Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-13


fuiuie comfort. In Massachusetts, agriculture is
"a pidy declining particularly the production Of
the finer sorts o. breadstufs-a tact which IS adj
med and amenlrd by one Of her leading pa
pcrs--rte Boston 4 has The following state
meats are from ihe official rriufps ot the stale
1910 lS45 Decrease
Bushels Wheat, 2lO uU0 AZ WV ln2 ou uu
Indian Com. 2,2O3 900 1875, 900 DIS, 600
Barley, l5b,UuU l2l,33l 3iuo3
Rye, 5b3,u 44i uUU lloouu
Buckwhrai, 100000 50 goo 7o-o0o
Potatoes, 4,SoO,uUO 4joLuUU oo,uuo
OF course il is moi pretended lhal States Of a
commercial and manufacturing character chief
" should produce a. much from the soil in pro-
poltion 10 population az he agricultural. But
Inc articles they doprotucr. ami lhcir proportions
10 each ether, indicate lie qualify o loot! al least
oil thr aeficullu.al portion u The population :
Hence il appears hat the farmers Of Mss,achn-
sets consume but liltlc wheat bread, ahi use rye
Indian cCrn an potatoes as substitutes.
lhink nov that il ANYTHING can b. shown By
facts, have Gcmous rated IL superior wealth y
Inc people OF The South over ihus. u The Nurln
in proportion 10 iLeir respective Numbers; and
This, hi comparing lac less prosperous II Inc
Soulh vi h me most hourishns ~ Inc No:th :
And think | have shcwn the South II o. the
most .onunale in The distribution or cqnaliz ton
ol wealth AS we'll as in lis acquisition AT ali
events have rescued he controversy between
.hs twG sections iron lhc ccntlnl 81 bold asset
ion aud sip, nod exclamation, and coniiict u q
Inc umriface Il Argument ami document.
There aIr snalr Nho neer al SATISFIES AMI as
ser that anything can be rrc9sd oY tGtH.. Ba
such expressions think aie peculiar 10 those
who ceaI ia assertion chiefly, and find Il unpca-
SAM "a Be answered viii !acls; tor statistics are
nothing bur collections 81 facts. admit that
iacIs themselves NAV BE- rnWer!ess or peInicicus
II 4 MIN! Uoi logical .! philosophical enough 10
cumprhrrd and classify them. But in relation
il the affairs Of hs word al least, ask, with tie
English philosophic poet,
s'Whai can we reason but from what we kaor.'
Facts constitute thc great restraint on The impo-
si,ion 81 interests, the dosmatism al fanatics and
bieos, the lallacie, Of the vulgar Ihe prelu'ices
II The sectional. and he dreams OF enthusiasts
Facts are the tests ot system, The landmarks OF
pr gress The harvest oi iime the elemental par,i-
ces II truth
Bot il is peculiarly Important 10 resort 10 Sa-
Iistcs on this question, because they are so much
employed and perverted on The other side. From
he speech Of The Senator 10 The column d he
Einur VI are continually asSailed with sia'S'I-
cal comparisons between Tie Norm ami the
Sou,h. il roaaiuTv 70 the iarc, In 1899 Daniel
Webster pfcsentea, 10 a speech q the Sende III
praise OF Massachusetts, an tiiicial Statement
II her annua products, which amounted t. near
IL 100000 coo, which he chaIactriIzsd as ihe
yearly lrnIl d hci industry and capital. TINS
would strike every mind ae e1i;fnce OF great
produciveness and prcfll IN State oil her popu-
laiiun, since The annual product Of Virginia, :
only about seventy millions. But on scruIEiz-
tyd h 81
Webster included a the pToducl OF her iudHs-
nv, The Jaw material employed in her manuiac
tnfes obtained from other States; the raw cotton,
The WOOL, the raw hides, the dye SUITS, &c.
Ii was hu, the olhaf day iha We had an extract
from inc report oilhe Commissioned Of Patents,
published in all the papers which undertook 10
give rs an estimate OF The wealth oil the fespec-
I'VE Siaics On examination, Il IS louGd !" As
same population as the basis OF wealth. An
average i, made OF the wealth oi each man IL
few States. and that is multiplied by the mum.
oer .: ,nen Ia each Sta'e. BY this rule, Indiana,
which is more p6pulouS han Massachusetts, has
u,urc wealth = ana Tie NORM, OF course, greatly
more than he South. The Commissioned 81
Patents i. Northern man and travels deliber-
a'ely oul o. the sphere ot his duties 10 make ~
and send iorrh this absurd table; and in thus On
enakins officially and olliciuuslg 10 eDishlcn he
PM whist | contend that Tie stalisica evil
fence N # be sufficient IN convince, am aware
thal II Is n4l enough 10 satisfy the MIND paltiru-
iarIy wh.r al variance wilh prevalent opinions
/, is a legitimate and laudabe desire. eyen alter
knowing hat thing is 50, - know wh5 il IS 50.
And acknowledge il is incumbent Oh whoever
attempts 10 overthrow popular error, to sho"
NJ. only that il is SUCH but thai II mast be
sven, on me recognized principles o! human
Judgment
The reason, then, conceive for The great rp-
cuniary prosperity 81 the Sonh Is that She Is
81 generally Agricultural. About hal! The po'
puiaion o; The old Northern States resides III
towns or cities; 10 The Southern about one-!enIh.
Even Ohio, new State, with greater agricnl
rural attractions naturally, than any other,
has already iowI mo CITY population esiIna-
el al one fourth Of he whol the single city
o! Cincinnati only fifty years OF age, con-
tanning more people Than ten OF The largest
TWINS OF Virginia. The Oldest State OF The Union.
BuI why is agriculture more profitable than
manufactures or commerce3 One reason IS, maj
agriculture j. more productive or multiplying
han them; ,haiils products are The principal and
tue indispensable articles OF human subsistence,
ard arc oh'aincd with less OF human labor and
skill than The others The iecunciiy OF nature
can never be rvaled by AT. a grain oil whea'
when sogn viii produce an hundred fold, but NJ
fabric OF the leon, no cargo oil The ship, can have
its value augmented in the same proportion,
without The Cooperation OF a much greater pro-
por,ion oil labor and skill. Commerce and manu-
lac;ure are CHIEFLY artificial; agriculture is Tor
Inc most part Inc work oil nature. is true that
he facility with which articles are produced from
the soil, influences materially their value IN mar
ket and that the prices Of different kinds OF labor
len Ia equalv; ana is ira: also, that prizes .!
cummod,ties are affec'ca b. he relations OF sup
ply and demand. Hence there is no such dit
ference bew"cn the profits OF The farmer and The
arizan, or merchant, as he relative Productive
ness oil their labgrs would indicate. But the in
terrhange Of commodities between the two classes
"a by no means equal, nor is il obedien, 10 those
laws OF lra,e. The farmer holds the subsistence,
and consequently The property oil bis civilized TEL
low-men il his power; and this power he will ex-
e5c;se when circumstances permit, according TO
Ire sentiments which The possession OF power
ihpires; according 10 line preIudices of his
IS TO the appetite of monopoly-and not &C.
ding TO the wages of labor, aud the law OF
q bply and demand The monopoly OF the me-
css,saries OF life which agriculture conlers, has
A,iuced some of me most striking social and
tSItlcsl revolutions in history. II enabled ia
ckp to extort from Esau, who was hunter, his
blr,hrigh,, for a mess of pottage. But Jacob
almseli, and bis family, preferred the lighter la
bsrs Of shepherd life to tilage, and hence from