The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-02

Suppose two farmers. one in free Sta
and one in a slaveholding State; each Gu
tivating 200 acres Of land, and employin
zen hands. The northern farmer employ
free labor, which costs him the board ala
wages OF the laboreTs, and nothing mole
The southern farmer employs his ow
slaves, whose labor costs him. first, the ia
lerest of the capital which he has invests
n slaves, and. secondly, the maintenance Q
such number Of slaves, old and young
male and female, sound and unsound, a
will afford him constant supply Of tel
working hands. Now 10 prevent any on
from nistaking the point at issue, we vii
suppose that those farmers can each MAKE
+, clear profit Of $1,000 year by the cul
walton Of his land Then, TO all intenl
and purposes. they are equally rich and pros
porous. No (Says Mr.. Fisher by nj
MEANS And why not! we ask. Because
says Mr.. Fisher) the slaves are property
and you must add their value 20 the southern
farmers estate, and allow him the who'll
amount; but the free laboIers are citizens
and you must divide The northern farmer
wealth with them, and allow him only the
average share Of all that they have among
Them. So the southern farmer will be
about ten times as rich as the northern. -
We reply, finally, that all this is alb.
surd; because we have supposed the north.
EN- farmer to make as much profit by his
free labor, as the ether makes BY his slaves.
all We have 10 do is TO ascertain whether
or not the northern people, on the whole,
make as much by their free labor, as the
southern do by their slave labor; and the
way 10 ascertain il, is to divide the amount
of wealth which each people, capitalists
and laboreTs. have made by the number en-.
gagged in making it-lhat is, by the whole
population. The result will show, whether
a community, all free, makes a larger or
smaller product, than an equal number OF
persons, patty free and partly slaves. will
make-allowance being made for difference
Of natural advantages in the two countries.
Surely We need say no more on this point.
But there is another connected with it,
In estimating the relative wealth OF two
States, ought the value Of the slaves to be
added to that Of other property?
Our answer is, that ii depends upon cir
cumstances. II State breeds slaves for
expectation 10 other counties, and makes a
profit by this business. as mule-breeders
make profit out Of their capital invested
in mares ard jackasses-lhen speaking
economically, not morally, the capital thus
invested in the business Of breeding slaves,
for expectation, IS productive capital, and
fairly constitutes a portion Of the wealth OF
the slave breeders. But, apart from this
business OF rearing slaves for foreign mar
kets, the solution Of tie question depends
entirely upon the fact whether slave-lsbor
is or IS not more profitable than free-labor.
If in the longTun. and upon the whole, an
equal number Of free lsbOrers in the coun.
Try would make as much profit for the cap
italists ito say nothing Of what they might
make for themselves) hen it is evident that
the existence Of slavery in the country adds
nothing to It's wealth; and slaves should
not be reckOned, ss constituting any portion
Of the general wealth of State, whatever
they may be to individuals who sell them.
IL they be sold by one citizen to another
for home use, the price is no evidepce Of
their being an addition TO the general
wealth Of the shareholders. They may
command price when sold, for two rea
sons, independent Of their superior value to
the owner above that OF hired laborers.
One reason is, tina. the existence Of sla-
very makes it impracticable to obtain hired
free laborers Of good quality and in sufli-
Gent numbers to supersede the use Of slaves,
This circumstance, and established custom.
keep up domestic demand for slaves, and
give them an incidental value. when intfin-
sically they are improbable stock.
The other reason is the foreign demand
for slaves. The owner in Virginia or Ken
lucky may. if he chooses, sell bis slaves 10
a slave.trader for exploration. This gives
an exchangeable value to this species Of
live stock, quite independent Of any use or
profit that can be made Of it a, home. He
who looks upon negroes as sort Of beasts,
created for the use Of the white man, will
always vslue them as property in reference
to their price in the slsve.market.
Now, since in the northern States, free
laborers do for capitalists the same service
that slaves do in Virginia and Kentucky,
We can discover whether the estlmated value
OF our slaves ought 10 be added, when we
compare the wealth OF States and the way
to discover il, il to make the comparison
first without putting in The value Of the
slaves. Compare the wealth Of the free
and the slave States, so far as it consists in
lands, buildings. and all other products Of
labor, making allowance sor natural advan-
tages and disadvantages in each county
If, in proportion TO population, the slave
State has more wealth than the free State,
then you have evidence that slavo-labor has
produced more wealth in the one State
than free-labor has produced in the other
that is, each slave has added more wealth
10 the general stock, than each frse-laborer
and therefore the value of slaves should b.
added to the other wealth, because they aIt
a source Of wealth TO the country, not mere
Iy as men but as slaves. Their slavery hsi
made the general labor Of the country NOR,
productive Of wealth, than if their place
had been occupied by free lsborers. Blu
il, after dedpetipg the slave property, thu
old southern States be less wealthy thar
the old free States, in proportion to popula
ton, then the slaves ought not to be con
sidered ss wealth, because they are in fac
hindrance to the prosperity OF the coun