Wheeling compiler. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [i.e. W. Va.]) 1829-1831, 1829-09-02

ON the ground by It's Smelling out, aad the
straw will be much better fodder.
From the Virginia Literary Museum.
THE POLICY OF ENCOURAGING
MANUFACTURES. No. 3.
We must now place the Manufacturer by the side
of the Agdculturist-JfirsOH.
five have been right in our preceding
remarks. Virginia is no more incapable OF
engaging I'm manufactures to advantage,
from her employing slave labor, than from
the high price of thatlabor, or the high prof
ITS of capital 1t ls not meant to be denied
that slave labor has ITS Disadvantages,
which must. IN fairness be added to its
money price, to ascertain Its intrinsic cost
But when we see so little difference be-
tween the wages offree labOrers and slaves
in many species of industry, as when they
are employed IN harvest work, or as me-
chanlcs, or watermen, we must think that
most of the difference Is rather probable
than necessary--rather incidental than ne
cessarv. and that it may be made 10 yield
to a course of judJcious management, and
superlntendeuce, which are, as we have
seen. more practicable In mandatory
than ON a farm. But, however, we may
estimate the inieriorlty of slave labor, whe
ther at ten or fifteen per cent, or yet more,
the difference must be added to the com
Duted plice of that labor in our previous
comparative estimates; and as labor con
shtutes but one of the three elements Of
price, and not always the Largest, such
difference would not materially vary the
results that have been already stated.
But ifthe objections to slave labor had
been unanswerable, they would not have
established our incapacity to manufacture,
since there would be no difficulty in pro
curing free laborers in this state, for any
number of manufactures, shat might be
established, at price little beyond that es-
6mated for slaves. If, then, we car ad-
NIT the strange proposition, that our slaves
who constitute so large a part Of our me
chauics, are incapable of the most simple
operations of the mandatory, we must
also admit that they may be retained 90
their present agricultural employmeats,
AID that a part of our free laborers may
be transferred from their less profitable
farming occupations, or from downright
Idleness. Let It be remembered that the
chiefemployments OF our people must long
continue to be agricultural, and that the
version of a small proportion OF our la
Dor. ln the way we recommend Will be
sufficient to supply US with course manu-
actu es, and to prevent the present mis-
chieyous redundancy of our staple pro-
ducts. We will now consider the
Sd Objection That y 2aBact0ries
hare iajuious moral and political EFFECTS.
The mischiefs that have been imputed to
manufacturing establishments, are lst.
That those who work In them are exposed
10 greater prlvatiou and discomfort tnan
those who are employed m agriculture. "a.
That they contribute both to the moral and
the intellectual degradation ofthe laborer-
or operatives. 81 That they are not
cougenlal with Republican Institutions.
To each of these we viii give a brief con-
slderuOn.
The rant Of comfort Of the .MapJae-
tygs That those who are employed IN
the manufactures of Europe. have been
often compelled to undergo excessive la
Dor. and endure great privatlon, cannot
be denied. But this is far less the case
now than formerly, and the change IS TO
be attributed partly TO the exte ded use Of
machinery, which at once lessons the la
bors of the body, and allows more tame for
mental improvement; and partly to the
higher station this class of persons now
hold In the public estimation.
But we have in the United States, an
efecual security against these evils, IN
the facility, with which any man may be
take himselfto the occupation of husband
nv. and thereby obtain the comforts ofGte.
So long as We possess fertile, untitled land,
the average profits and comforts of agrI-
culture will furnish standard, below
which those of no other employment can
fall: and our manufacturers viii not long
submit 10 lower wages, or to less comfort
than they can obtain by cul6yating the
earth. The Phiianthropisis, then, whose