Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-01-31

eeseiohs OF suincient importance to supply
the vacuum III your paper caused by the alb
sence OF Washington items
- A CITIZEN.
NorH. This article was written ON Saturday, the
24th instant.
Wealth, North and South Facts for
Speaker Banks Digestion.
A statistical table is now going the rounds
of the papers, which is we'll worthy the at
tention of every one DESTROYS of forming a
correct opinion as to the merits Of slavery
and anti-slayery, regarded from the point of
view of political economy This table has
been submitted to Congress by the Secreta-
ry. 1t is therefore sanctioned by high au-
thority; and whilst, Of course, it cannot
claim the merit of exact precision, it is
doubtless as near an approximation as can
be made to perfect accuracy. At any rate
we have no right (says the Richmond Tx
aminer) to suppose any thing else than that
/ il is fur towards both sections of tire Union;
and, for the purpose now in hand, is all that
is necessary as schedule framed on the
same principles of the whole country.
By the schedule the sixteen free States
are rated with an aggregate population of
GOT 1893 (sixteen millions, seventy-sev
en- thousand, three hundred g. ninety eighty
souls with an aggregate wealth, in real
and personal property, amounting to So
40, 1897 ,G7S Give thousand seven hundred
and seventy millions, three hundred and
seventy weight thousand, six hundred and
ninety dollars1. Dividing their ag-
gregate wealth by the number of people, we
have dividend of $685., (three hundred
and fifty-two dollars) and very small frac
ton to each individual in the free States,
irrespective of age, sex or condition.
On the other hand, the fifteen slave States
are reported, in the same table, as contain
ing an aggregate population of 1913, 413
(ten million, seven hundred and ninety
three thousand, four hundred and thirteen)
souls, with a sum total of real and personal
wealth, amounting to SO ,96S, $40 ,049 (three
thousand nine hundred aud sxty-eight mil
lions, three hundred and forty nine thous
and and forty-nne dollars) Making the
same calculation as in the other case, we
find the dividend in the slave States to be
$3.50 so (three hundred and severity dol
lars, fifty cents) to each person, white and
black, bond and free, old and young il She
slave States.
The first reflection to be drawn from these
figures is, that taking the aohole population
of each section, without any discrimination
as to color or condition, the Southern peo-
pie are indiriduaUy richer than the North
ern. We could afford to make an equal di
vision with our slaves and still remain mere
wealthy than any equal number Of the non
Shareholders.
But such is rot the true mode Of making
the comparison. The proper test is the rel
alive peeuniary condition Of the free iniab-
/ itants of each section, for the slaves arc not
and cannot be property holders in the legal
sense of the term. The number of slaves is
now estimated at upwards Of three and a
half millions but we will put the people of
the South at seven ahd half millions, leav-
ing the number Of slaves not quite three
million three hundred thousand. Dividing
the aggregate wealth of the South among
seven and half millions, we have an indi-
vidual dividend of S525 II; being little
more than fjty per cent. greater than thas
of the Northern masses.
But the difference does not end here
There is nothing in this table to show that
the slaves are rated as property. Let them
be rated at $500 each, which is low esti
mate at this time, and we have an addition
of 81 $50, geo, 0G0 (sixteen hundred and
City millions of dollars) to the bulk of South
ern wealth. Add this to the former esti-
mates, and we have an individual dividend
to the free people (white and black) of the
South of $749, or more than double the in
dividual wealth of the people Of the free
States
The figures require little comment. They
dissipate the already refuted sophsm that
slavery is inimical to the peeuniary well be-
ing of community; and show that our in
situations are as consonant with the true
principles of political economy as the doc
trines of sound national and social morality.
PERIcLEs, on momentous occasion, drew
comparison between his Athenah fellow
citizens and their neighbors of Sparta. The
substance Of the great orators language is
this : Sparta has devo.cd herself to arms
and warfare, neglectiug all other things
Athens has pursued no such nsfroW path.
She has cultivated all the arts and sciences;
has adopted every mode of activity. enter
prise and development, peaceful and war
like; and so much skill, knowledge and
power has she thereby acquired, that she
now surpasses Sparta even in military abil-
/ ity, and beats her in her own favorite en-
ployment." The languagois applicable to
the North and the South Money-moking
is the end of all things in the North the
almighty dollar is the exclusive divinity of
Yankee idolatry. The South, without hast
ching to be rieh,' has excelled the North in
var, in politics, in the settlement of new
States, in the cultivation of true morality
and the social and domestic virtues and
with all that, has beaten the North even in
the acquisition of individual wealth
later IRON NICARAGUA.
New York, Jan. 90 Hcnningsen re-
ports that after Granada was partially de-