The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-11-20


{ Virginia. Il demonstrates the ruinous ef
iects of slavery upon the countries in which
the longest and most complete trial Of i
has been made.
There are certain drugs, Of which large
doses are poisonous. but small ones are in:
nocent or even salutary. Slavery is not oil
this kind. Large doses Of it kill, il is true,
but smaller doses, mix them as you will;
are sure to sicken and debilitale the body
polite: This can be abundantly proved by
examples. For one, let Us take the rich
and beautiful State Of Kentucky, compared
with her free neighbor Ohio. The slaves
Of Kentucky have composed less than a
fourth part OF her population. But mark
their effect upon the comparative growth OF
the State. In the year 1900, Kentucky
contained POI 900 inhabitants, and Ohio,
$4,000. In forty years, the population Of
Kentucky had risen 10 100000; that Of
Ohio to $4,000. This wonderful diff
ference could not be owing to any natural
superiority Of the Ohio country. Kentucky
is nearly as large, nearly as fertile, and
quite equal in other gifts of nature. She
had greatly the advantage too in the outset
of this forty years race Of population. She
started with Ave and half inhabitants to
the square mile, and came out with 20;
Ohio started with one inhabitant to the
square mile, and came out with 80. Ken
lucky had full possession Of her territory at
the beginning. Much Of Ohio was then,
and for long time afterwards, in posses
sion of the Indians. Ohio is by this time
considerably more than twice as thickly
peopled as Kentucky; yet she still gains
both by natural increase and by the influx
Of emigrants while kentucky has for
twenty years been receiving much fewer
emigrants than Ohio, and mul;itudes Of her
citizens have been yearly moving of to
newer and vet newer countries.
In Tennessee the proportion Of slaves is
about the same, and the effects are about
the same, as in Kentucky. Missouri is too
new country to afford instruction on this
subject; but her physical advantages are
drawing such q multitude Of free emigrants
into her, that her small amount Of slavery
must, ere long, give way and vanish be-
fore "the genius Of universal emanciPa-
ton"
Maryland has comparatively few slaves,
and these are found chiefly about her old
Underwater shores, where like the locusls
they have eaten up nearly every green thing
On the whole, the slaves of Maryland have
composed between fourth and fifth par
Of her population. Her progress under thi'
dead weight, has been much slower thar
that Of her neighbor Pennsylvania am
would be completely stopped, if this FIRE,
neighbor did not send a viviiying inhuenc'
into her upper counties and her city Of Bal
timore.
Our own West Virginia furnishes con
elusive evidence, that slavery, in all quaint
, ties and degrees, has pernicious infuenc
on the public welfare. But We reserve TIN
example to a subsequent head OF the argu
ment, where we can present it in NOR
J complete form.
} We have now seen how slavery, whe
in full operation, first checks, and then stops
}. the growth of population; and finally turn
: it into decline. We have seen also thu
$ slavery, when in partial operation, or mike
!. with larger proportion Of free labor hang
e like dead weight upon country, an
h makes it drag heavily EDWARDS in the marc
!. Of population.
e Increase Of population depends upon il
5 crease in the means OF living. WheTev'
If the three great branches of productive il
i; dustry, Agriculture, Manufactures and Con
:; merce, or any Of them, continue to yield il
IS creasing products, the population will il
l. crease at the same rate because then i
dustry produces a surplus beyond the pr
5, sent wants Of the people, and more iamlll
IS can be supported, This is the general rul
m The only exceptions to it are partial al
temporary in their occurrence. Populate
Of may increase to small degree, while Il
a, yearly products Of industry are stationar,
S, but then it can be, only by allowing
in each individual reduced share of product
In this case poverty and misery increa
with the population, and must soon stop
Of progress In this country, where emlgl
j. ton to new territories is so easy, the Peep
b are sure to relieve themselves by emigratlo
ey whenever the means Of living begin to Il
b; in their native place. Without some pr
Its sure Of this sort, attachment to their matt
ot land is ordinarily sufficient to prevent m
he from emigrating. Some may emlgr'
nd without any feeling of necessity; but
ID, many, if not more, will not emigrate, un
ID, want pinches them sorely.
an We may lay it down as a general rule, the
fore, that the quantity of emigration from
We State is a pretty accurate index of It's co
w. parative prosperity lflew leave it, we m
If Justly infer that its industry is thriung-s
he fciently so to support the natural increase
ne its population, and to make nearly all CT
he tented at home. But if large and Perp
ed uaL stream of emigrants is pouring out oil
on in search of better fortune elsewhere II
: an infallible symptom Of one oil two thnt
nd either that the country has no more natu
hi. sources from which industry may draw
of creasing products-or that the people
not deficient in enterprise and skill to imPr'
Al. the resources OF their country.
its Let US apply this rule to Virginia,
to how will she appear? We take it
,er. granted, that the people Of Virginia mu
ere ply as fast, naturally, as the people OF {
inc er States-that is, at the rate of thiIty-th
and third per cent in ten years; so tina
ON none emgrated, the number would be
,ue creased by one third in that period OF til
the Compare this natural increase with