Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-03-20

until heard thcsc declarations, / had not fully
conceived the horrible extent of this evil. These
gentlemen state the fact, which the history and
present aspect of the Commonwealth but too well
sustain. The gcntlcman's facts and argument in
support of his plea of impoicy, to me, seem rather
unhappy. TO me, such state of things would it.
self he conclusive at least that something, even as
Il measure of policy, should be done. What, sir,
have You lived for two hundred years, without per
sonal effort or productive industry in cNtravarancc
and ndolcncc, sustained alone Ivy the return from
sales of the increase of your slaves, and retaining
merely such number your impoverished
lands sustain, stock, depending, too upon
a most uncertain MARKET When that market iS
closed, in the nature of things it must he, what
then Will become of this gentlemans hundred mil
lions worth of slaves, and the annual product
Bankruptcy, to say the least of it, is TO he the re-
suit of the policy strongly, and to me strangely
urged by the gentleman from Petersburg. Again
this gentleman says stake away the slaves. and
impoverished Virginia will then be, she will not
he able to supply their places with white laborcrs;'
'thc tide of migration (says hc) now sets to the
West, and we must wait until the mighty volume
of population shall have rolled to the base of the
Rocky Mountains, and filled up the whole inter
mediate valley. When its refucnt surgcs begin
to he felt again in the East, and population be-
comes abundant then, If crcr, but not before, this
work may commence" What think We of the pc
od ut W hch this gentleman would commence his
actionl Long, long, before that day, the work of
destruction will have been completed The coun.
care, will at that unknown period exhibit the evil
dcncc of dcsoation, consequent upon a scrvilc
war, state of irremcdablc bankrptcy.-
In order farther to shew the impolicy of pro-
posed measure, nc has attempted to prove the SUI
pcror prosperity of the slave-holding States over
the non-savc-holding portions of this Union. In
order to establish this position, he has given
tabular statement of the population and exports,
north and south of Mason d. Diron's Lima Line
which as protraction of the Southern Line of
Pennsylvania, westward, does not separate the
Northern and Southern States but is the division
line between the Southern and Western States, and
those OF the Northern and Eastern Sections of
tho Union. In his statement showing the amount
of Southern EXPORTS he necessarily includes the
Port of New Orleans, the place of exit for the
great mass of the produce of all the non-slavc-
holding Western States So that all calculations
based upon such exhibits so far intended to give
the amount, or comparative amount of the popu-
laton exports of the sldrc-hOLding States, must
lead to erroneous conclusions. On table may
he found in the Petition of the Lcwisburg Conven-
ton, much more accurate expose of the point the
gentleman has i'll vicw-as to Virginia alone, her
navigation it seems, in 1870, gave aggregate of
1896 tons. In 1929, her entire tonnage is report
ed at 1882, an increase in thirty nine years, of
but SIG tons. Her exports in 1892, amounted %
$3,'l',l9o in is29 to So, 1S1 ,43l an increase in
her erportS of 1921, 1872, IN Mnty-sercn years. In
1899, Virginia consumed of imported goods,
So353,936: i'll the same year, exports were
but ~, IS1, 13l-caving balance of imports
Sreacr tah exports, against us, OF ~ 566, 525, to
be made up out of the uncertain resource from
sales of slaves. Thus stands this item of evidence
from which we are to infer the prosperity of Vir-
ginia
In the course of this protracted debate, Mr..
Speaker, many other views have occurred to me,
NOT less powerful than those have just offered to
the House, in confirming in the conviction
that entertain, Of the imperative necessity for
immediate and vigorous action on this momentous
subject. But am admonishcd by a consideration
pf he hon nnIf l,n I l,,,,
already occupied, to close these remarks. In con-
clusion, let me express hope, that the Report of
the Committee may be reversed, and that hence
the cause of abolition may receive an Impetus
however slight, which will increase as tho public
sentiment becomes developed, until slavery shall
have been eXtirpated, and this venerable Common
wealth be enabled to rejoice in her freedom, from
It's polluting influence,