, they would soon be more efficiënt troops, than heir young dandy mastera and their al - ies. In view of the military strenglh of this nation how eheering it must bo to the patriot to know that slavery has taken such deep root among us! Ánd what terror it must excite in the mind of a foreign enemy to cast hia eye all over the country, 6outh of the CheBapeake, and see 500,000 men inured to cümate, able to endure labor and privation, stung with wrong8 and hürning wiih vengeauce? Could he expect any help from such men, or think that ihey would not guard the wives,the children and property of their masters while they are suffering in the tented field? Surely il becomes our great men at ihe Soutli to boast what dreadfulthings they willdoand the dough fdcesat theNurth may well taketho alarm - bui it is very likcly, that, in their diplomatic intercourae with ua foreign nations will remembor, that in those points, where we are llie most vulnerable, nearly one half of the population is hostile lo ihe olher, and ïhat they will order their measures accordingly. Who can blatne them? If men will take fire in their bo soms, thev will eet burnt.