The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-03-18
Cause Of the Growth asA Prosperity el

hundreds OF thousands OF people!
Cause Of sse Growth asA Prosperity Of
Ctties.
The history of the world shows, that the
growth, and prosperity Of cities, are by no
means, mere accidents. They are the inevits-
bic results of certain causes. These causes may
be briefly stated, thus:
/. Density Of Population.
Every large population, must have citizens to
build its houses, machines, and utensils; and it
must also have its merchants, TO bring the pro-
duce and commerce of products together.
These classes find it much the most convent
ent and profitable to live together in a munich
pal community, thus constituting city.
2. The existence and profitable employment
Of 4rtizans, in the midst of that community.
Independent on foreigners for goods and uten-
sis, il cannot build cities This principle is too
plain to need comment. Every one will admit
il.
3. Jp0n Commerce
This is TO traffic between the producer and the
consumer Of products, for, if the producer were
the only consumer Of his own products, be new
er could accumulate a surplus to buy goods,
and utensils, and must forever live in a primi-
tive state Of society, without cities, and with
out other wealth, than land, cattle, or slaves.
A dense population; a large number of arti-
Fans, and an extensive commerce, these are the
elements necessary to the growth Of cities.
Commerce, however, which is essential, need
not be foreign commerce. On the contrary, ia
tsrRal commerce, in a great nation, is the most
important. Take FOR example, Paris, Pekin,
Jeddo, Moscow, Vienna, and numerous other
large cities Of both ancient and modern times.
Ii, now We enquire, what Is the influence Of
slavery the prosperity of cities, it is easy to
see that, in its very nature, is antagonisfieaI
to the grOuth Of large cities. This may be made
evident, by a simple reference. Compare New
York, with New Orleans; Boston, with Charles
ton; Philadelphia, with Baltimore. Bat We will
not stop here. The fact may be proved TO flow
slave labor.
1. Slaves TO be profitable must be employed,
almost exclusively, in agriculture. They are so
employed in the United States, and wherever
60 employed, there is necessarily a thin popuia-
ton.
?. The thinness Of the population, and the
degradation Of labor. take way the motive for
the very existence Of an artizan class. Hence,
comparatively, there felr, or no independenf
free mechanics. Towns, therefore, If they exist
are deprived Of their most efficient support.
3. Ii follows, if towns and cities grow under
these circumstances, they must depend almost
exclusively upon foreign commerce. Now for
eign commerce requires but Jeir hands to trans
act its business. Hence the growth Of cities, in
slave communities, must be comparatively slow,
and precarious. Has not this been the fact, in
the United Statesl Is not Charleston on the
Atlantic, and nearly old New York Is
not New Orleans far better situated than Phila-
delphisl
How practically and certainly slavery keeps
back Southern cities may be known, by a very
simple experiment in statistics. Take radius
Of any length, and place il in eaeh Of the cities,
North or South-sweep circuit of equal dis
tsnces around them. and compare the densities Of
the agricultural population. wehave taken, for
example, the cities Of New York, Cincinnati,
Charleston, and New Orleans, as centres, and
swepts circuit round them, with radius of 200
miles.
Two Of these cities are in free States and two
in slave Ststes-two are East and two are West
two are in old States and two in new. Tomake
the experiment fair, we have excluded the cities.
for the circuit round New York, and confined
the circuit round Cincinnati, solely, to the North
bank Of the Ohio. The last exclusion can
only be justified, by considering tina, the three
other cities are on the coast
And the comparison Of population gives this
result:
Population within 200 miles of the
CITY of New York 4,l79,Ssl
Population within two hundred miles
Of the city OF Charleston $40 1888
Population within two hundred miles
Of the city Of Cincinnati and on
the North side of the Ohio 2,IaO, 52s
Population with 200 miles of the city
Of New Orleans 554,535
This simple statement shows that the popu-
lstion round the city Of Cincinnati is greater
Than that round both New Orleans and Charles |
ton Ii shows, too, a consequence of this |
fact, that Charleston ID standing still and New
Orleans (ss the census afhrms) going backward.
That is, their relative growth, as it regards Gin
cinnsti, 10 already too great-while Cincinnati,
on the other hand, is growing with unpreceden-
ted rsPidity.
II, we assume the growth of New York city,
as a fair standard Of comparison, then the popu-
laiion Of large city should be ten per cent of
the surrounding country-within a moderate
radius-say 200 miles. The cities named, then,
should stand, as regards numbers, in proportion
to the population, thus;
New York 100000
Cincinnati 10000
Charleston 10000
New Orleans $1,000
Cincinnati, then, is notup to the standard and
New Orleans 10 beyond il. Hence, the latter