New-York daily tribune., 1856-02-26
FREE LABOR s<rsss SLAVE LABOR.

10 accuracy TO indicate the truth At al events no
other statement of the condition Of the country o.
that time, az complete and reliable as this DatoIai
census, has come before the pubhc. Little gained
by merely sscertaiIng ard publishing the statistic OF
State. IL only brings the unwrought ore to the eur
face ard ifle there in that condition, remains pile
ofrubbsh. comparison fthe fscts learned from the
census analysis of these facts seres of inierenceS
or deductions from them, give practical value 10
those figures If carefully studied they expound the
mystery Of national life, and chow the causes which
sap the strength Of communities and make them
vither and languith in their youth Ihese IN
ductions convert the shapeess mass Of figures INTO
sy,te1n and symmetry and form the science OF political
economy.
Nis matter Of fair inference from these census
tables that some great and radical cause or crcum-
stance operates in all the slave States 10 etard their
increase in population aud wealth. This fact, II be
fact s Of great Importance to the entire country and
should be scertaned if possible TO know precisely
the cause Of mslsdy leads or later TO the dis
COyery Of suitable remedy.
In investigating this question, We are happily re-
leyod from one element Of dispute. The facts and
figures are presented to us by our common Govern
ment, and are not perpexed by contradictory as
fortions Of existing facts and by attempts to ascertain
the actual truth. The whole process of inquiry Il a
mere train Of reasoning inference from acknowledged
data.
II is probable that no completely satisfactory con-
cuson could be attained by comparing the statistics
Of States extremely remote from each other, and hav
ing few things in common. The States selected TOR
this purpose ought to resemble each other in climate,
,ol geographical position and natural advantages OF
all kIds ard differ mainly in the fact that one uses
free labor and the other slave labor. These condi
tions are most likely to be secured by taking States
actually contiguous TO each other, and very similar in
natural physical advantage and date Of settlement
We will then, take Pennsylvania and Virginia Of
the old States, and Ohio and Kentucky Of the new
States For the facts we will resort to Dc Bows
Compendium, published by the Senate Of 1884, and no
one south of Mason and Dixons line will claim that
document coming from such source emanated from
hostility TO Southern Institutions or Inisrepresents
facts to the disadvantage Of slave labor.
The facts ascertained at each census during the
present century and brought together in this compen-
dum leave little doubt that Slavery reards the natu-
raj ncrease of population lowers the average stand
ard aggregate of common school education depre-
ciaes the value of land prevents from increasing
in value in the same proportion Us land wrought by
free labor, and operates generally to reduce and
waste the property and natural resources OF the COM
muni.y.
In the case OF Virginia and Pennsylvania the origi-
Do and natural advantages greatly IN favor OF Nir-
gina. Her rivers harbOrs the Atlantic, climate,
soil and geographical position are unsurpassed, and
when these Colonies became sovereign States, Virginia
stood where she ought to have remained, the Empire
State A comparison between Virginia aud Pennsyl-
yaDia is at least fair for Virginia.
Virginia contains 81 1852 square miles, Pennsy vana
10000. Virginia has shore line of 654 miles; Penn
sylvanis reaches the ocean through difficult river and
bay channel Both States Slave States when the
first census was taken Compare the white popula-
ton at each census.
1890 Penn Penn 5Ss&s S go P13 s9ss s s
1870 FfnH .s sa5 Ee. ss S' s.S,
l'sO Fsin.'!...... fnIaS.'a'i' $500 S
The total population Of fice and slaves in these two
States at each during the present centdy as
follows:
Fs ssSa Tsa. T4ss 80 Ss Tfaa o
T.a Tf1a m :ii rs Ei1sa yfa 3ss
These figures show at glance that whatcvc natural
advantages Virginia may have over Pensylvana for
the support and increase of population, some cause
operates uniformly to nullify these advantages. We
can discover accidental temporary check but there
seems to be some great and permanent dag upon her
progress.
By the laws of nature, the increase Of population
keeps pace with the increase Of food and accumulation
Of products consumed by man; and tine only efficient
TO obtain these products s sbor There must
be some radical defect in the system of labor adopted
by Virginia. This defect may be in the occupation of
labor or in the quality of labor In other words labor
may be wrongly directed, and may be wasted in un-
profitable employments, no matter how skilled that
labor may be- or labor may be so unskilled and rude
in qunhiy that it will fail to be productive to its owR1
in any 4ebatmont of industry.
comparison Of the direction or occupation of labor
in those two States will assist in solving the question
whether the relative progress of Virginia and Penn
sylyania is caused by the different systems OF labor
employed in those States.
The census tables exhibit the occupations of all the
white males Of more than fifteen years of age; but it
must be borne in mind that they do not state the
occupation of the slaves or in other words, OF 42s al9
Of the laborers Of Virginia So that in all departments
Of labor where slaves employed they fan 70 show
the true number of laborers in Virginia.
The numbers returned as engaged IN any kind oi
employment are, in Pennsy wanna 6se,s; in virginia,
22e, ,s7s-classified a. follows In commerce, manu'
factures and mining in Pennsylvania, 2eS,s27; N VIZ
ginia, 52675. In agriculture in Pennsylvania, 2o7 's'
in Virginia, loe 364. In other kinds of labor, not ag-
rcultursl, Pennsylvania, l63,62s Virginia, 4s,59e'
II TO these numbers a reasonable allowance be made
in favor of Virginia by distributing her slave labor IN
its probable direction, it is apparent that Virginia
EMPLOYS a number of laborers great in proportion
to population as Pennsylvania. 1t is apparent, also.
luhn Or