Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1832-05-17
MAR rTNsBURG. M.rl7. 1854.

lied 10 cali the attention Of our readers to il;
but it was not our intention thus lightly to
hpass over bis leading arguments. It contains
khe most powerful argument of any speech
Ior essay we have yet seen against elnancipa-
lion, and it is go considered by those who agree
with MIR b. in opinion. 1t affords our rea-
ldcrs, the fullest, and most favorable view Of
that side Of the question. its intrinsic merits
land the beauty of its stile. render the review
of it agreeable 20 US. and as We flatter our
selves that the arguments may be easily an
'9wered, we trust we shall remove from the
minds of some, the objections which with
Ihoid them from acting with Us in this good
%Icause. But to the speech.
MIR. b. says. ''there are now in Virginia
Iabout 100000 slaves, their aggregate value
hs about one hundred millions Of doIlars.n
he assessed value of all the lands, houses
aHd lots ia the commonwealth is two hun
Iared and SIX millions" '"Fhe value Of lands,
houses and lots in Virginia, east of the blue
Fridge, is but little more than one hundred
Imillions. The value of the slaves in the
Isame district, IS about eighty millions, or
nearly one half its entire wealth. These
slaves Constitute the nett proceeds Of the IA
lbor OF our ancestors and ourselves. from the
Foundation OF the colony at James Town, to
khe present moment. We found the soil
tRhere !, sit was no acquisition of ours
i've cultivated it, and it has yielded US one
hundred millions Of dollars, which have been
sradnaliy invested in slaves. s.ft now forms
Eour capital stock. 1t is the sum total of the
hard earnings of successive generations, du
hing the long and toilsome lapse of more than
wo hundred years We derive our subsis-
Hence from the labor of our slaves, precisely
Pr the same manner that we would live on the
eDiefest OF our money. If the one hundred
fnIllIons had been invested in bank stock
from the annual products of their labor. we
Obtain the neeessaries Of life, and have a sur
plus of more than 1000 900 for expectation.
flake from US these slaves without compen-
Satlon, and what have we leftp Our lands
PTS true-but even these would be d~eprecia
tied TO a great and incalculable extent By
ldeprivlng US of laborers, and leaving us des-
ltitute of the means of procuring others, you
throw out of cultivation, aproportionate part
LOT the sol-lessen the demand for il, and
lreduce its price. In short sir, whether the
emancipation and removal of our slaves, be
effected in one year OR in thirty years, when
ever the work shall have been accomplished,
you will have reduced US to beggary and
want"
/ We will only mention the fact disclosed by
Mr. b., that with a capital in lands and ne
Igroes, whose assessed and computed value is
Ithree hundred millions, we have over and a.
Dove the supply of our necessities but
6 ,000,o 900 annually, yielding us a profit of
Eabont l l-s per cent. on our capital, with all
our labor thrown into the bargain, because
we c%andidly admit. improbable as we deem
slave labor, we believe Mr.. u. has in this not
done justice to his cause; and this question
Is Of such vital Importance TO our interests,
That it should he considered with the utmost
Fairness on al. sides, and placed on no grounds.
(which cannot be perfectly sustained. Were
this indeed "the sum total" Of our profits, it
would furnish an argument almost conclusive
for shifting our capital and industry, to some
more profitable investment, or pursuit But
|sve promised not TO debate this question, and
proceed directly to consider the main argu-
tIcht III ~ tstfdCt we nave Ittues
1t is this. That all the hard earnings of
This great commonwealth for TWO hundred
years. amount to one hundred millions of dol
Jars vested in slaves, yielding us a profit of
about l | 8 per ct-all of which would be
entirely destroyed by any system of emanci
patton. without compensation to the holders;
land that when the emancipation was compile
tied and the slaves removed, it would meal
|culabiy depreciate our lands in value, by de-
|priving US not only of all laborers but Of the
Emeans of employing them, and thus reduce
|the owners of the soil to beggary and want.
Every one must know that this picture does
mot suit the country west Of the Blue Ridge:
that here at least there wonld be no difficult
sty in procuring free labor, or in placing our
Eiands under a judicious system of tenantry.
We shall pursue the argument therefore en-
stirely in reference TO lower Virginia, con
ssciouS that unless we can remove from the
minds of our readers the fear Of these evils,
they never will consent to inflict them on our
eastern brethren, however, desirable the OBJ.
jcct to be attained.
MIR, b. says, I'VE derive our substance from
the labor Of our slaves" "From the annual