The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-07-07

the Part OF virginia VIII be perceived TO
be 463, 167, starting from basis more
than double as large as that of New York.
The increase of New York. upon basis
of $40, 100, has been 1879, ,39I human
beings. Virginia has increased in a ra-
ito of 81 per cent, and New York inthat
of $50 per cent.
"The total amount of property in Vir-
ginia, under the assessment of 1888, was
321I. $50, 508. The aggregate value of
real and personal property in New York,
In 1889, was 1864 600, 900, exhibiting
an excess in New York over Virginia of
capital of S442, COS, ,499.
Statesmen may differ about policy, or
the means to be employed in the promo
ton ofpablic good, bus surely they ought
TO be agreed rs to what prosperity means.
l think there can be no dispute that New
York is greater, richer, more pros
porous and powerful State than Virginia.
What has occasioned the difference :.
There is but one explana-
tion of the facts have shown. The
clog that has stayed the march of her
people, the incubus that has weighed
down her enterprise, strangled her COM
merce, kept sealed her exhaustless foun-
tains of mineral wealth, and paralyzed
her arts, manufactures, and improvement
is negro slavery
These statements were made before
the taking of the census Of 1910. The
white population of Virginia, in 1850,
was s94, 800; while in New York it was
3,048, 1896 showing difference of g.,
154, 525.
The number of vessels built in the
northern States in 1851 was 934; while
in the southern States it was only 299.-
The number built in New York was 229,
and their tonnage was 1906; while in
Virginia twenty were built, with
a tonnage of l, ,778. Massachusetts built
1873 vessels, with tonnage of IL, 1928 /;
while South Carolina built 5, amount
ing to 625 tons.
The amount of shipping owned at the
north is four or five times as much as
that at the south; and manufactures and
mechanical arts of the two sections are
in similar proportion. In short, there
is no department in what goes to make
up nations prosperity in which the
north is not far ahead cf the south, ex-
cept, perhaps in the manufacture and use
of whisky and kindred drinks. Of the
1861 distilleries in the United States in
1910, 1866 were found in the slave
States; but for the want of skill orsome
thing else, these yield 1892 gallons less
than the others.
Well may the Rev DIR. Ruffner, Pres
ident of the Lexington College, Va, say
that s.no man of common sense, who has
observed this result the growth of the
free and slave States can doubt fora mo-
ment that the SYSTEM of free labor pro-
notes the growth and prosperity of States
in much higher degree than the system
of slave labor. 1t is the common re-
mark" !" he says, ''of all who have trav-
eled through the United States, that the
! free States and the slave States exhibit a
striking contrast in their appearance
In the older free States are seen all the
tokens of prosperity; dense and in
creasing population; thriving villages,
towns and cities; neat and productive
agriculture growing manufactures, and
active commerce.
''In the Older parts of the slave States
with few local exceptions-are seen
on the contrary, too evident signs of stag
nation, or of positive decay; a sparse
population slovenly cultivation spread
over vast fields that are wearing out,
among others already worn out and des-
olate villages and towns, "few and far
between" rarely growing, often decay
ing, sometimes mere remnants of what
they were, sometimes deserted ruins,
haunted only by owls; generally no man
ufactures, nor even trades, except the in
despensable few; commerce and naviga-
ton abandoned, as far as possible, to the
people ofthe free States; and, generally,
instead of the stir and hustle Of industry
dull and dreamy stiffness, broken, if
broke at all, only by the wordy brawl of
politics.
Speaking of his own State, Virginia,
he says, some Virginia politicians, proud
| ly call our old commonwealth the mother
of States! These enlightened patriots
might pay hera still higher compliment
by calling her the grand mother ofStates.
For our part, we are grieved and morti-
fed to think of the lean and haggard
condition of our venerable mother. Her
black children have sucked her SO dry,
that now. for long time past, she has
not milk enough for her offspring, either
black or white.
''She has sent, or, we should say, she
has driven from her soil at least one third
of all the emigrants who have gone from
the old States to the new. More thanan-
other third have gone from the other
slave States. Many of these multitudes
who have left the slave Safes have shun-
ned the regions of slavery, and settled in
the free countries of the west. These
were generally industrious and enter
prising white men, who found by sad
experience that a country of slaves was
not the country for them. 1t is truth,
certain truth, that slavery drives free
iaboFers-farmers, mechanics, and all,
and some of the best of them, too, out
of the country, and fills their places
with negroes. 1t is admitted on all hands
that slave labor is better adapted to agri-
culture than to any other branch of in
dustry; and that ifnot good for agricul-
ture, it is really good for nothing
Therefore, since in agriculture slave
labor is proved TO be far less productive
than free labor, slavery is demonstrated
to be not only Improbable. but deeply
injurious to the public prosperity.
1.-The number of mechanics in differ
ent parts of the south, is in the inverse
ratio of the number of slaves or in
other words, where the slaves form the
largest proportion of the inhabitants,
there the mechanics and manufacturers
form the least. In those parts only where
the slaves are comparatively few, are
many mechanics and artiticers to be
found; but even in these parts they do
not flourish as the same useful class of