The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-30
lProrl the Augusta (Gs.) Chrunicle and Sentinel
Eiwosd Ftshes's Leisure.


In pmising the v ss stand-still policy of
he informs us, 10 make "the grass grow In II
streets of Richmond and Norfolk, !" Mr.. +. remark
As was the character OF Virginia In i7OO-s, YEAR,
the Colony founded and 78 before her indie
such she has remained.
One hundred and nifty years without change. .
a serious effort 10 improve either the Colon, :
The State! Thiuy-three years ago the patriot Je
terson "grieved over the fallaeious propensit,es'
OF the free trade Fishers of 1916, who would ok
tae south in eternaI udssalass tSa torsgn and IN
friendly people,
Notwithstanding all that schools, printing. rail
roads, canals, machinery and steam have don,
within tile last thirythree years for the ciyiIize
world, orr ex-Frend still maintains that n 1, avs
TEN sferclusive planting, as practiced in ZOO Il
more prontable than modern coinmerce-more re
munerative than the system which places IN,
manufacturer by the side OF the planter. He saws
But why Is agriculture profitable than manulac
lures or commercef One reason IL, that agriculture
more productive multiplying than TREY, that Its nro
iucs are me principal and the Indispensable articles
human subsistence. and obtained with OF human
labor and skill than the oheis The ecundity OF nature
can never be rivalled by art A grain OF wheat wher
sown will produce hundred fold no fabric of ths
oom no cargo OF the ship, have its value ugme nted
IN the sanae proportion, without the operation OF
much greater proportion of labor and skill. Commerce
anu manufactures are chiefly artificial, agriculture Is or
the most part the work of nature.
The above theory is as false In fact as il Is mr.
HtetoHs IN practice. II is, however, the chief
corner stone in the free trade edifce, the building
OF which has done much to desslate the old
planting States, aud drive the once 6ourishins
commerce of Georgia, South Carolina aud Virginia
TO Philadelphia, New York and Boston. IfHasri.
culture is more profitable than manufactures - an
hf' e isher asserts, how does il happen that the
people oil South Carolina produce an average of
only s4s year per head, whilst those of Massa.
chusetts by their power looms, their srinnine len
machinery al
an average Of Sis per head7
Here Is simple, undeniable fact, which upsets
the whole theory OF our Lecturer, who has grossly
perverted statistics on every page of his pamphlet
New York. instead OF producing her proportion o,
wheat with Virginia, which would be thrv- five million,
stsheis instead OF twelve, produces annually thirty
millions ofbushels OF potatoes.
In the above calculation, Mr.. Fisher coolly as
sumes that the excess of population in the State
OF New York as compared with virgnia which
excess resides in the large and numerous cities
and villages OF New York, ought TO grow as much
wheat per capita, as the rural population of Wiz.
gina! VINO does not see that this is perveIsion
Of statistics, and badly concealed false reasoning?
Had Mr. F. consulted Prof. fuckers "Progress
OF Population and Wealth in the United States in
Fifty fears"--good Virginia Free Trade author-
Iy-he would have found that the number of per-
sons employed in agriculture in the two States of
virginia and New York is about equal in each;
10 New York are set down at 3l08, 275, 2sl. Those
oil Virginia al S5s, 9S5, S2l. In the last, fax fg
uIes as worth over three millions, which Prof r.
says in note is too high By over half million
oil dollars. IL Is an interesting fact that, given
number OF laoorers employed in farming opera
lions produce about twice as much money in New
York as in the Old Dominion. Abolitionists and
many Others al the North have falsely ascribed this
disparity 10 she existence of slavery in Virginia
and 10 The absence OF II in New York. il has fal-
len 10 the lot of the writer to oppose aboiionlss
on their own ground in Western New York for A
lumber OF yeas; and he may be presumed TO know
something OF their arguments and weapons of war
fare. Such writer's as Elwood Fisher and all
others on his side of the controversy, who have
more zeal than discretion, aid and strengthen the
popular prejudice al the North against the relation
OF iuastsr and slave al the South.
II may be ASKED why, one, two or three hun
dred thousand laborers employed in agriculture,
produce SO much more profit in New York than in
Virginia Without attempting 10 give all the
reasons 70: this difference, we will state few of
them. As chairman OF the committee on agricul-
Iure in the Legislature of New York, TO which
was referred the matter OF TAX ing the census of
that State in lS45, the writer took some pains 70
have The number Of cows MIXED, the number Of
neeces OF wool clipped, and many other inter.
esting facis never before known, accurately tabu-
laled BY the maTshals. We cannot 60 into details
aud compare the statistics OF Virginia and New
York; bat we will say that the grazing lands of
The latter State, on which there now kept over
million CT cows for king purposes, yield milk
butter and cheese worth over twenty millions OF
dollars year. Although a much better grazing
State as whole than New York, Virginia plan.
tiers realize no such profits from the culture of TO-
bacco, corn and wheat The farmers of New
York keep over six millions of sheep, which is
an exceedingly profitable animal, not less for en-
nching poor lands than for its maturity, its rap
ID multiplication, and its valuable fleece. Now,
49, - IA
slavery Is Tot incompatible with stock-rasing, the
dairy business and wool-growing. hlr. Fisher in
sists that, because the culture OF tobacco, com
and wheat was very profitable in the Colony of
Virginia during the reign Of the Virgin Queen of
England, all the people Of Virginia must do moth
ing but plant, plant 10 the end oftime! They must
construct no railroads, no canals as New York
has done, 10 double the value of com and wheat
BY diminnhing the cost of sending both 10 the
seaboard!
Il is the sad effects of this unwse policy, which
do so much 10 bring slavery into disrepute among
observers. We believe, and have often
asserted, that If the South win only use the labor
Of her three millions Of slaves TO the best practical
she can distance all competitions, whe-
Their IN the Northern States or in Europe, in The
creation OF wealth. We have little relish for the
launt Of this new CincinnaLian, who proclaims
from Dan TO Beersheba, that we permit I" the har-
bors of Charleston and Savannah 10 be deserted for
those of New York and Boston," That ''the grass
IS growing in those cities OF the South, which orr
gnaiy monopolized our colonial commerce, and
their ascendancy in the earlier years
Of the Union" That" Manufactures and the Arts
hdue also gone TO take up hsir abodes at hs
North," &c, &c.
In the name of all that 10 true TO the South, we
invoke the earnest cooperation OF every citizen
ia common Effort to bring back from ''the North,
all the "arts and manufactures" which the old
Planting States have lost-tO tread down "ths
IN
their "deseued harbors'' with ships of every ma
tion--to build up Southern cities, Southern rail-
roads, Southern colleges and primary schools, and
above all, TO improve Southern Agriculture, and
establish Southern Independence ON a basis as
enduring as her granite mountains Providence
has favored US above all other people; but with al
our advantages OF climate, soil and mineral re-
sources, if we misemploy our own time, if we
misuse our capital, and direct our agricultural
labor as 10 make the land we cultivate poorer in
stead of better, Heaven will not smile upon our
conduct, nor long.prosper the States in which we
live. We are the architects of our own fortunes
a selfgovemins people--and responsible, not less
for all omissions OF duty, than all commissions Of
wrong. That the slaves of the South are infinite
~ better OF as they now are than they would be IL
no well informed man, reasonably
exempt from prejudice, can doubt. Nor would
their total removal 10 Africa Mexico, or elsewhere,
be likely TO increase their industry, their happi-
ness or their In diligence. No person now living
is responsible for the existence Of slavery in the
United States; and we have rs little respect for
that caniing, morbid sehsibility which renders so
many unhappy, because the civilized world Is as
il is, as any of our readers possibly can have
The best way, however, 10 treat this blind, I'M
reasoning fansticism has never yet been hit upon
by those most Interested in having II quite harm
less 10 the South On the proper treatment of this
peculiar disease, we shall have something more
to say.
Cholera in Philadelphia Anticipated Trouble
In Caiiforufa-Arrtval of more Gold.
PHILADELPHIA, June 26.
There are reported to-day n cholera cases and