The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1849-06-13

to its cultivation and tobacco soon became an
article Of commerce. The introduction of this
sort Of labor had the effect of excluding, in
great measure, emigration from Europe-the
emigration which subverlcd the ascrndancy Of
the Quakers of Pennsylvania-whichh has ma
terially modified the original character of New
England, and still more the new free States OF
fhe West. And i, has been through negro
slavery that agriculture has been made, tor The
first time in the history Of the world, so rrotl'a'
bile and attractive as to render rural lite The
favorite of wealth as well as Of Tie mass OF the
people-to make the country instead OF Inc
towns the abode of elegant manners and rehn
ed taste. And this system of society has pre-
vailed throughout the other States OF the South,
owing to the similarity of their primitive char.
acter to that of Virginia to her exanplr-to
emigration into them Of may Hirgnians. tie
warmth of the climate, and to the culture ol
cotton, which is more favorable to the employ
ment of slave labor than that Of tobacco.
Thus, then, we have ffiren Southern States
one half ofthe number beionging to The Union
occupying half of our terrilory-who present
the extraordinary, and. so far as my researches
extend, the unparalleled result ot a poislhI"n
which has acquired greater wealth hr aSr'r"l'
ture than any other people in any other man
ner; and who have consequently given a<c'n'
dancy within their borders 20 country !It'' aver
city. in social and political power In Hrpat
Britain, the only country which can b" Gem
pared in civilization with ourS. the land holders
are indeed very wealthy class, perhaps the
most so, bu, they have dwellings in London, and
pass larger part or the year there. The land
holders of Great Britain also constitute but
small portion of the population.
We must now consider the effect upon the
various elements of civilization on Il popula-
ton at once wealthy and rural like that et the
South.
In communities which have acquired great
wealth, it is almost universal that such wealth
. is very unequally distributed. Extreme pow
! erty and extreme wealth characterize the
population-but the mass are poor. This IS
perhaps inevitable where manufacture or COM
! merce or conquest are the means OF acquisition
And in England this is strkiugly disp!ayed.-
But it is not so in agricultural people. know
il is a common opinion, that much greater IN.
equality of property exists in the South than III
the North. But although do not possess eS-
act knowledge on this point. there is ennogh
known to prove that this cannot be the case
The State of Virginia allows none to exercise
the elective franchise but white frcchoders,
leasehoders Of five years, and housekeepers
who are heads of families. Now it appears ny
the returns of the Presidential election oi 1874,
that Virginia gave about $4,000 votes; allowing
: 10000 for voters who did not attend the polls,
and it appears that there are 10000 tree
white males in that State who are either free
holders, leaseholders, or housekrepers and
heads OF families, and by the census of 1889
there were only l57,9s9 whi'e males in that
State above the age Of 81 SO that twothlrds OF
8 them are either free holders, leaseholders, or
housekeepers. do not know what proportion
of the Northern States are frreholders, but
have seen detailed statement from which 1t
appears that only half the voters were free hol'
ders and when we consider that the cities Of
New York and Boston contain nearly half the
property of the States to which they respective
" belong, and that in those cities paurr,iSm
prevails to greater extent than any where else
in the Union, it is very clear that great Unequal
ity of property prevails
To be continued in our nert.