The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-09-07


over the result which it gives, of 1921 to the
Virginian, and only $2l5 to the New Yorker.
To this he adds the value of slaves which runs
up the average property of the freemen of Vir-
GINA to S43O; while that of New York remains
az before, at S2l5 We cannot give the au-
thor of this sophistry the benefit of the plea of
ignorance. He could not close his mind to the
fact that the city and town property of New
York State is worth far more than all Virginia,
including land, slaves, and her few small
towns
The city of New York, alone, is assessed at
S44O,OOO,OOO; which is more than the writer's
estimate of all Virginia And, besides the city,
there is Brooklyn, now numbering nearly two
hundred thousand inhabitants, and worth far
moro than all the towns, great and small, in
Virginia. There are Albany, Buffalo, Roches-
ter, Troy Syracuse, and Utica, numbering from
thirty to seventy thousand inhabitants, all
Weather in proportion to population than the
Virginia towns. There are scores of other
places, numbering from FIVE to twenty thou
sand inhabitants, with innumerable smaller
places, whose aggregate wealth amounts to
millions.
/ And what has Virginia to show against all
this array of city wealth and population? Her
largest city (Richmond) will barely compare
with the smallest Of those we have named; and
at the next census it will be behind them all,
at its present rate Of increase. It's population
was in 1850, only 81, 1882; which is less than
Ia 9th worth
naming arc Norfolk, Petersburg, Alexandra,
Wheeling, and Lynchburg; the largest OF
which fell below fifteen thousand at the last
census.
The wealth of the towns and cities, and
of all manufacturing establishments, railroads.
canals, banks, and other property OF that kind,
in the State Of New York, cannot be set down
at less than one thousand millions; all which
is left out of the calculation Of the reverend
economist of Virginia.
Even allowing the reverend gentleman to
ignore the slave as man, and to regard him
merely es property, there can be no doubt that
the average wealth per capita of New York is
two to three times greater than that of Yir-
GINA. The assessed valuation Of property in
New York is VIGOROUSLY beiow the mark and
often it is not placed at one-fourth Of its truo
value. In Virginia, on the contrary, we have
reason to believe that the estimate is too high.
The writer insists that the intrinsic value Of
land in Virginia is equal to that of New York,
although be admits that it will not sell for so
much money! Such nonsense scarcely deserves
notice. We admit that an acre Of ground in
Virginia may cover up as much hidden wealth
in the bowels of the earth, and that the sky
above it is as high arched, and has as much
pure air in it; but, unfortunately, the value Of
land depends upon the houses and fences and
other improvements on its surface, az we'll as
its convenience to market, fertility of soil, &c.
In all of these particulars the New York lands
have the advantage of those Of Virginia, and
gives them fourfold value.
In running a parallel between tho two
States, the writer seems to forget entirely, that
New York is a commercial and manufacturing
as well as agricultural State, while Virginia is
almost wholly agricultural. He absurdly gives
farm to each merchant, mechanic, and man.
ufacturer, in ORDER by increasing the number,
to diminish the size of the New York farms
his Omission q Or ar reference G. the wealth Of
cities and towns
We will next notice what the writer says of
the products of the soil He still looks at the
merely agricultural products CT the two States
and suppOses that the whole people of New
! York are agriculturists. The truth is that
while nineteen twentieths Of the people of Vir-
o;p;o ora .bus nrnnIoyad MOVE kbon hale +bo
people Of New York are employed in merchan-
disc, mechanical arts, and retail trade, or as
common laborers appurtenant to these occupa-
! tions There can be no doubt that as many
| persons are employed in agriculture in Virginia
as in New York; for, besides the white men
! thus employed, almost the whole slave popula-
| ton may be set down as agricultural laborers
male and female We suhjoin the writer's
| garbled statement of the agricultural products
Of the two States:
! But this is not all. Take the substantial
| products of the two Statcs-those, VIC mean.
/ which constitute the food of the people-and
! see how the case stands. The population of
! Virginia, slaves included, is l42l Col. which is
! considerably less than half Of that of N. York.
! The number of mich cows, work oxen. and
other cattle, in New York, is 1877 639 in Viz
! GINA it is O76 Extraordinarily more than
half The number of swine in New York il
| 1913 252 in Virginia it is 1925, 843, which
exceeds the ratio by more than to in favor
of the latter. New York produces 1921. 498
! bushels of wheat Virginia, IL PIP 6l6-how
much more than half this is, it is easy to calcu-
late. The Indian corn of New York amounts
to II 858 400 bushels Of Virginia, to 35 253 3I9.
/ which is to greater, taking the population
into the account. In buckwheat, rye, oats.
barley, hops, Irish potatoes butter, cheese. and
the like, the products Of New York relatively
exceed those of Virginia. but this is more than
compensated by tho fact that New York has
nothing to stand against Virgna's 8 947 bales
of cotton; and only SO, 1870 pounds of tobacco.
to stand against yirginia's So 803, 227 pounds.
IT, then, the soil Of New York produces enough
to support her three millions Of people, much
more does that of Virginia produce enough to
support her less than a million and halfn
Evidently, the proper mode of contrasting
the productions of States which lie in different
latitudes, is to present the leading products of
EACH and not merely the similar products
We shall follow this method.
The aggregate number of bushels of wheat
rye, Indian corn, oats, barley, and buckwheat
producedin New York, in 1850, was 6s, 449, 600,
against 57,345OOO in Virginia. New York
produced 10, 400, 600 bushels of sweet and Irish
potatoes; Virginia 3, 10000. Value of Or
chard products in New York, 81, 76l, 900. In
Virginia, Sl77,137. New York produced
10 776,OOO pounds of butter, and 1874, 900
pounds of cheese, while Virginia only produced