The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-10-07

slavery IN the south-Ex-G Governor Ham
m0nd's Views.

vernon hammond, of South Carolina. IL is review
Of Elwood Fishers remarkable lecture on South
ern institutions, and gives some views concerning
the social institutions Of the Southern States which
are decidedly novel; and entitled to some conside-
ration and weight.
The conclusion which Ex-Governor Hammond
draws from the premises which he lays down, is,
that The institution OF slavery in the Southern
States is essential TO the production of the staple
articles of that part of the cepfederacy-cotton,
rice, sugar, &c. II does not follow. he contends,
that an agricultural people must necessarily be a
wealthy people. History proves that no people
essentially agricultural have been permanently
wealthy and yet the Southern States are wealthy,
although they are essentially agricultural. To ac-
count for this advantage IN favor of the Southern
States Of this confederacy, which forms excep-
ton to all experience in history there must be some
influence at work, which an intimate acquaintance
with Southern agriculture and Southern social In
situations will, after little investigation, bring to
light. The reviewer possesses the necessary
quaintance, and after investigating the why
the Southern States, which essentially agricul-
tural, are wealthy, he finds that what makes that
portion of the confederation an exception to all
other agricultural countries, is the institution Of
slavery, which excites much adherence from
liant Of its Practical workings.
How, then, does the institution of slavery exer-
else this influence Breadstuiis, wines, and the
more costly raw materials of clothing, are the chief
productions of agriculture throughout the world.
The cultivation OF these articles 1t rs contended,
does not require continuous labor farmer who
raises thousand bushels of corn, has rest after
his crop is secured in h,s granary. He can convert
INTO ruopev Iur,l edareiy and his his
until the planting again comes round.
When he shears his sheep, he dispose of his
feeces Immediately; and it is the with his
maize, and all the other numerous productions of
agriculture, throughout the world. There is Pc
Rod of rest of cessation from labor, in culuvating
those articles; but the system of Southern agricu
lure Is widely different. The articles which our
Southern States chiefly produce, are cotton, rice,
and sugar, and the production Of these requires
tinuous labor, from years end TO years end. The
laborer on d Southern plantation has no rest-he
has no relaxation from toll. No sooner is u crop
of cotton or rice or sugar secured than the earth
must be prepared for another. 1t is absolutely ne
eesssry, when a crop OF these articles is housed,
that the manual labor OF the plantation should be APP
Piled TO field work immediately for If delay
made, the casualties Of floods, frosis, &c., might
leopardize, if not completely destroy, the next
crop, and render the planter bankrupt. No one, we
suppose, viii deny the necessity that exists o
maintaining a constant supply of the staples of our
Southern States. Let US picture the dreadful suf-
ferngs that would ensue, not only to this country,
but to the whole world, #, by any chance, the pro-
ductions Of our Southern States failed tor one year.
or for two. And they would FAIL were not this con-
tnuous labor, this never ending attenuon, bestow-
ed on their cultivation.
II Is apparent, then, that the system OF agncul-
ture Of the South Is wholly different from any that
has ever existed in any country. Where can we
find this continuous labor, which is so essential
for the production Of our Southern staples
Free whites will net willingly undertake such
continuous work, at the employment,
without a much higher compensation than agri-
culture will afford. They never have done
so, aud they never will; and, should slave
Lbor cease the globe, those staples would
relapse into the Insignificant position which they
occupied two centaries ago. Slave labor, there
fore, is essential to Southern agriculture, be.
cause none other can be had aad, as the
Southern States are essentially agricultural-as
they form an exception to all other agricultural
countries, m being wealthy-it follows that the in
stitution Of slavery which prevails there, is the
cause of that wealth and prosperity. the peculiar
sysi.m Of agriculture at the South could not, for
,he reasons above mentioned, without slavery,
and slavery would be of value to the South
without il. They, therefore, are mutually de-
pendent on each other, and are linked with the
very soil OF the South.
Tins view Of the Southern institutions is novel,
Ingenious, and important Il puts the question Of
slavery in new light before the people Of the
North, and we commend il TO the attention OF the
abolition fanatics, who, il they could emily carry
out Their abstract idea Of abolition, would do so,
Irrespective Of the Consequences that would GER
tslrly ensue to society. well as to the slave po-
pulaton. We commend II to them, because they
boat 20 much AND 90 loudly other philanthropy
Will those disiurbers Of the peace Of tho
eountry-ihose fpuenters Of difficulty, if-el-
lag, and dissension between different sections
of the INSTRUMENTATION, for moment, that
If we had system VI agriculture m the North
similar to that Of the South, which could not
h. pursued EXCEPT by slave LABOR they would
BE- in favor of its abolition IN the Northl
We can answer that they would not There Is AZ
much philanthropy 10 the South ss there is in
sny other part OF the confederacy; aud we feel
perfectly confident that if slave labor bad not been
unproducti,e the institution would not have been
abolished in the North to THE day. When
slavery tHsto here, u was employed as 1t
10 IN the South, in agriculture; bu, the sys-
EN- Of agriculture here ~ net Of that Pc
suliar Kind which prevails at the South, and
winch, AZ has been demonstrated, requires con-
finuous labor ell the year Hence it was abolished
II cotton, rice, and sugar were our staple produc.
tons, we are perfectly confident that the in.,itu-
ton would never have been abolished. The
people Of the North not whit more phlao-
thropic or holy than those Of the Southi and they
iusgine they are, we deceive ourselves grossly
Let us take glance Of countries whose sgricul-
tore was Of The peculiar system which prevails a,
the South, ard in which slavery has been abo-
hshed, aud what was the consequence. We