Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-31

England and France will aid them. and that
the BcIlcy contract is to be respected and de
Tended Everything is very quiet here, and
tine flag officer is preparing to give the citizens
n grind Christmas ball on board Of the Roam
okc. The bon ton are all invited and expect
gala time.
The passengers have arrived by the Sonora.
and will leave tonight 10y tie Illinois and era
NADIA. :.
An Argument agains. the Policy OF Rs-o7,n:ns the
African Slave Traia.
CONTINUED.
This brings us to the question OF eXpediency;
or the advantages and disadvantages Of the pro-
poscd policy. which doubt not will be more
interesting to the general reader than the dis
cussion of legal and Constitutional points.
The Slave Trade is proposed as i means Of
chcapening slave labor and increasing the sup
plv Of it in the South. This, suppose TO he
the chief advantage which is expected to arise
from it. 1t is said that the number of our ne-
croes i, not equal TO the demand for slave labor
that lands are cheap and lsborcrS few. The
high price of negroes, it is said cvncc> the he
ccSsity of 4 greater amount Of slave labor. -
That the supply of cheap negroes from the At.
rican traffic would result in rapid settlement
and cultivation OF the wild lands ii the West.
and nj the same time enable the inhabitants ri
the old states to reclaim their worn lands. -
That negro property being rendered cheap. all
orr people could become Shareholders and thus
the institution be strengthened. &c. &c.
!. Labor Is like other valuable things III respect
to its being cheap or high in price. 1t is inllu-
enced by supply and demand. II 4 country is
50 lensey populated tia! there is 4 supcribun'
dant supply Of labor. the consequence is il be-
comes cheap. II the laborcrS are comparative.
" few. the price OF labor will be high. The
demand for labor in the South is great. and
consequently the price is high. But why is the
demand great: Because the productiycncsS Of
labor * great Ii is not because We are suffer
lng for want of negro labor, that it is high. L:
is because negro labor is productive of high
profits 1t is really an evidence Of our pros
pcritv II is anything but an evil 10 complain
Of And here is the great mistake that is mace
by the advocates of this policy, on this point
They set out by assuming. tina, The high price
OF negroes is a great calamity To be cured and
remedicd They constantly clamor for cheap
labor and cheap negroes. They may as we'll
cry ont against the high price Of cotton and
! sugar and rice They may rs well take the
ground, that the land In the country is tao
high. and that a general decline in prices Of all
property is grcst dcsidrratum 10 he attained.
| The price Of negroes is ut an equilibrium with
the price of every thing else in the South To
bring down negroes, is to bring down cotton
and land Tue prices Of ali these 20 together
! When cotton is low. negroes and land 20 low.
and every interest in the South suffers deprc>-
I sion in = corresponding manner. But when
cotton i high. land and ncgroc, are high and
the blisincS, Of the country in all It's branches
no,lrshcs. II i, new idea to mr. to IN cry
ing ont against our very prosperity. Reduce
negro abor--rcducc its productiycnrSS. which
is tho only way YOU Gun reduce its price -,;iG
You bring upon lis universal stagna,inn. And
! when you reduce the price Of the rc.ro. yon
not only effect it, by reducing his productive
value. but at the same time yon bring rrju.
ton upon every thing else and il reaches in it,
depressing effect, and SympaihcS the wages o:
; the labor of the non.,lavcholling inhabiiants.
thereby involving in the ruinolIs result all in.
tcrcsts and all classes. The times OF distress
are when prices are low; when negroes brin.
but halfpricc, and land and every other specie,
Of property is low i'll corresponding degree.
II Is then that all classes suffer. except those
whose business hourishes upon the nisfor;unc>
of the people When WAS this discovery made,
that low prices and cheap labor were the har
bingcr> Of prosperity: Even in the North.
where labor is free, it is anything else but an
evidence Of the prosperity OF The country, that
the wages Of labor are low. And yet. that
condition Of cheap labor and low wages. which
is the result Of the iiSproportion Of labor and
capital, owing to the great density Of their
population, is actually presented as proof uf
prosperity by the advocates Of the African
Slave Trade In the Report oil the Committee.
which was read to the last Southern Convcn-
ton, alluson is made Ia this subject in the fol-
lowing words: 80 also is labor necessary To
the value Of rested Interests. lnrcspcct of such
interests the South has been SinSularly nniortu-
nate. At the North, men step 10 opulcncc.--
The foreign population poured upon that sec
ton has given progress to every line OF bu,I-
ness, and value 10 every article Of pro-
pcrty Lads bought one year, are worth
twice as much the next, and the people
thcre--as values are such around them
have the comforts # wealth. and the fur.
thcr satisfaction of being regarded aS the
most enterprising and udiciouS in exist
encc. .lot ~ vith Us. Here, there ha, been
no wave Of foreign power To raise the value Of
our testfd interests. On the contrary, the wave
Of labor i, continually gliding from us, and
ducts abundant, there arc many OF u. in the
older sections. who would fail to sell estates TO-
day for as much As was paid for them i'll mar
kct fifty years ago. This state Of things would
tc altered BY the foreign Slave Trade. That
would give population, and population alone
would necessarily advance the value Of vested
interests For between Poru'otjo~ and rhc
price Of real Interests at least there is Al in
. .pI In - n.
crn States, where there are but twelve persons
to the square mile, the average value is about
six dollars TO the acre. I'm the Northern
States where there are one hundred 10 the
square mile the average value is abou, fifty
dollars to the acre. In England, where there
are three hundred and thirty-thrce to the
square mile the value is about one hundred
and seventy dollars per acre. &c. And ST.
it is that an increase in population gives \ ne
cessary increase in the value OF real property.
and so it is also that an increase Of coInpcti-
tors, will give Necessary increasc in the value
Of every other matter that becomes the subject
/ Of a common want.
! This picture presents IN strong light the
advantages Of dense population. and cheap Ia
Dor. This condition OF things arises from the
vast diSproportion between the vested interest,
OF Ulc Ictl c,ttc, anu llt " 'pu''I"i ai"i ''''I'
Now il * Ia be ohscr, ed, that the advantages
here spoken OF are on the side Of the capitalist
the proprictors Of the vested intcrcst-and not
on the side Of the wave Of population. and the
( class Of laborerS who have contributed SO much
to the prosperity Of the other class. The pro,
portion of one hundred people 10 the square
mile would give to each, not quite sx-anl half
acres Of land. if equally divided. The land.
IL. t>,Ia f
lalion, and these great advantages are all Oh
their side And as the country grows older
and denscr in population, that di>prororti"n
between these classes becomes greater. .S il is
in England. where there are three hundred and
/ tLr.n naopl, ia tb. rnt,arn mill. t,yn