The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-05-29
Tho Economics Of Slavery.

"a Virglnian," writing to the New fQsf
Herald, discouraging the Eli Thaysr shcme
Of re-eoloni,ing the ancient Dominion, on
the ground Of it, impracticability, lets out
unwistingly some Of the economics Of Slave
ry. His object being the phllanthropic one
Of saving the poor white emigrant from
Z" the bad future that awaits him should
no have an inkling to Try his fortunes in ron
ovating the exhausted lands in that State
We quote fow extracts from the letter.
His main position 10 that the lands are
worthless and cannot be made valuable
Guano and other manure', applied by free
labor, won't answer. Thre Is an inherent
worthlessness in the land that cannot DO
overcome. the country is cursed with
droughts in the summer, late frosts in the
spring, that cut OF early vegetation, and
there are dews at night which engender fe-
yer, and whole train Of evils to DO endur-
ed, which must fall to the smigrans's lot
He says of the Lands
"And still for years and years they lie
idle-the old field pines, the broom sedge,
and the red gullies al.ne marking the outline
Of what, years ago, was occupied as plan
tation, while on some fayorite knoll, situat-
ed near spring, you may trace the mounds
of ruin which marked the site Of the former
occupants dwelling, and few old apple
stumps, where formerly stood the orchard,
the occupant long since having exhausted
the soil, abandoned it for Western lands;-
and now the American Emigrant Aid Socie-
ty desire to I'LL up these lands with white
labor.
WHAT SUPPORTS TIE vIRsrSrAS ARIsroc-
RAcY. II Is well conceded fact, that as q
general rue, the farmers Of Virginia could
not live but for the increase Of their slaves,
often, on many plantations, being 20, 80,
SO. and 100 year. This 10 the secret OF
their wealth. 1t is not their lands and
this is proved BY the yearly exodus to richer
lands in other States"
lis, then, human stock breeding that
furnishes the means of living, and their
chief resource. They raise little yellow
boys and yellow girls for the market in other
Slave States, the same as our farmers here
raise pigs, calves, and colts for q market,
and yet we are told that families arc seldom
divided. "a Virginian " should be careful
how he lets the cat out Of the bag.
"VIRGrNIA SOCIETY, AND HOW IT Is FORMED.
Society is formed Of three classes First,
tho planters and their families, sons and
connections this class includes doctors, Of
whom there are an abundance. and often ten
in village Of one or two thousands persons,
and oil get enough to do some way, with fe-
vers, &C.; lawyers. OF which class there are
plenty; they, too, owing to the want Of q
land system Us established by the general
government, find plenty to do in the disput-
cd titleds to land sheriAs-thiS is the open
sesame IN the Legislature; merchants and
traders. Secondly, we have class Of me.
chanics, whs pine away sickly existence,
pressed on ono side by northern manufac.
tures--from the planters carriage to the
baby's sh,e-and on the other by slave COM
peting labor-tor very plantation has its
mec hanics. This class includes Overseeis,
teamsters, and those resident about the
towns and villages, supplying them with
small necessaries and lastly, class who,
perhaps, are the most degraded specimens OF
native Americans on this continent. They
are to be found in log.made, mud.stuaed
shanties in the woods, cking out living by
cutting and preparing barrel timber, shin
giles, and hoop poles, but chiefly In aiding
to plumber the planters through their slaves
and bartering with unprincipled traders at
tho nearest village or town for whiskey.'
The class last spoken Of are the poor whites
Of the South.
EDUCATION IN VIRGINIA. "They 1.-THE me-
chanics OF the South, including ovcrsecrs, |
teansters, DC, are born In ignorance, they |
grow up in Ignorance, and they die In the
slme they will perform such acts ~ de-
cent slave would not willingly do. In the
favorite county Of the State, and in which IL
the pride Of Virginia. and within view OF in
founders dwelling, Il allude TO the Uniyer.
sity in which are yearly gathered over 500
students,) and in county claiming more
y. p. VS. than, perhaps, any other thre
were found, some few years ago. several
thousand male and female adults, under 81
and over Is, who could neither read nor
write, and in this very county common
school -ys,sm was rejected by an ovcrwhelm-
ING vote. "what do poor white people
want with education any moro than no.
srocsf" was the response. Then this 10
your chance for educating your children,
emigrant, to the cheap lands Of Virginia"
Poor lands, covered with broken sedgc,
slave breeding, slave aristocracy, mechanics
having ickly existence, laborers living in
u log.made, mud.stufcd shan,ies, )" bartering
shingles, &C., for the bare neccssaries Of life
and whiskey, and general ignorance. These
Arc the social features and economies Of
slavery, as given BY go virginian." What
\ delightful picture they present to the eye
Of northern democrat.
OLE Bull. 1t will be seen by reference