Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-13
The North and ghe South,
A LECTURE, DELIVERED BEFORE THE r ,g,HS
MEMS MERCANTILE LIBRARY hSso, ,aao 'o''
OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, JANUARY le' 1879

MEMS MERCANTILE LIBRARY hSso,,iaaso, 'o
OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, JANUARY io' 1917
Ri ELM GOD FISHER.
The progress and prosrecs o; The Nor'nefn ah'
Southern sections oil this Union ih9o'ses s'uie
the greatest and gravesi ques'iohs W ~. Ell,
Each has form OF civilization pecuiiat ~ rse,
,nd n modern lines. The conieGeracy Whic'
S"o -, c,-,n.s hy their union has aslonisne'
tho woIld nv lis success bur the world, as vel
&c me TWO sections themselves differ very whey
90 IN ,he causes OF this success, and the a2cncl
~ ,he rwo respective systems ot society IN pro
ducng il. :,
This controversy has long been adVancins OF
the country, and now in consequence OF ieee"
events, il has become general. III Ihis pa, VI ~
couutry, however, we nave had bat enc SUI Gu
as the subject is one al he first MAGNITUDE 80 go
thought it highly important maj u snou IL nj.
examined. In Commercial ms i'u,iuu IN ~ ~
il is peculiarly proper mat the s"us -, ,hs
wealth and The sources OF 'he
country should be well undefs'ooo' e,.,,s
Whsn Inc constitution OF The United STATES
w,s adoned the population OF The Two sec,
ton. If me United States was nearly eqn"'
Ws,ch being not quite Two millions o. ID
h.h,,.n,s the S1uh including more thah
haIf million OF slaves. The territory then
occupicd by the two, was perhaps, also nearly
eonai in extent and fertility. Their commerce
Was also about The same; the Nnrln eS2orios
about 50 800, $40 in 1880, and The South ~ wv
5OO.s Even Inc properly held by the TWO sections
was almost exactly The same IN amount oe."-
about 400, 600 millions in value each. sccofu1ns
10 an assessment tor direct taxes 10 1852 ro'
the first quarter OF century OF inc p'esenl o. =,
yerument up 10 1916, the South took The LEAD OF
The North in commerce: as al the end OF maj
nerioj the exports Of The Southern States amount
ed 10 about thirty millions of dollars, which was
FIVE millions more than the Northern a. tnis
time. ia 1916, South Carolina and New f".s
were the Two greatest exporting States OF lne
Union. Sou,h Carolina exporting more than SlU,-
600 900, aud New York over Id GOO 0O0e
According 10 the assessments made Oy au'ho'
ri,y OF the Federal Government in 1915 tor direcl
taxes, the value OF properly IN Inc Son'he'n
States had risen TO SS59, 4697, the white poPa-
latiou being hen, according 10 an average Of me
census OF 1910 and hat OF 1920 about 2, 749 19o
or abour S3I2 per head, Wills The property d
the Northern Sialesa mounted 70 81 ,O42, 1872 26i
for a 326 $50 population. OF only S24u per head
Even in manufactures, the Sou n, al hrs Pc
lied, exceled Inc Norh IN proportion TO the mum
bcrs OF their population. In lol0. according 'e
the returns OF the Marshal, OF the United States
the fabrics III wool, cotton, and linen, manufaciu'
red in the Northern Sales amounted 10 1854
274 yards, valued S2l ,06l ,525, whilst the Sub
fabricated "a, 766, 497 yarcs, estimated at Sib
TIL, 74. Thus alter the apse OF Inc fifst quarter
OF a century, under our present form OF Govern
menl, the South had surpassed The North ~ Com
merce, in Manufactures, and in the accumulation
OF wealth, in proportion 10 the number oil ciiZens
oil. the respective sections.
Since that period great change has occurred.
The harbors OF Norfolk, OF Richmond oil Chaiies
ION, and Savannah, have been deserted Tor those
OF Philadelphia, New York anG Boston; and n
Orleans is Inc only Southern city that pfe'euds 70
rival lis competitors rne grass is growing IN
the streets OF those cities OF the Soulh, winch orr
ginaly monopozed our colonial commerce, and
maintained their ascendancy in the earlier Years
OF The Union. Manufactures and The arts have
also gone 10 take up their abode in The North
Cities have been expanded and multiplied in Inc
same favored region. Railroads and canals hav.
been constructed, and education has Delighted
there TO build her colleges and seminaries.
These phenomena have made profound I'M
preston on rejecting minds throughout me
Union, and particularly in The South. BY hei
leading statesmen, these results have been as
cribed 10 The policy pursued by the Federal Co.
vernment since 1916. II was at this period thai
the system oil direct taxation was hnai!y aoan-
doned, and the whole interest OF the public debt
then SO much Augmented by the war, as well "a
the increased expenditures oil the Government
were chargeable on the foreign commerce oi Inc
country, except the Sigh. i.eGme from the puo
lie lands. And as at the close OF the var, me
principal articles OF expor, in exchange 10
which we Obtained our goods, consisted u COT
ton. tobacco and rice, il was held thai thu new
policy was peculiar burden on the States tina
produced those staples In addition 10 ms, nc
establishment OF Bank OF the United, coated
the North, with large deposiies Of Gove'nmen
money, enabled 10y the confidence OF The Go:efn
ment 10 mainiail large eIrcuiailoh, ~hici
would naturally he devoted 70 The promotion I"
M2.!heIn g MSs aps NV al" sa
Two measures wee the work OF Republican
Administration II the Government, bur they wef'
slrenuously opposed by Inc States Right paay; ~
their passage IN Congress IL Was declared by Johi
Randolph, one oil tn& Nos. piOound and sdsaci'
Gus statesmen Virginia .. any ohef country eve!
produced, inal a revolution n our GoVe!hheh
had occurred, whose consequences no man cVuiu
calculate The result verified this P.e1icilon
Our popu, alton is now twenty millions, ana ye
IL is thought BY all parties !hat twenty-five mn
sions OF dollars per annnm Is enough lor IN sup
port OF goyeranen. in time OF peace. Yet sixteen
years ago, when our population was nh' iiI'it
more than halt OF what il is now, tins Governmen
eIacred 100000 IS duties on our foreign I'M
ports and That TO-, when, IN coGst qnence ot thi'
ported Std, 100000. The Government took hal
the value ot the imports, a TAX on ioreisi
trade. This outrage was the cause o. Soatf
Carolina notification.
Nov the power OF the Federal Government
over foreign commerce, is, by ths Constitution
precisely me same As over that among The States
Il is a power 10 regulate only. And the Soui'
commended that nastnuch as he impofS iron
abroad were the proceeds chieh; ot her staple *
ports, and were therefore, 70 all lnienis ahd pur
poses, The product Of her indus,iy and capital
that there was no more Constitutional right 10 tai
them on arriving in our puf'> than 10 tax the pro
ducts OF me Norm, when shipped 10 the South
When there tore The statesmen OF the Sonih re-
feet on tie great commercial and manufacturing
prosperity OF tneir cvuutiy IN The Gays OF uifec
taxation. and behold now Der dilapidated ciI"s
and deserted narbors under the change OF system,
=, Il wonderful that they have maze the nails u
Congress eloquent with ,ae ruin and wrong they
have sufferrd7 Or, Is IT wonderful that he
North. whilst il cannot believe that what mas
been 80 conducive 10 us own prosperity, snoh'u
b. detrimental 20 others, should YET iaRe the
SonIh al i,s word as 10 is decline, and seek Tor
o,hrr causes Of such result. This has been
done. and negro slavery has, with extraordinary
uoaninty, been fixed upon as Inc great and Ell
ficient cause OF Southern decine. And d Is now
assumed that The South, particularly Inc olaei
SAFES, is undergoing tue process Of lmpovefsa-
mens depopulation and decay. A, the North she
is continually spoken Of by almost all classes ~
terms OF mingled condemnation ana ply. She
is accused OF idleness, ignorance, cruelty and
pride. She is advised 10 emancpaie her slaves
and emulate the North in enterprise, industry ant
civilization.
The first object OF civilized life is 10 accumu
late wealth. as ON lha, depends improvement In
science and the arts, and Inc supply OF the muiti-
nlisd wants OF society IN hat staie
And hence il is that the SCUM is declared TO be
fallIog behind the civilization OF the age, and Is
advised TO abandon her peculiar institution IN CT
der 10 avoid the disastrous condition Of Ignorance
and barbafism that awaits her.
Now in an age like this, OF pre-emlnent intel
iisence, with the school-mas'ers all broad; WIN
rhe universal diffusion OF The press, and the posi-
and on a question like this, OF the trsi ma2ni-
tude, aod The least complexIy, and whiis' the
people OF the two sections are conlouaily tfaVe!-
ilng amongst each oiher. and engaged III dlscas-