Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 06 (of 20)Sumner, Charles
History
Charles Sumner: his complete works, volume 06 (of 20)
Sumner, Charles
Slavery -- United States; Speeches, addresses, etc., American
Before leaving this picture, where the dismal colors all come from
official sources, there are two other aspects in which Slavery may be
regarded.
1. The first is its influence on _emigration_. The official compendium
of the census (page 115) tells us that inhabitants of Slave States
who are natives of Free States are more numerous than inhabitants of
Free States who are natives of Slave States. This is an egregious
error. Just the contrary is true. The census of 1850 found 606,139 in
the Free States who were born in the Slave States, while only 206,624
born in the Free States were in the Slave States. And since the white
population of the Free States is double that of the Slave States, it
appears that the proportion of whites moving from Slavery is six times
greater than that of whites moving into Slavery. This simple fact
discloses something of the aversion to Slavery which is aroused even in
the Slave States.
2. The second is furnished by the character of the region on the
border-line between Freedom and Slavery. In general, the value of
lands in Slave States adjoining Freedom is advanced, while the value
of corresponding lands in Free States is diminished. The effects of
Freedom and Slavery are reciprocal. Slavery is a bad neighbor; Freedom
is a good neighbor. In Virginia, lands naturally poor are, by nearness
to Freedom, worth $12.98 an acre, while richer lands in other parts of
the State are worth only $8.42. In Illinois, lands bordering on Slavery
are worth only $4.54 an acre, while other lands in Illinois are worth
$8.05. As in the value of lands, so in all other influences is Slavery
felt for evil, and Freedom felt for good; and thus is it clearly shown
to be for the interest of the Slave States to be surrounded by a circle
of Free States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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