Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-09-13

/ ~ ''S'' Nhah cf oaafNos III. 1iTkSDHs
who resided IN Barbadoes as secretary
10 the late Hon. Edward Hay, the Co
vernon of that island, observes in letter
published in his valuable work on the
Mitigation of Slavery, You need not
be informed, that it has been known for
many ages by men of reflection, that the
labor OF slaves, whether bought or bred,
though apparently cheaper, is really far
dearor in general than that of free men,"
The arguments which support this
conclusion, as applicable to modern CO.
lonial sla, cry, were long ago assent
ed 10 and exemplified by men intimately
acquainted with and interested in the sub
lect." In another letter in the same
work, he gives ga calculation made un-
der the guidance of M. Coulor,b, an able
mathematician and xperienced engineer,
who for many years conducted extensive
military works both ia France and The
West Indies, and who has published the
result of his observations" From this
he liners, "that field slaves do only be-
tween third and half OF the work des-
patched by reluctant French soldiers,
and probably not more than third of
what those very slaves would do, if urg-
ed by their own interest, instead Of brute
force, as Mr.. Steele experienced" In
speaking OF M S'eele's experience, in
another place he remarks, s He has as
| cer,aineG as a fact, what was before known
TO the learned as theory, and to practi-
cal ,nen as paradox, That The taying
Of SLAVES for their labor, does actually
produce a rery great hroft TO their
owners." Again this able and expe-
rienced writer observes, 4" The planters
do not take the right way to make human
beings put forth their strength. They
apply main force where they should APP
ply moral motives, and pupishments
alone, where rewards should be Judi
ciously intcrmixed. And yet, strange
to tell, those very men affirm, and affirm
truly, that slave will do more work for
himself III an afternoon, than he could be
made 10 do Tor his owner Ia a whole day
or more. Now what is the plain infer
ence Mr.. Steele though a stranger liz
the West Indies, saw it at once, and re-
solved to turn it TO account. He saw
that the negroes, like all other human
being, were TO be stimulaled 10 perma-
nent exertion only by sense Of their
own interests, in providing for their own
wants and those o their offspring. Ho
therefore tried rewards, which imme-
diatey reused the most INDECENT to exer.
ton. His experiments ended in regn-
lar wages, which the industry he had
excited among his whole gang, enabled
him 10 pay. Here was natural, eff
cient, and profitable reciprocity Of inte-
rests. His people became contensed
his mind was freed from that perpetual
veXatlon, and that load of anxiety, which
are inseparable from the vulgar system,
aud in httle better than four years, The
annual nett clearance Of his hroherty
ypas more than trihled."
81 must additionally REFER" remarks
he same intelligent writer in another
place, "to an excellent pamphlet, enti-
lied Observations On Slavery, (pub-
ished in 1898, and now out OF
print by my late worthy friend Dir.
James Anderson, who shows that
the labor OF West India slave costs
about thrice as much as it would cost, if
executed by freeman. Taking another
case, be demonstrates that the labor Of
certain GOLFERS in Scotland, who, till our
own times, were subject to mild kind
OF vassaage, regulated by law, was
twice as dear asthat Of the freemen who
wrought other coal-mInes, in the same
country, and thrice as dear as common
day labor"
think we might safely infer, from the
preceding particulars, that under erdi-
nary circumstances the labor of free.m
IS cheaper thanIha, OF slaves; but there
are many other considerations which
strongly confirm this conclusions.
| Ii slave labor were cheaper than free
labor, we should naturally expect that,
in state where slavery was allowed,
land, c@teris haribus, would be most
valuable in The districts where that sys-
TEN prevailed and that in two adjoin-
ing states, in the one OF which slavery
was allowed, and in the other prohibited,
| land would be least valuable in the lat
ter; but the contrary is VIGOROUSLY the
fact. In late communication from
America on this subject, from an intelli-
gent observer, il is remarked: u" The
system of slave cultivation, as practised
in the United States of America, has
likewise most destructive effect on the
soil OF our country. The state of Mary
land, though slave state, has compara-s
lively but few slaves 10 the upper or