The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-07-03

| w. No"'Ay "'S hhO"SA boauiciu pJllo
The difference in distancesis triling: anc
the Southern harbors, particularly Nor(olL
and Charleston, are equal TO any north o
them. But admitting that they lie undcl
some disadvantages of position, il is much
more than countcrbalanced by the conSdc.
rations that three-fourths offhe exports o.
the country are necessarily made through
them. The chief exports Of the United
States, cotton and tobacco. amounting to
some scventy-6ve or eighty millions per an
mum, are, Of necessity sent abroad through
Southern ports. Ii would Be in the natural
course Of uadc for the vessels which take
abroad these products to return to the same
ports with cargoes Of merchandise in ex.
change for them; but instead Of doing 50,
they return to Northern cities with The i'm
ports. from whence that porsiCu Of them de-
stined for the South are taken in the coast
ing vessels after transhipment This is
caused by the fact, that the great bulk of
Southern capital is unProductively invested
in slavery. leaving none to b, otherwise en-
ployed II the free States furnished the
great bulk OF the exports, their commercial
prosperity would undoubtedly be ascribed
to that circumstance; or if the exports from
the two sections Of the Union were equal, it
might be plausibly alleged tina, the CONNER
cial superiority Of the North was atribut-
able to its more favorable position. But
nearly al the exports being from Southern
ports, their meagre and languishing COM
merce is lnexplcabls upon any other ground
than that have assigned
| have now to combat the very opposite
opinion, Viz: that Free Trade caused the
ruin of Italian Agriculture.
| have seen an article in Blackwood's
Magazine for March, 1874, which makes
use Of the historical facts, in an argument
agains. Free Trade which had intended
to adducc in corroborai.on of my views Of
slavery. The w,iter of the article attrib-
utes the decline OF Italian agriculture TO the
practical free trade which existed between
the various parts of the Roman empire,
whereby the agrculrurist OF Italy vas
brought in competition with the fertile plains
Of Egypt and Lydia. 1t seems that the Free
Traders in England have controver:ed this
reasoning OF the Reviewer and OF Allison,
from whom he bonows The idea; and they
have assigned the same cause slavery, for
the decline of agriculture which ! do but
| presume tina, they attribute the evil TO
slavery without attempting TO show how it
operates. This think | have done. |
have shown that three or four times more
capital is Necessary, in this country. to car.
~ on agricultural operations with slave Ia
Dor than is requisite with free labor Where
the price of land is very high, the proPo,-
tional difference is not 50 great in favor of
free labor; but the actual difference is al
ways equal TO the value of the slaves This
is the ease Notwithstanding the profitable
ness OF slavery TO the individual owner of
tina, species property. Its pref,ableness is
easily accounted fol-, and consists OF the Ia
borers wages being usnsferred TO the pocket
of his master.
The Reviewer contends that slavery eX-
listed in equal degree in Egypt and Lybi, as
in Italy; but without equal means Of infor-
nation upon the subject, doub the cor
Iectness OF the statement,
The Roman people, for long period be-
fore and after the fall of the Republic, were
engaged in continual wars which, as his
tory informs US, and reason makes probable,
had the effect of withdrawing the free agri-
cultural population from their homes; and
the Introduction Of thousands of prisoners,
to adon the triumphs of her successful gen.
erals, would naturally supply the place Of
the freemen. We learn that such was the
case and that Italy was abandoned to the
wretched cultivation OF slave labor
On the other hand, the distant rovinces
were likely to have their population with
drawn 10 support the wars. and the inferior
ity of the Egyptian peasaniry to the Roman
people, would dis9ualily them for tie amy.
Doubtless the peasantry Of Egypt md Ly.
bia, were in condition little better than
slavery, morally speaking; but if they were
not actually cha,,els-if each individual
was 50 far free as to be under the recess ~
of providing for himself and famiy--tht
political evils Of such state of things would
be far less. The great political evil o
slavery is its absorption of capital which
would otherwise be employed in some spe
cies Of improvement. II. therefore, he po
litical condition Of the peasanry in thos'
countries was in any degree similar in tina
age to what it is now represented to ne, i
must have been much more favorable to pro
duction than a state of absolute slavery.
To show that free trade, without reierenc
to slavery, could not have proved dstructiv
TO Italian agriculture would appeal to tn
condition Of our own country. What POI
ton Of the American Union exhibits tn
highest agricultural improvement? is
not invariably the case Except in the bligl
ted regions Of slavery that the ohes, an
= most populous parts are under the higne'
state Of cultivation? And yet the same ire
> trade exists here that existed in the Roma
Empire. 1t would be strange if that Pc
ton Of the country which produces the gIca
est quantity Of manure should be ruined |
;, the rivalry of rcmoter regions. The on
effect of that competition would be fall
the price of land; but there could be 1
: necessity for abandoning its cultivation
/ The injurious rivalry Of the Weste
States canno. affect the Eastern longer tn;
9 is necessary to exhaust or tire the new lane
81 which for a few years yield rich harvt
II without the expense Of manuring. II
II has already taken place in all the new Stat
&c where lands have been long subjected
&c their careless husbandry; and in few Yea
Is tho Atlantic STATES will he relieved fro