The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-06-26

i
tial outlay; but his value as property canno,
contribute any thing to production, for the
reason that the destruction Of the property
by the liberation of the slave would in no
degree destroy the efficiency Of his labor.
CHAPTER Nv.
1t follows from the foregoing reasoning.
which htunSly think incon,roverrible, thai
property in slaves has nothing TO do witt
production for in every instance of the
employment Of slave labor, the capital mus
'xceed the amour. necessary where free
aoor is employed, by the value OF the
slaves. And hence all the wealth of ind
'iduals which has assumed tina, shape has
dded nothing TO the resources Of the
State or Nation, 1t adds nothing to the
axable value or productive energies of the
country and yet has not been accumuls
ed without the same expense Of capital and
industry which are necessary in PRODUCING
,ther species Of wealth. TIE abolition OF
lavery, therefore, while it would be arten-
led with much individual loss, il effected
Without compensation TO the owner, would
lestroy none Of the resources Of the country.
1t would possess the same labor, and the
anne land and other materials to employ il
the same means and stronger motives
he hope Of gain in greater number. The
ak which the slave bears as property, he
would be equally able to pay in the char
.cter Of a free citizen. The military
strength of the country would be augment
d, not simply by the number Of slaves
nanumit,ed, but by that number togethe
With the number Of freemen which would
low be necessary TO hold the slaves in sub
ection. Slavery merely serves 10 appro :
'rate the wages Of labor-it distributes
wealth, but cannot create il. This will b.
egarded as a strange peculiarly Of slave
property that is actively employed in pro-
'uctive pursuits, and vet yields nothing
The reason is this: l, is the necessity
which e1is.s of appropnating the brute Gre
uoa, and all inanimate substances. in o.
Ter TO render them productive. and the alb
ence OF that necessity with reference to hu
nan beings. The OK never voluntarily as
Zines the yoke, nor the horse the saddle
both require a master TO give them any
agency in the production Of wealth-anG
he same is true Of all inaninate substan
,es. But man, as all experience proves.
will labor more assiduously in the accumu
alton OF wealth, under the incentive Of in
crest, than al the bidding Of a naster-the
rope Of gain having a more salutary effect
lpon him, than the lear OF punishment.
Since property invested in slaves is IN
productive and useless, as is apparen; from
he above reasoning, the direct effect OF It's
idm ssion into any State, is, consequently,
o divert the energies Of the people from its
improvement But slavery is not simply
mproductive it has a peculiarly whict
Belongs to no other species OF unpro1uctive
apital. 1t substitutes the place OF free cit
zens. by supplying oil the demand, for la
,or; and YET the substitute, as have de
nonstrated, requires several times more
capital to furnish it than is necessary to OBJ
ain supply OF free labor. Thus, ii the
;otton planter OF Alabama desires to extend
rs operations by the cultivation OF an al
litional hundred acres, with ten additional
a5orers, Uhe same suppositicns remaining)
he mus, frs, accumulate nine thousand dol
ars
But if the farmer in Ohio OF equal means
'hould desire to extend bis operations il
quail degree, il would De necessary TO.
lin TO accumulate only two thousand dol
ars for that end Or il citizen OF New
York should enigrate to Ohio with two
thousand dollars, a number Of laborers
would thereby be induced to follow him.
n he would add as much to the population
md resources Of the State As would be add
d to those Of Alabama BY an em;gran
rom Virginia with capital of nine thous
md dollars. This, Of course, supposcs
Is before remarked, tina. slave labor j,
exclusively employed in Alabama, and
that the price Of land is the same, ten dol
lars per acre, in the two States.
the slave population OF Virginia, in
l840, amounted to within fraction Of fom
hundred and fifty thousand, (450,OOO.-
They have been acquired, like other spe
les Of property, BY the joint operation o.
industry and capital; and il the average
value Of the slaves be three hundred dollars
each, the sum Of their value will be one
hundred and thirty-five million Of dollars
OBS, 000,O00). Had slavery never been
admitted into Virginia. the wealth which a
present exists in that shape would Of course
nave assumed some other-,nd would now
appear in the form Of improved lands, bet
.er and more numerous houses, towns,
cities; more commerce and manufacture;
md the place Of the four hundred and 6fl,
thousand slaves would have been supplied
BY nearly FIVE times the number Of free cit
zens, as | have demonstrated above. Such
IN addition to the present fee population o
Virginia would place her, in point OF mum
5ers, before any State in the Union. Bu
the immense amount Of wealth in slave
property which has been taken to the South
west would be brought into the conputa.
lion, the population Of Virginia would
this time have exceeded thai OF her sister
States in a degree Proportionate to her su
periority Of numbers fifty years ago.
The monopoly which the Southern States
have enjoyed, Of supplying the market O.
the world with the important articles cot
ton and tobacco, has had great effect in pal
liating the evils Of slavery; or rather, it has
introduced, sustained and extended the sys-
tenn much further than could be done under
other circumstances. This end has been
seconded. likewise. by the vast extent Of ter
ritory over which the institution has been
extended. This circumstance has admitted
Of the abandonment OF exhausted lands
which will presently show it 10 imPossi-