The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-30
From the North and South, New Brit CONN.,
THE FARMING ARD PLANTATU ,sYsTF
IN THE SOUTHERN STAT

signs in the Southern States, in sting the
working of new convictions in refeJ We to the
economy of slave labor. We have yerted to
the expedient, which is now beinl lore and
more extensively adopted, of raisi the pro-
ductive capacity of that labor, by ogiDg to
bear upon it some of those stimuls that op-
crate npon free working men. " have en-.
deavored to show that the Southef planters,
farmers, and manufacturers, could find on
the globe labor better adapted to t climate
and other local circumstances thar It which
they now employ, provided it were noncipa-
ted, and brought under all the inc yes and
impulses that pertain to the condit of free.
dom.
We will now proceed to notice al Ter radi-
cal change which, We are happy to lieve, is
coming to be regarded as indispens Q to the
true prosperity of the South. The ystem Of
Slavery has broken up, in that set % of the
Union, the fundamental condition Of demo
cratic society, and created disparit : between
small number of the white popula and the
great mass, which are incompatible with the
general good. Not only the polti ii power,
but the ownership and cultivation the land,
have been absorbed by kind Of sligarchy,
thus making the progress and deve fiment OF
the country depend upon the capa ~ or ca
price of very small number of its abitarts.
We are fully persuaded that, either der Sla-
very or under Freedom, the plantai j system
of the Southern States is and mui 1e detri.
mental to their true interests. VIII his sys-
tenn exists, they can never have an .elligent
yeomanry they never chn have Il condi.
tons of society which make the ST 9Th and
glory of the free States of the N b; they
never can have cohersnt, enligb ed, and
virtuous population, with schools ap harches
and other educational and religious buttons,
within the reach of all, rich and II; they
never can have their vest region country
brought fully under cultivation, d. ed, and
rendered a cafe residence for people all eli
mates.
We know not if these lines shall esd BY
any persons living south of Mason Dixons
line; if they should fad their way South.
ern eye, we are confident that their hfulness
and justice will be clearly seen. les lr recent
tour through that portion of the !, lion, we
found persons ready to admit and ( deplore
these facts. The plantation System /, an insti.
tuition of Slavery, and ID one of the lister of
evils which that great curse has : oduced.
There are millions of the white posi- alton of
the South who see the mischief of . working
upon their interests. Lock at its frs. Grafton.
1t divides district of country, cient to
make 500 farms of 100 acres each, ong ten
large owners or planters. Thus, 81 0 acres
of land are subjected to the control ! capa
city of these ten men, wbase estate in each
other. Perhaps a few igDorant, pov 'strick.
en- white men may squst' down il serable
cabins in the interstices or corner # these
great plantations, and gleFa bare ,istence
from the little patches OF land alIo | them,
and from hunting, fishing, DC.
Now, just look at the relations inter.
course or the two extremes oceupyit +, his dis
trict. Here are ten great planter Sn one
hand, each owning an estate averai . 900
acres. GA the other hand, skirting D indent-
ing their estates, are scattered the bins OF
perhaps twenty poor white men, Ii z from
hand to month, frequently IS ign mt and
vicious as they are depressed in l. social
scale. We do net believe that in al country
in the civilized world such wide, d. d chesrn
divides between class and class as I which
separates the two parties occupying b plant.
alton district in the Southern States To call
them community would be as gree ! misno
mer as possible. They are united :. % com.
mon bond of sympathy or interest On the
contrary, a sour, sullen suspicion o. ae one
side, and proud and naughty beari, on the
other, are likely to widen the gull etween
them.
Now, add population of thous, sslaves
to this district, and you have the i citation
system in the perfection of its evils Ia all
that pertains to domestic, social, and &c cation.
al economy, each planter endeavors make
his establishment an independent esi e. AS
far as possible, he prevents the unas growth
and thrift of independent industries tire les, &c.
he has nothing in common with th, e who
would plant these elements of civilizet society
within that district. He feels that Il ! estabr
Gshment is wanting if he is obliged to i've one
of these outside tradesmea a lob. q ,us, he
stocks his estate with assorted hands, He ba,
his own blacksmith, carpenter, brick q ,er, &c
He pstronizes no email Diaper, gf =, IRON
monger, upholsterer, or shoedealer, v % NAV
venture to set up shop in the district, 4 le buys
his iron by the ton, his groceries by \ sheads
and hundreds, his shoes aEad hats b, i case,
IN some large seaport, where he sc lis cots
ton. There he buys his books, his 10 nture,
and all the elegancies of his mansi !, There
he buys at Wholesale all the coarse II ittings
for his slaves. He frequently forbie 81 ,eir re.
sorting to the small dealers for the pnt ,ose OF
trading with them. What has he 70 with
common schools fer the education OF 4 chill.
dren of the poor He has none 70 lucate.
even N the first stages, with those Of tb white
"squdHers,' as he is apt TO regard theel He.
either employs tutor or a govern esf in his
family, or sends his children to sore Instant
boarding school, to be educated, at an expense
lar beyond the reach Of common means Sacb
as he, are his nine feiow-planters. Thy NAV
constitute social circle of aristocrasi. and
| maintain congenisl intercourse anoui them
selves; but, so far as all the rest of tn white
population of that district SIRE concern |, thew
are worse than absentees they may ps ronize
and enrich trades and occupations il large
towns on the sesbosrd, of at a distal se, but
they impoverish all independent indust,i with.
in the compass of their eststes
| We do not believe that one in ten of the
tradesmen and mechanics of the 8 uthern
States would dissent from this vit'w. of the
plantation system. We know that any of
them feel deeply on this subject, snc would
| express their convictions in reference to its
bearings far more impressvely than u have
done, if they had fitting opportunity :, doing
it. This plantation system, as we have aid. Is
an institution produced by Slavery; 6, | with
Slavery, we earnestly hope, it will die ont Of
the Soutn entifeiy. FOR, aoolsh Slae y, and
five hundred farmers, each with his ;ndred
acres, nigh. occupy and till the 10000 owned
by these ten large planters. What n \ con.
dition of society would result from this enpe
In the first place, the land itself " lid be
brought under the action of FIVE hun, ed in
dividual minds, all thinking and planni :, with
all the ever working impulses and inte cts Of
ownership, to develop its capacity of roduc
ton. Conceive, for a moment, what 81 lggre
q gate OF cotton, corn, Dc, five hundr free
Il labor farmers would grow in these 5000 acres
now held By ten planters How soor would
those wide wastes be brought into cult alton
How soon would the sunlight be let inf thos,
slimy-bottomed forests, and thqca fever.t .edin,
fens and marshes be drained But hi woult