The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-09
LOUISVILLE KY: SATURDAY. JUNE 8. 1s49

why theil should her people fly TO 9th,
s countries! Where could the members
= Z" the richest community In the world" "a
! Mr.. +. calls them)---wlere could they be
! ter their condition |! And why flor il is
= lact) should lands in most parts of oil
I Virginia be constantly declining in value
but enough II is useless to batter III
dead body Of an argument that never ha,
animation enough TO make it stand erect
Finally, he compares Ohio and Kentuck,
IN point OF wealth, and here he pursue
The same method Of comparison. Here h
hnds State assessments oil taxable property
and applies then, without enquiring how
OF on what principles they. were made
whether they include the same or different
species OF property; whether the same spe
GIGS Of property was valued upon the samt
OF some different principle in the two
States; at half theis mslket prices, as IN
some States, OF at their full sslue, as IA
others wkether land, Tor example, is val
ued piece BY piece. without reference to q
classification Of qualities, or whether each
piece is referred to one Of few classes Of
qualities, and valued at an arbitrary price
assigned to that quality, hOugh it may be
worth twice as much ss other pieces in.
cluded in the same class.
These different method, are pursued in
different States. Hence, without an analy.
Sis Of these assessments, np safe conclusion
can be founded on them, concerning the
aggregate wealth OF Safe. They are
designed only TO determine what proper.
ton of the taxes each holder Of taxable
property shall pay, and his can be deter
mined as well when the property is assessed
at half its market value, a, when it is rated
at It's whole value. MIR. Fisher pays no at.
.ention TO these Considerations. Finding
that the assessed value in two States suits
the purpose Of his argument he looks no
further; he falls to calculating straightway.
Putting in the slaves as properly, and taking
them out as population, he gives the slave
State the double advantage Of this ingeni.
Gus device; and finding by long division
that the freemen Of The slave Safe have a
greater average share of assessed values
than the capitalists and the laborers of the
free States have, he concludes at once that
the slave State is weather.. There is no
more TO be SAID or argued on the subject,
except to close, like the geometrician, with
"Quod erat demonstIandum" that is what
| had TO demonstrate. Il is done.
But the variation OF the assessments in re-
gard TO the species Of property assessed,
and the principles on which its value is
rated, are not ell that should engage our
attention. The object is to discover
whether slavery does or does not promote
the wealth and prosperity of States. This
cannot be determined by the simple fact
that the people Of a certain slave State
have at certain time a greater average
wealth than the people OF certain free
State; no, not even when both are Western
Sta.s-. Cv..s;a h:s.Ss;s,al aIIu geographical
and social circumstances are to be taken
into consideration. The number and densi.
ty of the population are also important con.
siderstions.
Mr.. Fishers principles of reasoning on
this subject lead inevitably to the conclu-
sion that il, in a district OF a thousand
square miles there be 100 white persons
holding 500 negro slaves; and in another
district Of one Thousand square miles there
be $4,000 free inhabitants; and if the pro.
perry in the former district, including land,
slaves and personal property be assessed al
its full value. amounting TO 100000,
making an average Of $1,000 to each
white person; and IL the property Of the
latter district be assessed at the half OF its
value, amounting to $4,000, 900, or an
average OF two hundred dollars for each
inhabitant-no slaves existing there; then
it is demonstrated tlst the people Of the
former district are exactly five times as
wealthy as those Of the latter! Yes, Just
five times as wealthy; and though the two
districts were equal in soil, 10 age Of settle
ment, and every circumstance that could
equalise the means Of prosperity in the
two: and therefore-(here comes the gist Of
the Observation-Disclosures slavery is adapted
to produce five times as much wealth and
happiness as free labor. Can Mr.. Fisher
refuse to 80 this length without departing
from his principles Of argument
Now let US consider those circumstances
before alluded to, which ought to modify
any inference which might be drawn from
the average wealth of the fee people in
the two States of Ohio aad Kentucky.
With the exception Of Louisiana, there is
not in the Union slave-holdng State that
ought, in proportion to its age, 70 possess so
much wealth as the State Of Kentucky.
The wonderful fertility and beauty Of the
one-half of this State, drew into i, from 40
10 60 years ago, large emigration Of
wealthy shareholders from Virginia and
Maryland. II any where slavery can be
proftably used, it is in the opening and
cultivation Of new soil OF such exuber-
ant richness. Here, then, was an early
and most advantageous opportunity Tor ac-
cumulatins high degree OF wealth in the
hands OF SHAREHOLDERS so as to produce a
large average when the white people only
were taken into the account. This ave-
rage has been raised by the effect Of slavery
upon the movement Of the population.
The rich lands Of the interior have been
gradually monopolsed by SHAREHOLDERS,
and the poorer class Of white people dri-
ven off, as in old Virginia, to other
countries. 1t is only the poorer lands on
which many poor white people arr now to
be found; while as yet slavery has not had
time to produce its most deleteriois effects
on the country. Here, then, the slaye-hold.
ing system is Just in its most advantageous