Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-30

that the cheopness Of labor adds to the nett profit of
the producer-and these truths that man
(who knows what he is talking about) can deny
then II follows, as consequence, that il is TO the
true interest of Virginia TO exchange her slave
labor for white labor, which, by admission, and in
fact, IL the cheapest labor.
Ii might seem needless waste of time for him TO
point out some of the causes which rendered slave
labor dearer than the labor of free white man
after the fact had been fully admitted; notxh-
standing he would do so. Why, sir, is slave-labor
more expensive, and consequently less profitable
than the labor of the white man?
The answer is to be found i'm the operation of mo-
RAJ causes. They have no immediate se!sinterest to
act nc! upon hem-and yo4 Mr. Speaker, know somc-
horse and ride twenty miles, to profit another us ma
ny dollars; but, sir, you would do profit YOUR
self ten shiings. Se!f is the great spring of human
action-the great lever that operates This
great, this all-powerfu motive of action is wanting
TO stimulate the slave labor. 1t fails to operate
upon him for good, because he knows his master is
bound TO provide for him; whether he labors much
orhttle, and whether his makes little or rSuch
Therefore he is idle and wasteful. He knows too
that the letters which shacke him. are only 10 be
struck off by death-he knows that his labor is for
lie-and that day after day is bring him the same
to-whcther it be the barren HILL or fertile
plain, IL is TO him the same. He loses nothing by
ms eNertions being wasted upon slingy sterlity-he
gains nothing If a generous harvest his la
bors. lie, therefore, can have no motive for inn
proving the soil.
He knows that his master is bound to provide him
with lodging, clothing, food and medicine He has
no dependant wife or children--to call forth the en-
ergies OF his mind or nerve his Therefore it is
that the slave is supnc and mprovident utterly
gardiess OF economy lie understands not, or-if
ne understandable does not practice those little say
ngs which, especially in agric utura pursuits make
the larger portion of the profits, and result i'm the
prosperity of the agricuurist; and indeed of soce-
w. Besides this-seD-uereSt operates powerfully to
induce the slave to pursue n different course. lie
feels that all he fitch from his MASTER is Just so
nuch clear gain to himself; he regards all that his
master gets as an unjust appropriation by another
OF MS laDor lie reasons thus, sir; ii is common
doctrine amongst the slaves-and sir il is the rea-
sonlng OF nature-mans unaided reason teaches it
to hm-and the heart of unprecedented man owns its
business. Ii is otherwise with the white man. Self
interest operates fully upon his mindcas all its en-
crges INTO action and makes him intelligent indus
trous, ana economical. He knows that he is depen-
dant upon his own personal eXertons for support
lis own eNeriion is 10 procure him home, and
food and rainient." 1t is to him, and him alone if
he has wife and children, that they are to look for
shelter against the pitiless storms of Ueayen-to
him they to look for shield against the biting
frosts of autumn, and the keen blasts of winter
upon him they depend for their daily bread He
has thcn besides immediate seli-nterest all the ten
der sympathies of the human heart to prompt him
TO action. Such causes are lost upon the slave be-
cause he has master 10 provide for him. From the
same cause the white man desires TO reap the
greatest possible advantage from his labor-and he
knows that an equal amount of labor bestowed upon
rich land, Will yield greater profit than the same
amount bestowed upon poor land-therefore he uses
an ms eNerlons TO improve the quality of the soi-
Hence he concuded-and to his mind, it was a self.
eVident position (eyen though experience had not so
abunduntly proved the fact that the labor of n
white man, who had Il direct and immediate self
interest IN the product of his labor whose whole
earnings are entirely applied his own personal adj
Vancement, is far better calculated 10 promote the
n,1t,.,
than the labor of n slave who had no such self-in-
teres but, on the contrary, whose sclnerest is at
war with the seli-inerest of his master Hence
also, he concluded that no labor, induced alone bv
lear, could he permanently Observation-Disclosures TO
advance the happiness and prosperity oany society
Itthls conclusion is true, il follows The
employment of IL must bring misery and ruin upon
any country that would persist in it,
There Is, Mr.. Speaker another very important con-
cluslon deduciblc from these facts. Ii is ths-that
any and every policy which degrades large pro-
portion OF society, in an intellectual point of view,
ana linpars or destroys the effect of moral causes
upon their hearts, is unwise and runous in It's con-
sequences Slavery has that effect as he had be-
fore shown. Let us look into this matter Let us
sec TO what am operates. At the last census
our population stood thus-Whtes 694 445-slaves
469I24-irec negroes, AZ, I03-total number of
blacks 3l6S21-total population of the whole state
l,2il,2I2. So that nearly one half of the popua-
ton Of Virginia are blacks. The whole Intelligence
and moral susceptibiles are possessed bv the whole
of its Inhabitants Now, if one half of those nina
hltans are slaves, one half Of the mind, and moral
suScepubiitles OF that society, is lost to all useful
purposes, which is the in Virginia-which he
esteemed greater loss to the state than any amount
OF money could well be. IIalfa million OF freemen
eXerhng all their industry and Notwithstanding
10 the utmost, their mental and physical energies to
increase the value of their possessions and TO adj
vance the interest of society, would be to add meal
cuably to the wealth, prosperity, and happiness of
the good old commonwealth The removal of the
slaves would cause their places TO be supplied bv
such population. Ifso, can those who are opposed
to their removal, harbor doubt that such a change
would be vastly beneficial?
Ii any man doubts still whether the removal
OF the slaves would be beneficial let him turn
to the history of man.-Through every page Inc
Will find proofs of the advantages OF freedom
over slavery Let him contrast the darker ages
OF Europe, when all, except the great and no.
bic, were slaves, with its present condition.
when all men are comparatively free.-If he still
doubts, let him contrast the condition of Eu-
rope, with our own free America, and see how
far our happy reemen are, before the comparatveIy
ensiaVed Europeans. IL he wants another exam
pie, let him compare the MISUNDERSTANDING with the
save-hoding states. He will find the non-slave-
holding states enjoying prosperity uncqualled i'm
me annals OF the world, while the slave-holdinq
states are comparatively depressed and unprospe-
rolls Let him turn to the rust-dced books and the
saddic-bugs ofthe Papershaycr, and he would there
icaH the tate OF but too many who employ slave
labor Most of the slave-owners. sir are perfectly
content Ito use familiar phrase) if they can make