Southern marksman. [volume] (Clinton, Miss.) 1838-1839, 1838-12-11
MISCELLANEOUS.
LETTER TO PROFESSOR HOLDICH.

LETTER TO PROFESSOR HOLDICH
REV. I'm my last letter, showed
TO what causes England owes her immense
wealth. To show why the other countries
Of Europe are less wealthy, would be only
TO show that causes Of the opposite charac-
fer affect their condition, or that, if like
causes operate in them, they do not operate
with the same efficiency as in England, or
have not been so long in operation.
AS evidence Of the advantages deriya-
be from paper money, you contrast the con-
dition of England with that of Spain, Por-
tuoal. and italy. Would it not be more
rational to attribute this difference TO Diff
ference in political institutions, and null
ti,ude of other circumstances affecting the
condition of the people? AS well might
you attribute England's superiority to Tur-
key, or Egypt, or Abyssinia, to her paper
money, as 10 make this the cause OF her SUI
periority 10 the despotisms of Southern
Europe. Is not the want Of religious free
dom. and the difference in the modes of
thinking and acting this want occasions,
sufficient to account for much OF this dis
parity? Then add the wars by which these
countries have been devased, and the do
mestic instructions by which they have
suffered, then make due allowance for the
losses Spain and Portugal have sustained
of the tribute which used to be paid them
by their valuable colonies, and which went
to supply, in part, the lack OF wealth occa~
stoned by bad government at home; con
slider, in fine, all the circumstances, moral,
nolitical. and economical, in which these
countries now differ, and have for many
years differed, from England, and you will.
without having any recourse to your paper
money theory, have no difficulty in account
ing for the disparity of their condition.
Russia is a country but recently emer-
ged from barbarlsm, though now making
rapid advances in wealth and civilization.
You contrast England's condition with
that of Russla's to show the advantages de-
rived from paper money? You do the
same in regard to Norway, country whose
climate is so ungracous that a considerable
portion ofthe inhabitants subsist for a part
of TIE year on the bark of trees! Why did
YOU not include Iceland and Greenland and
Nova ZemDla in the comparison? You
are little more reasonable, when You COM
pare England with Denmark and Austria
Both these countries are despotisms-Den-
mark, mild Protestant despotism, and
Austria, mild Catholic despotism. Where
men owe the blessings they enjoy rather to
the personal character of the monarch than
10 positive institutions, 1t is folly to expect
TO fnd such activity of mind, and such
general prosperity as is to be found only in
countries where freedom, political, COM
mercial, and religious, in lis different de-
grees, is guaranteed by all the safeguards of
civilized society.
Independently OF this, however, the very
limited natural resources of Denmark, and
the inland situation of Austria, are sufficient
of themselves to account for much oftheir
inferiority to England. The hostile fleets
and armies from which they have suffered,
should not, also, beentirely disregarded.
But to give in detail all the particulars in
which Russia, Norway, Denmark, and Aus
tria now differ and have differed from Eng.
land. and thereby TO show all the causes of
the difference in their condition, would be
90 fill folio volumes. ! cannot undertake
the task. If you, Reverend sir, choose to
engage in it, and will execute 1t faithful
ly. YOU will, think, be far from addgcing
their condition as eyincing |'the remarkable
fact. that. in every natior where only
me,allic currency is used, the people are
.epsIayed, and the aristocracy monopoilse