The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-10-08

W
tween tweny-seyen millions of feemen for the chief otces
Of the republic q" see before me nation which has pro-
duced results such the world before has witnessed
and such the mind OF no intelligent man has heretofore
been able to conceive and then the GREAT FACT
imbodying proposition vast and comprehensive and
yet condensed that the orator declares to be the
product of all that he has to say" In its grand simplicity
it is this that the people of the United States in the year
1856 will give to the world their portion of the indus
trial product of the human tOryve hundred millions
Of dollars Pa greater by eighth than the entire
national debt of the British empire that has been accumu
lating for two centuries"
The newspapers inform that the annuncaon of this
result received with loud applause by the crowd in
Wall street How far that commendaton creditable
TO the intelligence of those who bestowed it let briefly
examine.
In the first place. If 1t true that the nation produces
ortyfve hundred millions annually it does not "remove
all questions in the impending controversy whether we
shall elect Mr. Fremont to the presidency and "despo
southern brethren of their offices in the army and navy
If the North produced the whole forty-fve hundred mill
ons and the South did nothing whatever but keep the
black in subection, it would not follow that the
South should be excluded from all participation in the
government for if contend, the black race be
nothing but burden the community which contains It,
the freemen of the North should be thankful to the South
for bearing the whole of the burden and thus leaving them
unettered accumulate that forty hundred millions
annually.
But unnappy for Mr. Banks and his admiriug auditors
it is not true that the nation annually produces the 45OO
Millions for look at his own analysis Fifteen hundred
millions says he produced by manufacturing and me-
chanCa industry sixteen hundred by agriculture This
makes thrty-one and the residue fourteen hundred mil
ons where does it from Let the comminged rhe
torc and statistics of Mr. Banks "THE SEAS that
are whened with the flags of the of New York
each sgualzng the name the character the auence the
itu
this great product OF 45oo millions fourteen hundred millions
as the share of commerce"
Now gentlemen what do the seas thus rhetorlcaily
whtened fact produce That is to say what articles
of commercial value They produce good many Goldfish
many mackerel and here and there whale the total
value Whereof when caught barreed, and landed in the
United States hardly exceeds thirty millions annually If
it amounts to that The portion of those products export
ed in the year 1855 less than four millions The re-
mande then of Mr.. Bankss imaginary fourteen hundred
millions consists wholly of the very products of ngrcu
tura manufacturing, and mechanical industry which COM
merce had placed the seas, but which had been pre-
yousy computed and embraced in his first two items Of
fifteen and sixteen hundred millions, And thus we behold
the Speaker his very first plunge into the of figures
going astray to the of thirteen hundred and nine1
millions II this be "the music of the Union" which Mr.
Banks describes the northern ploughboy as whlstng his
political psamody to say the least is capable of improve
ment
But again; The Speaker asserts that of the 1000 mil
lions produced by agriculture the fifteen slave States
tribute but As per cent How this assertion is proved does
appear but it be true it does not show the slave
States fall short of their just proportion for they have
less than forty per cent Of the total population and only
twenty-five per cent Of the white population Why then
should their agriculture be required 10 produce forty
FIVE per cent?
But the truth Of tho statement must be than doubt
fu The very of the South, unfayoable to white
T.
larly favorable agricultural development Time is
wanting 10 compute the comparative product of
reals but If focks and herds form part Of nation
weath-and mankind has held them 70 be things OF valnc
since the days Of Abraham-then the South In this i'm
porant element very far exceeds the North. The
shows nine millions Of cattle standing south Of the Poo-
mac belonging six millions of white men, and only
eight millions north of belonging to fourteen millions
whites and what statesman entitled for instant the
ephe perceive the rapid increase Of the cotton
crop II may be true the Speaker ventures to assert
that the Of the South abandon agriculture in quest
office but the official statistical tables do not show It.
But again Mr. Banks addressing and affecting TO in.
body of merchants-a commercial community from
The steps Of their Exchange Why such oCca-
son and with such audience did no omit 10 state the
respective proportions which the agriculture of the South
and OF the North contributed to the that whiten
ed the seas Did he not know that OF the lGOO millions
produced by agriculture at lea'! 1900 millions are con-
sumed on the spot 80 reach the sea al7 For
how much Of the hundreds Of millions estimated as the
value Of the hay and cattle and poultry and milk and
eggs which help to swell the aggregate carried all r
the vessels Of the merchant princes How much OF the
three hundred millions OF Indian corn goes to seal
And, above all, does not Mr.. Ranks know, and do not
the New York merchants know that OF every 90 millions
Of southern cotton at least 30 go TO sea- and IA out OF
every 20 millions Of southern tobacco While Of the total
product Of northern agrcu estimated by Mr. Rank
$50 millions less than forty millions exported either to
foreign countries coastwise
Does he see and do not all of us whether merchant
banker landowner mechanic and feel that the agri
culture Of the South thus dparaged furnishes the very
foundation Of commercial prosperity And can this
great trading navigating city be induced by any pompous
and idle parade Of imaginary thousands Of millions to dis
solve their aterna and national connection with the whole
magnificent domain spread out south of the Poomac-he
very Indies of the American repubcand aid Mr. Banks
and his associates in excluding that grand division Of the
Union from all participation in the honors and emoluments
Of the government
But find the subject growing my hands beyond the
limits Of single letter. and must reserve for further
communication the remarks Mr. Bankss political de
ducons and his statistics Of foreign which the
subject requires,
With great respect your friend and fellow-citizen
SAMUEL B. RUGGLES,
"a Union Square, New York.
To Messrs Hiram Ketchum G. A, Davis A. Q, KingsAnd
VIM. b. Astor Shepherd Knapp and others