Page:The Barbarism of Slavery - Sumner - 1863.pdf/26

This page needs to be proofread.

20 and in the origin of that law. And here I might stop without proceeding in this argument, for on the letter of the law alone Slavery must be condemned. But the tree is known by its fruits, and these I now shall exhibit and this brings me to the second

stage of the argument.

In considering the 'practical results of Slavery, the mateobvious and diversified that my chief care will be to abridge and reject; and here I shall put the Slave States and Free States face to face, showing at each point the blasting (2.)

rials are so

influence of Slavery.

Barbarism now exists excel the Free Their territory is more extenmiles, while the Free square sive, "stretching over 851,448 only embrace 612,597 square miles. States, including California, square miles in favor more than of 238,000 Here is a difference starts, in this great Freedom that showing States, Slave of the quarter less than that of than a more with field a controversy,

The

States

where

this

States in all natural advantages.

In happiness of climate, adapted to productions of in exhaustless motive power distributed throughspace in natural highways, by more than fifty navigable never closed by the rigors of winter and in a stretch of

Slavery.

special value

out

its

rivers,

coast along ocean

and

gulf,

indented by hospitable harbors

the whole presenting incomparable advantages for that true civilization, where agriculture, manufactures and .commerce,

both domestic and foreign, blend in all these respects the Slave States excel the Free States, whose climate is often churlish, whose motive power is less various, whose navigable rivers are fewer and often sealed by ice, and whose coast, while less in extent and with fewer harbors, is often perilous from storm and cold.

But Slavery plays the part of a Harpy, and defiles the See what it does with this territory, thus choicest banquet. spacious and

fair.

An

important indication of prosperity is to be found in the In this respect the two regions started growth of population. equal. In 1790, at the first census under the Constitution, the population of the present Slave States was 1,961,372, of the present Free States 1,968,455, showing a difference of only 7083 in favor of the Free States.

first merely showing itself

This difference, at

nominal, has been constantly increasing since,