New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-10-10
-i r,rEE pRoDucTs OF THE UNION.

to a large assemblage of Black Republicans from the
steps OF the Merchants Exchange, New York IL
was singular place for such man to speak from
for Mr. B. has been the most successful Sampson OF
party which, if it triumphs at the ensuing election,
may render, at no distant day, that very Exchange
the centre only Of restricted operations instead OF
being what it now is the great, controlling centre Of
the financial. commercial and stock operations of a
continent. @ .sE H."
The leading merchants and property-holders of
New York are evidently of the opirion that danger
Gus sectonalists like Banks should not he allowed to
promulgate perncious doctrines from such locality
without answer and refutation. Accordingly he has
been answered. His premises have been shoNh to oe
false, and his deductions fallacious &nSH
But, to proper understanding Of the answer ana
refutation it is necessary to glance at the eaa1s
points in the labored address of Mr.. BanFs. Mr. b.,
in pointing out the increased preponderance Oh Noi
ern wealth. enterprise, industry and commerce, ana
showing that IN all the legitimate pursuits OF NATIONAL
industry the Moth Is infinitely superior TO the South
that Southern men, instead Of attending to the de-
velonnent of the physical resources of their section
of tbe country have been devoting their time to poll
tcs-assumed that the only way to deveope the South
now ia to take all the Offices from Southern men, and
50 compel them by necessity to increase their mate
rial wealth which to do will oblige them to subst-
tute other labor for that of the slaves. Mr. Banks
proceeded to an elaborate of statistics, in which
he very clearly demonstrated the untrlth of the old
maxim that Figures never Ie.'' For instance, he
stated the value Of tie products Of the United States
for 1856 to be forty-ye hundred millions of dollars
fifteen hundred millions produced by mechanical and
manufacturing industry sixteen hundred millions by
agricultural and fourteen hundred millions by COM
merce OF the sixteen hundred millions produced
by agricultural industry, Mr. Banks very generously
conceded the South forty-ve per cent. but of the
twenty.niue hundred millions produced by mechanl-
cal and manufacturing industry and commerce, his
concessions were Of contemptuousy measre charac-
ter. He claimed pretty much all for the North.
Mr.. Samuel B. Rugges, one of the frst statisticars
of this any other country and who has long been
intimately acquainted with the relations Of the inter
nal and external commerce of the land, was called
upon formally to answer this speech by large num-
Der of the first merchants and citizers Of New York
Among the distinguished names appended to the call
we notice those Of Hiram Ketchum, c. A. Davis, A.
c. Kipgsland, VIM. B. Aston, Shepherd Knapp, Theo-
dore Dehon, Howell L. Williams, Wi'r9m Chauncey
and Edward briggs.
The review of Mr. Ruggles IS really crushing, and
|
politician he may be, is wholly at sea when he under
takes the calculation and application of commercial
statistics We regret we corstra ned to synopsis
of Mr.. RS admirable erpose. He shows that instead
of commerce producing value equal to fourteen hun
bred millions of dollars, the legitimate production OF
the seas amount to only thirty millions of dollars End
the exports Of these in 1865 amounted to only four
millions of dollars. The remainder of Mr. Banks
6,,.l, Crftj
ducts of agricultural, manufacturing and mechanical
industry which commerce had placed on the seas, but
which had been previously computed and embraced
u his first two items of fifteen and sixteen hundred
millions. The error of Mr.. Banks amounts only tc
thirteen hundred and nnety-siN millions of dollars -
tri1e perhaps to Black Republican politician, but
sufficient in the judgment of careful Northern mer
chants to vastly depreciate the value Of political dc
auctions based on such figures. Mr.. Banks fiji vher
stated that of the sixteen hundred milliors produced
by agriculture the slave States contribute but IS per
cent But as these States have less than 40 per cent
Of the total population and only 20 per cent of the
white population, As per cent. of production So ac
cordng to Banks own showing, more than the South
ern States fair proportion But flu thcr, of the six
teen hundred millions produced by agriculture, a
least twelve hundred millions are consumed on tho
CATTLE the poultry, the milk and eggs all of which
| help to swell the aggregate, and the three hundred
millions of Indian corn, very little of which is ex
ported Outeof eight hundred and eighty millions
of Northern agricultural productions less than forty
millions are exported either to foreign countries Of
coastwise, while for every one hundred m''tons o
Southern cotton, at least ninety go to sea- and four
teen out of every twenty milliors Of Southern to
Tn fact off to1l 10
the conclusions Banks arrives at, and prove that tn
agriculture of the South thus disparaged fu.nishe
the foundation Of the commercial prosperity an
greatness Of the United states-that it IS the mau
, spring of our vast industrial, financial and CONNER
cial system, and that it should be fostered and Pre-
NOTED instead Of being deprecated and ridiculeG
Mr. Ruggles concludes his first letter thrs elicitous
and truthfuly:
rompons and idle parade Of imaginary hosands Q" millrt
dissolve their lraernal aud ma ona connection with the who
indies Of The American repnbie-and aid Mr s and his
nem:
The second letter of Mr.. Rugglcs-which IS date
New York, I'd nst.-is devoted mainly to the " pol;
ical deductions and statistics Of foreign commerce
J., Of Mr.. Banks. We quote
, moments examination Of the history Europe will sho
that nearly NIL its civilized nations have sought increase
commercial and political power by acQiri 1rlitoc
mics enjoying tropical climate and yielding tropical podnc
But these dependencies have always beer widely separated
the parent State. The West Indies of England, Of Spain
Fnncc, and of Holland lie far away Stormy
while the East Indies of the separated
. breadth Of hemisphere But the Indies Of the American
public lie within lis very borders and bon t by the Ces
/ peake and the Gull Of Mexico
The eloquent writer then proceeds to show the a
:, feasibility Of these Southell "I1dics by the opt
ocean in front and the Mississippi in the intelic
which flows from the land of the oak and pine to tn
" of the palm and olive. This is the deep secret Il
o very inner life of misunderstanding the Ii
e to our commercial and political history for ages
l. come" The difference of industry argues Mr. RI
r. giles, growing out Of the difference of climate is
$. boon bestowed by Providence for the every pulpo
Of creating the necessity for national commerce Al
5 national communion" He then puts these he
y questions to Mr. Banks
m.s made pins, and buttons, and wooden cnclSey
hny the and buttons and wooden clocks of New I'll
nui That if the plant the shores Or NaNsRci
The planters would no be >od by the shOymHkers
L, Can he not understand the truth nm the na0
" difference only the nation, That New York aud PEI
bind IN harmony by the golden bonds Of commerce those
Ve eNrcmties, scordan only in name, and harmonious il III
N mutual interests and necessities:
ii. To show the value Of the geographical conjuncti
in in q single nation on an unkrOkCu continent Of