The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-08-03
VIRGINIA,

tutOn, tnere IS eYloentiy strong ana growing
under-current Of thought, which points to the
true source of the political and social evils and
embarrassments of the South. Il is only yes
terday that we felt called upon to expose the
baseless grounds on which the Richmond En-
quirer congratulated its readers on the posses
sion of the institution of Slavery. We might
have saved ourselves the trouble The same
paper, as well as the Examiner and Wig,
have teemed with articles for week past,
] which exhibit the ignorance and poverty of the
State in the strongest light, and point to the
free States as affording examples of well-di-
rected industry, and consequent wealth, In or
der to awaken the emulation of the people.
| They have not hesitated to tell the truth,
though not the whole truth. Whether they
| imagine the Goddess to be deformed, and ap-
] prehend that an exhibition of her in state Of
nudity might frighten away her worehippers,
or whether it is feared that her bright
ness might dazzle the eyes, we are unable to
say Certain it is, they deem it expedient to
disguise her fair proportions. Of this we make
no complaint. In the present feyerish and ex-
cited state Of the Southern mind it is perhaps
well to insinuate truth through the medium of
a press in sympathy with the people, yet suff-
GENTLY enlightened tOperceivc the necessity of
some radical change of policy.
Among the hopeful indications of return
ing sense Of reason in Virginia. is a long Re-
port, made to public meeting, which we find
in the three leading papers of Richmond, and
which we presume will be generally copied by
the press of the State. The meeting took place
in Buckingham, an interior county. The Re-
port is said to be from the pen of Colonel Hub
bard, whom the Examiner pronounces "a
model old Virginia gentleman" The follow
ing paragraph sets forth the object of the
meeting, and is followed up by large mass
of statistics, intended to show the value of
commerce and manufactures, and illustrative
of the poverty and ignorance CT the slavehold-
ing States:
"Whereas this State has undertaken, and
partly perfected, the greater portion of her ex-
tensiye system Of internal improvement: In
1853 we had in operation ga miles Of rail-
road, and 610 miles in course of construction
Our canals, though Unfinished are of great
value and extent: These improvements were
not projected with a view alone Of afordiDg
facilities in getting our own productions to
market, or of inviting within our borders the
productions of neighboring States; but the
great controlling motives were, to develop the
resources Of the State, to enlarge our com
merce and to increase cur shipping, by aug
renting our exports and imports. Thus our
system Of improvements was designed to ad-
vance all the great interests Of the State The
development o. cur agricultural and mineral
wealth has heretofore been our chief consider
ai)D. But our commercial and shipping in
terests are of equal Importance, and our i'm
movements are so far advanced, that it now
becomes US to use our best efforts to give an
impulse to them"
The Report quotes the tables from the Gen.
sus, in which is set forth the value of land in
the several States, "as illustrative of the en-
riching tendency of commerce" This table
shows an average value of $25 35 per acre in
tho Commercial States" and of only SIS As
in tee agricultural States. The latter are all
slaveholding, the former all free, except Lou
isiana and Maryland; which, by the way, are
the lowest ia the commercial list, except Michi-
gan a new State Upon this table the Report
comments at length, and makes numerous
comparisons Of free with slave States, (desig-
mating them as commercial and agricultural
greatly to the disadvantage Of the latter.
Next GENES q statement of bank capital and
circulation, from the report of the Secretary of
the Treasury exhibiting, of course, contrast,
very disadyantagsous to the South. The wri-
ter observes: Our existing commercial de-
penGence upon the North has converted our
banks fccm independent State institutions into
PROVINCIAL banks, because they are, by the
laws Of commerce, appendages to Northern
trade, worked as auxiliaries during its hcod-
tide and as eubordinates required to bear an
undue proportion of all money prcssures."
After extended comments in the same vein
upon banks and kindred topics, tho writer
gives table of exports and imports, with a
view of showing the backwardness of the agri-
cultural or slave States. He argues Justly,
that the expectations are the natural basis of
foreign trade, and that since the Sonth or agri-
cultural section makes the exports it should
make the imports also, to great extent.
Then follows the tables of tonnage of the
several States, showing equally to the disad-
vantage Of the agricultural, or slave States
this, notwithstanding the fact that the South
abounds in the best lumber, which is growing
scarce in the North.
The Report winds up with a string of patri-
cite Resolutions, in which the members of the
meeting declare their purpose to patronize Vir-
ginia importers Virginia mechanics, and Viz
GINA literature, in preference to that of all
other countries. The latter, in particular, is
the hardest penanee which the Report enjoins,
and may be called the "Selfdenying ordi.
nance"
A series Of articles in the Enquirer, signed
"a Farmer," advances views and presents facts
! similar to those of the Report, and the editc-
rails Of the Richmond papers appear to en-
dorse them heartily. We regard it as hope
full sign Of the times. The specious falsifcations
of fact By which Elwood Fisher for time de-
| ceiyed the South, are now seen in their true
light and are openly discarded. 1t is true that
in moments Of intense sectional bitterness the
editors and orators of the South fall back upon
| Fishers falacies, but the current now sets in
an opposite direction; and intelligent men are
coming to sec that it is best to publish the
plain truth to the people If they cover it over
with the veil of error, still the solid substance
beneath cannot fail to make itself felt. To
admit and expose in detail the ignorance, pow
erty, and nferiority of the South in all the arts
and comforts Of life, compared with the North,
| and to impute such results to anything else
! than Slarerv will deceive the common sense Of