Mobile register and journal., 1845-10-04
rnr lhe Rr,-.l..r nnl ami .Ionrnnl.



MEssRs. EptroRs.-I see ia your paper of the
I'd inst, published without cpWDent, letter from
Col. Albert Picket, To the various Gland Juries
Of the State The subject of the introduction Of
sives into this State for sale. have acquaini
with the author the letter, either personally
or by reputation; but presume from the manner in
which YOU notice the publication, that he is per-
son Of considerable influence. whose mere in lgment
question of such magnitude will have consider
able influence with The different tribunals to whom
the letter is addresse and whuse suggestions on
matters properly Uithu Their province, are aud ongh
be, received by The Leg slaure with much respect
and attention I must be permitted, however, to
say that do not consider questions of Political
Economy property belonging to the functions
of grand jury, and that the introduction of such
subjects into their presenimens is very little cacu-
lated TO benefit the put lic-or indeed, 10 produce
any other effect than TO give rise 10 innumerabe
crudties the Of politics and government
entirely foreign to the purpose for which courts Of
Justice established. presume Col. Picket's
object is 10 induce all the grand jures of the Stale
TO present the introduction of negroes from other
States for sale IN this as nuisance; or ri least,
induce these juries to press upon The next Lcgs-
laure the duty of prohibiting suck introduces ,n--a
measure unwise the means of effecing il are
Legitimate,
propose to say very little on this subject, and my
chief object in thus addressing you, is to induce the
persons to whom Mr. Pickets letter is addressed To
views which it appears to me, every rejecting mind
must see, Hre Of the most mischievous tendency.
The project Of prohibiting the introduction Of
slaves any other species OF merchandise into a
State from abroad, belongs to IA set of long exploded
notions the means of enriching nation. The
object is to augment the value Of the slaves and Of
slave labor in State, by preventing their further
ncrease-an beet which various governments have
attempted ia times Of distress as 10 almost every
known species OF property, and always u the mani
fest detrimrnt of the people. Those who have
superabundance ofhe particular species of property
intended 10 be augmented IN value are temporarily
benefited, bat every community is pretty equally
divided into buy ers and sellers, this temporary
augmentation Of value in the end cannot add dollar
To the wealth,of the communty-whnse condition, 50
far the money value Of property is concerned, Is
affected otherwise than would be The wealth oi
private person who sought TO grow rich by continu-
ally shutting his money from pocket 10 the 9th
er Such measure made permanent wonld be
TAM amount II dec of perpetual poverty against
| the Stale.
Bot the influence of snch legislation upon a
| State like Alabama would be miscellaneous bev0nd
| calculation, VIVA, rs needed in all States OF
extensive and unctvated territory Is agricultural
| labor, either slave or Tree Every coTer who
| brings with him capacity for labor brings with
him so much capital into the State because, even It
he comes without dollar, he possesses in his labor
thai which is equivalent to money What would we
|
emigration into that State Of manufacturing labor
ers with the view Of augmen'ng the value Of that
species of labor already in the State! Or, Of I'LL
| nois, State like agricultural and largely
| in debt, prohibiting any increase Of population by
emIgration with view TO make the free labor al
| ready in the State valuable!
| This would be an extraordinary mode OF enabling
Illinois to pay her debts; yet, | should like Mr..
Picket, any other person. to point out the differ
ence in their effects upon the public prosperity be-
tween such regulations in either of those States and
| that which he proposes in this! Every one must
perceive that the fist elects Of such IA prohibition
would be TO augment the value Of every slave now in
Alabama, while the value of the same species oil
property in other States would scarcely feel ITS ei-
iects As The profit made on every cnmDndIiy de-
ponds mainly upon the Of the labor employed in
its production, The consequences wouli he that the
production Of cotton, corn and all other commodities
pr duced by slave labor, would be rendered more ex-
pensiye in Alabama than in anv other Southern
State. ll Mr. Picket makes, by hls proposed law,
q slave worth thousand dollars here, while a slave
Of the capacity in Mississippi is worth but five
hundred dollars, HE cost Of producug every addI-
tional bale Of cotton is aaenAnted in proporinn to
this increased of the labor that produced it, As
this would render The culture Of cotton less va1lbe
N Alabama than other Southern States that were
wise enough To leave labor to find us own Vaiue the
first effect would be thai every man in Alabama who
knew his interests would sell his slaves AT their
he could buy with the same money larger number
Of slaves and thus add so much 10 the amount Of his
productive capital.
| Even IL there was not another people m the Union
that produced cotton, Alabama would be greatly in
ured by the absurd restriction upon The increase Of
her productive labor. The wealth of Community
ponds upon the aggregate wealth of all It's members,
moi upon u forced augmentation Of the value Of that
possessed by few; and restrictive regulation de-
signed, bv limiting It's increase, 10 raise II price,
would benefit none but those who sold Immediately
and left the State.
Suppose the Legislature could pass act making
one dollar legal tender for two dolars-is any
man simple enough to suppose that the peoply OF Al
ALBANIA would he rendered richer and more prosper
Gus by the enactment? Yet such regulation
which mistaken and long discarded views Of public
economy have induced almost every commercial ma
ton to adopt as "a temporary expedent-woud be
wise, compared with Mr. Pickeu's scheme which
strikes at the foundation of all naiioual prosperity
the increase Of population, of productive labor, and
| consequently, of capital.
| But Mr., Pickett thinks that too much cotton 10
made, and its diminished value is the consequence.
This may be true; but does he suppose that re-
stricvive law such as he proposes in Alabama, would
materially affect the production or the value Of cot
toni And does he suppose that the other Southern
States will follow his example, and prohibit the in
PRODUCTION Of slaves alsoa IL they did, slavery
would speedily disappear altogether; if they did
both the white and The black population out of the
State. Nc man certainly would remain here who
could sell his slaves at Mr.. Pickeu's augmented va
lue, and take the money where he could buy them
cheaper, and this motive alone would by increasing
the number offered for sale, in the end diminish
their saleabe value, and render the prohibition
wholly nugaiory 1t ia the nature OF all these false
schemes of growing prosperous and getting out OF
debt without labor, to defeat themselves. This is
the effect annexed to them by the Almighty, TO pre-
vent the reign of idleness, folly and despotism.
But Mr. Pickett says that $500 negroes were sold
in Montgomery last winter by traders, for the round
of $50, 900, and this amount taken out of the
State" And what Of it? Surely some mad Of
the Tariff has bitten Mr. Pickett, who, learn, Is
good democrat Did not those who gave their mo-
ney get in return negroes, whom they. at iedst be-
Iieved to be more valuable? If negro traders can
sell their slaves to the people of Alabama more
cheaply than the people of Alabama can afford 10
raise and sell them themselves, is it not the interest
of the people Of abama to buy from the negro ira
ders. rather than from one another? And is not the
diminished price al winch they can buy them, so
much clear gam To the people of Alabama! 1t would
be farce indeed If Democratic Legislature, pro-
Tossing to abhor the frauds and TO through the
faacies of the Protective system, should adopt II IN
form the most absurd and suicidal that ever enter
ed the brain of nan--by prohibiting the increase of
population, of labor, and OF productive capital. AS
to the lmpolicy of producing much cotton the
people may be safely left to fad It out themselves.
The prohibition which, existed in Mississippi a
gainst The introduction Of slaves for sale was dead
letter. II was evaded in every part of the State.
The negroes were generally introduced in the name
of resident planter; and in fact the elect OF
was 10 make the planters. 10 large extent, negro
traders. Ii does not require moments reflection
to see that such law never can be effecually ell
Eorce