Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-04-13

These exiles carried with them their wealth,
their skill, and industry. Examine, sir, the
structure of her government, and licr internal
regulations Her king, her mobiles, her clergy,
unier papai bondage; the people without cdu-
cation; the two orders OF mobility and clergy,
with one third OF the land ot the Kingdom lock-
Ell up in perpetual nalicaabiity. Some idea of
the operation Of this latter cause may be form
CT from the experience OF the French revolution.
There, too, third Of the land Of the kingdom
was in the hands OF the privileged orders, and
inalienable. The French revolution, though it
produced some tremendous shocks, has left some
valuable monuments to its memory. The ma
tional domain was coafiscated and sold, and mil
lions of people, in consequence, became the
owners OF the soil. Who can doubt that but
for this, upon the restoration OF the Bourbon dy-
nasty, all the former abuses, and the whole an
cient regime, would have been restored with
them. TO return to Spain. Tho taxes of the
kingdom, the most oppressive in their manner
OF being laid AMI collected, ana almost the
whole borne by the people; whilst the privileged
orders were exempt, or nearly ~. Take par
tcular tax upon the sale of commodities rerea-
ted at every new sale, iuasm,,ch that article,
III its various transfers, has been taxed ten,
aye twelve different times. Consider the mon
strous and absurd practice grown into aprcScrip-
tive right in favor OF the priyiiciccd orders,
called the Mcsta by which they AZ liberty,
at will, to have thousands and rr,yri,,ls of sheep
driven through the different provinces for the
benefits OF pastaraSe; the most defective admin
istration OF justice, perhaps, in the civilized
world. which We know sooner than any other
cause to destroy ali credit in the transactions of
men. It's agriculture, sir, is mt as low an ebb
as its manufactures, and it is ascriba5le to the
same causes. These, SIR, the outlines OF
the picture of Spain. The effect OF all these
causes Is IN Il great degree, 10 destroy that mas
ter spring of human cXcrtion-thc certainty
that we Shall reap the profits of oar labor. No
man can fee! tiiis certainty, who docs not enjoy
security OF person and property. The Spanish
people are under the yoke Of a political, 4 legal,
and papal bondage. Look at England her
self, whilst she wore the CHAINS Of fpudal vassa-
age, and you " III iinl that the active spirit of
Industry, which now achieves much, then al
most lay dormant. Agriculture, manufactures,
and every kind OF m'iu3try, novel with slug
s.ursh pace. \ new era commenced, and all
the natural consequences followed.
s'-aIid this, sir, briar, nc 10 examine the exam
pies which Enslaad offers to our contemplate
The first view which Shall present on t,
subject, has reference IL the statistics OF the
Two countries. The population OF Great Br-
i,in and Ireland, acc 1rlinm to Lowe, for 1923,
was2. 800, o00. But. the statement, in re-
lation 10 ireland, was coiicctured, and that o.
Great Britan official, viii take that as the
subject oi coSpaci.on; Great Britain, thea,
IL iGe:, had a population of 100000, AMI
40, to the ihare Glilc; diyia; t!l,, po2ulation
by the number 10 the square mile, '!.i,d the
number OF square mile, 10 DC hess ti.ln 1900
the popolt,In III ti,, / niica STATES II: rouni
numbers, VIII state III 10000, 900 Ii VIC take
the whole territory OF the t:ritei States, in
Guiding the bnnndiess rc:on- beyond! tn, Mis-
gissk,ni, it is estimated by 3eybcrt ut 2,0Oo,090
s4,ss.c miles, ana III, population would Be
traction le.., ,,at / to the square mile. Can it,
MIR. C!ia,;;ran bo correct for rs, with terrific
~ so la;sc, population thin, to follow the
example Oh Great Britain, with a territory SO
S0aaAald a population SO densc. had thought
thst examples ware to be followed, WHEN cir
cu:nst.nces werc alike d; but here, so far from
likeness, the example offered for oar imitation
presents iething but striking contrast. For
moment sir, alljw me TO reverse the picture, to
take the converse Of tae proposition; suppose
t'iatt was formally proposed III t!.c British Par
Lament, that Gre;.. Britain should, BY legislative
interference, astcnpt to turn her capital and Ia
cor from manufactures TO agriculture, and the
argument offered should be- that America had
prospered by agriculture, what you'd be thought
.f such proposition The answer would be,
that our population, compared to territory,
points to manufacture 50 here, say, ;lilt our
population, compared TO territory, points 10 ag-
Great Britain, shall be found in New York. AMI
Pennsylvania, which, Csethcr contain great
er territory, manufactures will spring up IL The
natural course oi things.
Before proceed to examine the various eau
SOS which have contributed 10 the wealth Of Great
Britain, beg leave TO correct gentlemen as to
the fact Of manufactures there being pro-
ductiyc than agriculture. Mr.. Lowe, in his
work, giye5 US Colluhou1s estimate Of the pro-
perry created il Great Britain and Ireland in
1872 which, upon the whole, he considers as a.
bout fair estimate for 8!3. Tic aggregate
of that estimate is 400 000 G00i sterling; Of this
agriculture, in all its branches, including pas
tnre, is put down at2l7 600 ,000i manufactures,
N every brancc at II ,000, 900. thus, it ap-
pears that, including pasture, agriculture pro-
y3nce; more than manufactures, and every means
OF creating property put together but excu-
ding pasture, estimated at from 10000, O0Ol. to
100, 0D0,OUJi. and taking the largest sum, still
agriculture produces a few millions of pounds
sterling more than manufactures III every
branch. The same book gives table Of the
proportions Of population engaged in different
pursuits; from tiiis IL appears taking the year
1921 that the families chiefly engaged in aeri-
culture we're 978,G5G; those i'll manufactures,
trade, and lnecianical employment, 1850, 1895
the cYeraga estimate Of family being five per-
sons to each. Thus it appears, that if you take
the whole produci of agriculture, It exceeds the
agfig;ste OF all other products, BY some millions,
tn)uS'i TIC persons engaged i'll 1t are BDt so nu-
rncTIus, br moro than million and half Of peo-
plc; do not Ecan to say laborcrs, because the
estimate bcing by fa1lle3, includes all ages and
sexc7. il v0u exclude paStrrage from the agri-
cultural produce still il exceeds the whole pro-
duct Of manufactures. The table does notfurnish