The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-06-19
CHAPTER m.

Reflection upon the facts SCI forth above,
has led the author of these pages into the
common opinion that slavery has been the
obstacle which has retarded the improve
rnent and population Of the Southern States
But at this point another question arises
How does slavery present that obstacle :
Fhe COMMON, Snd 1 belieyt The UNIVERSAL
opinion is, that slavery afsts the prosper
ity Of the country by its tendency to degrade
labor in the estimation of he po0r, and to
engender pride in the richs and as con
sequence, to produce idleness and inatten.
ton to business in all. And besides, il is
said to have the effect Of keeping away
foreign immigrants whose sentiments are
averse to the institution. These combined
causes, it is thought, have produced the
great disparities between- the North hnd
South above adverted to.
1t will not be attempted to deny the ex
itence or the operation of the causes as
signed; but my present purpose will be tC
show, that the chief evils Of slavery TO the
body polite result from principles more
stubborn and powerful than its moral effects
upon the people. f..
If a farmer in Ohio own one hundred
acres Of land, with the rattle, the food to
subsist them, and utensils Of husbandry
necessary in its tillage, hy will, as is obvi
Gus, be able to enter upon its cultivation
with an additional ready capital sufficient
to supply his laborers with maintenance
Thus, if the food and shelter Of free la
borer be worth fifty dollars per annum, and
one laborer be necessary to the cultivation
of ten acres, then five hundred dollars would
be the additional capita necessary in the
case above supposed. The laborers wa
ges invariably come out Of the sale Of tn,
crop, and consequently there existed nc
necessity for the employer to have il BY
him. .-.
| The illustration may be varied by est
mating the amount Of capital necessary Il
the making Of a given Product-one hun
dred bales Of cotton, fdr instance II, a
is asserted, one man can produce ten bale
Of cotton, (of course the product per hanc
is immaterial to the illustration then tn,
capital necessary to the production Of on
hundred bales, apart from the land, etc. a
above, will be five hund,.d dollars.
| will now tenqire the amount Of capita
necessary to employ slave laborin the cul
tivation Of one hundred acres Of land, o
the production Of one hundred balcs OF cot
ton. II men slaves be worth seven hun
dred dollars, and the food and clothing o
a slave fifty dollars per annum, the cultiya
ton of one hundred acres of'land by tn
labor of ten slaves in Alabama, requires
capital Of seven thousand five hundred dol
lars, apart from capital invested in land
cattle, &c. as above Or the productio
Of one hundred bales of cotton by slave Ii
Dor requires capital Of seven thousan
five hundred dollars, apart from the value
land, &c. | have based the illustration, e
convenience, upon the suppostion that I'll
labor Of men only is employed, butt is pc
fectlv obvious that the principle is true gel
orally of all free and all slave labor.
| Again. The average annual cotton Gro
of the United States for the last three I
four years is estimated to have amounted
two millions of bales, 2.Wo, ooO9 If
be supposed, for convenience, that the lab
!, of men slaves only, is employed IN its pr
duction; and the same suppositions remail
ing as above with reference to the value
slaves, the product per hand, and the Prit
+ Of provisions and clothing; then the nur
Der of slaves employed in the production
the crop Of the country viii be two hpndr'
thousand; and the capital necessary 70 'eo
lploy them will be one hundred and ut
. millions Of dollars, (s150. 900, o0O) whit
sum Includes the value of the slaves and u
cost Of their yearly maintenance. But
lalsvery were out Of the way, and free lab