New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-20

on the West; her spacious Territory proherng the
largees variety Of natural resources. she was ever
the foremo,t Colony, and for years the most popu'
lous and wealthy State Of our Union. Beside ner
own chief cities, remarkably favored BY nature.
the Federal Metropolis is located within her original
limits, and four of the first FIVE Presidents were
chosen from among her sons. She has rarely been
without at least one voice in the Cabinet, and the
Federal Treasury has been fairly emptied upon her
sons. But for the influence of Slavery, Virginia
would inevitably have been at this moment tie
most populous and powerful Of the Staes' Win
the most varied industry and the ampless COM
merce, her sails whitening every sea and her MIN
erals and manufactures finding markets In every
quarter Of the globe.
Vermont, on the other hand, has no sea-coast, no
port save on Lake Champlain and no n,5isable
river; che first began to be settled in 1723, one
hundred and sixteen years after the founding OF
Virginia, and when the latter was already power
ful and prosperous colony; she is barely one sixth
so large as Virginia (the latter having 32 square
miles to vermont's lO,2l2); she has Of course no
external commerce and no considerable cities, her
industry and trade building up marts outside OF her
borders exclusively; she was claimed in her infancy
as the possession of two rival States and her people
subjected to hsrassiDg prosecutions and Orsy' which
sadly retarded her growth; her climate is harsh and
her soil rugged she is nearly in one corner OF the
Union out the track immigration; she has Often
er been out of than in favor at the Capitol, which 10
located hundreds of mics from her borders; she
never had one of her citizens even nominated Tor
President or vice-President; never but once and
then for brief period, had seat in the Caoine';
and has not received fftieth part the amount OF
Federal patronage that has been lavished on VIZ
einia Strike Slavery out Of the calculation ana
Virginia should this day have at least thnce the
population to the square mile of Vermont. And
yet Virginia had in 1850 but Attraction over twenty
three inhabitants to the square mile, while Ver'
mont had considerably more than thirty; though
q very large proportion of Virginia's natve-born
people are to-day on her soil only because they
are so well watched and guarded that they can IND
no opportunity to run away.
The Census further shows that only about one in
four hundred of VermOnfs male inhabitants over
fifteen years of age is idle or out Of employment;
while the proportion of Virginia is about one in
three. Vermont, though relatively so young, with
far less than fourth the population Of Virginia,
has invested more than half as much as the latter in
places of religious worship. Vermont annually
raises and disburses more than half as much as
Virginia for the support Of public schools; and
while Virginia has 81 1888 free inhabitants over
twenty years Of age who can neither read nor
write, Vermont has but GIG native inhabitants in
the like state of pitiable ignorance. Virginia has
less than one newspaper to every 10000 inhabit-
ants; Vermont more than one to every 10000.
And the difference between the intelligence refine.
ment and enterprise Of the mass Of the Free White
inhabitants of the two States is but family indi.
Gated by these statiatics
Can any one thoughtfully scan the mountains OF
evidence like this of the superior information mo-
ralit industry and thrift of Free over Slave States
and then ask why we resist the Extension and de-
sire the extinction Of Slavery Can any honestly
accuse us, in laborng to this end, of hostility or
i'll will to the South Who can fail to see that
Slavery is the fundamental cause of the relative ig
norance, poverty and ineficiency of the States
which cherish it ! If those who feel this would
frankly say it, the chief cause of difference betweea
the North and the South would soon pass away.