Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1849-05-25

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any reason to fear decline in her wealth.
According to the census returns of 1910,
Virginia, with free population of less
than one third of that of New York, and
Q capital something less, produced from
the various branches of her industry,
more than half the product of New York;
and as the total population of Virginia,
slave and free, is only about half that of
New York, it is clear, that after deduct
ing. the annual consumption of both, Vir-
ginia will have a larger proportional sur
plus remaining to augment the stock of
her permanent property.
Ii now we examine the relative condi-
tion of the new States, the same results
<are apparent. The States of Kentucky
and Ohio lie side by side, and are of sim
liar climate, fertility and extent-tho pro-
portion of rich land being, however, less
in Kentucky. Their age is also nearly
the same, Kentucky having been admit
ted as State about eleven years before
Ohio. Ohio is considered the most pros
porous State in the West, and is contin-
ually contrasted with Kentucky for the
purpose of illustrating the blighting eff
fects of slavery ON the latter. Let us see
with what reason.
In 1840, Kentucky had free popula-
ton of 597,57o and her property a
mounts, accordingto her tax assessment
of la4S, to about 1884, ,G96.t Ohio
in 184o, had a population of ], 1,519,457,
Loot
06T99l.f The average value of prop
erty belonging to each free person in
Kentucky is S456-in Ohio it is only
$276, or more than one third less; and
as the population Of Ohio is now still
greater in proportion to that of Kentucky
than in 1880, the difference in favor of the
latter is still more.
Nothing IS more common than the
opinion that the price of land in Kentucky
is, in consequence of slavery, much lower
than in Ohio. | have examined the Au-
ditor's reports of both States, which pre-
sent in detail the valuation of all their
lands. In Kentucky the average value
is about seven dollars per acre, in Ohio
it is about eleven, and I am very conf
dent that the quality of Ohio land is to
that superior-as in Kentucky there is a
large mountain region for which Ohio
has nothing equivalent Thus, then, it
is manifest that the free people of the
slaveholding States--of those States
which are uniformly regarded as the vic
tins ofpoverty and ruin-are all richer,
much richer, than those of the nonslave-
holding States which have been usually
considered as the most fiourishing mem
bers of this confederacy, and the most
prosperous communities the world ever
saw. Such at least is the testimony of
official documents on the subiect-the
highest authority that exists. For have
taken nearly all these statements of the
property of the several States alluded
to, from the assessments made by public
officers, for the collection of taxes. Oh
the accuracy of the valuations, it is OF
course impossible to speak from personal
| knowledge; but those of Ohio and Ken
lucky are, according to my opportunities
of observation, as nearly correct as need
be desired. And as to the other States
the chances of error are perhaps as great
on one side as the other.
In the slaveholding States, slaves are
of course included in the property. This
is sometimes objected to but I think with
out reason. The question is, which is the
most profitable investment of capital-in
land and slaves-as is usual in the slave
holding States--or in land alone, or com
merce and manufactures, as in the North
ern States? And this question is almost
universally decided in favor of the latter
In the South, according to it's laws, the
slave isas available to his owner for the
purposes of property, as any other prop
srty. The North has held, however, that
this peculiar species of property, instead
of being profitable to the owner, has beer
impoverishing and ruinous. And in con
tradiction to this / have shown that ir
every community where IL exists there
wealth abounds to a far greater extent
| than in the States from which it is exclud.
I'D, whatever may be their climate, soil, OF
territory. But even if the assessed value
of all the slaves in Kentucky, Virginia
and Maryland, were left out of theiI
schedule Of their property, the white peo,
pie Of those States would remain wealth
ier, on On average, thar those of Ohio
New York, and Massachusetts.
BY Others again, it is contended, thai
in estimating the average wealth of indi
viduals in a community, the slaves ought