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

, land-holdcrs against agrariani>m. IL Is pre-
ciscly this state Of things which cari>es thu
wave Of foreign population, which, according
to the notion Of this report. has added suct
blessings to the North. to flow to this country
! That wave is making lis escape lroin All III
crease Of population and chcapncss of labor
They are living from the starvation which thcS,
cause, have brought upon them. And III,
same ca,r>cS are having their effect. I" tnitc'
degree in the dcnScr portions .! the North
The population are flowing out into the North
west. and when all that country which 10"
furnishes refuge for their surplus population
shall become filled up. and shall Itself realize
the benefits Of high priced lands and 'heal
labor, they will contribute 1 wave which vii
turn Southwark and bring upon us the same
state Of things.
The author of this report might nave gone .
step farther with his argument: hc might h;l''
said that this prosperous condition OF things
~ ne is plc,scd to consider it ut the North. l.
incompatible with the existence Of slavery
These very causes Of dense population and
cheap labor abolished slavery there. IL rem
dcrel it more profitable to hire free lahorer'
than maintain slaves. And when that iclictou>
TYNE Of society which he presents for our al
miration. shall exist in the South, he will find
that slavery will cease t. exist. That more
scrvilc system of dependence ri labor upon
raptal. which exists there, VIII 10. substituted
here. likewise. in the place ot "'ir peculiar III
stitntinn. The owner Of land viii not work
slave labor upon it. if it is more I" his interest
10 employ hirc.ing>. 1t is not little singular
IN me that these very results and causes IN the
North which have con.c>,edlv drivcn slavery
from their limits. should be- held up 10 Southern
mon for their admiration. The wave of for
cion mower" rs i, is called which the North
have cnioved, and To which they are welcome,
voul moi have benefited the >iavc-hol'linS
South. # it had come in competition with
slave labor here. il would not have benefited
rho owner Of the slave: nor would il by the
same competition with our native laborlns
population' have benefited them. 1t might
have settled up orr lands and enhanced their
vain. and il might have contributed 10 bring
about that more advanced condition o; things
ca beautifully depicted Of the North; but il
could not have benefited the institution ii
slavery by settling and enhancing the price nt
lands and bringing cheap white labor III com
petition with it, In the next place hav" tilN
to observe in reference Ia the argument OF The
rrnort above quoted. II II Is good Tor any
thing at all. if there is any SondncsS IN H. ana
if the contrast drawn between the prosperous
condition Of that model state o. society m which
il is said the people have the comforts "i
wealth. and the further satisfaction o! being re-
cardcd rs the most cntcrprl>ng and lndlcI"uN
pcople in existence" and the declining 'oad-
ton If the unfortunate South where many OF
us in the older sections would fail IL Sell our
estates today for as much 4, was paul ior
them in market fifty year, ago. thc'a'!>e we
are suffering 50 i"r want Of negroes, Is =" true
contrast, ami if il proves anything II proves =
little too much for the cause oi slavery il
would 70 To prove that at In" Two .iHtihct
and antagonists. form, al society which havc
met for contest upon the aren! ol this mon,
the Northern form is S,incrlor to the southern
! have known these nyilinuS comparisons Ia De
made bv those who are opposed I" "'ir r,'''u-
tons. and the difference attributed hy THEM.
not 10 the fact that we did not have SLAVES
enough. hut tina, We had any AT All; hGt nav"
not known these boa>ting> oi their superior
prosperity to be taken M and confessed ny
Southern men, and worked in I" the argument
Of Southern question. IL our people "'rr
all to become convinced OF the views here pre-
scnted and should fall in love with he la>cIna-
ting condition If the North under their cheap
labor and dense population systems, it might
be difficult 10 persuade them that rcllei Vas 1"
be- found in the importation Of h"rdcS oi DAT
harianS from Africa. rs for me- repli"'s'r
the comparison utterly. | maintain that Sollh-
crn society and Southern prosperity. in tll 'iir
material re>pcStS here indicated, is not Fairly
presented nor justly contra>tcd. The income
Of our vested interests. Il they are called Is not
such as 10 show that we are declining nor arc
We suffering from the high value nj labor.
country which ran exhibit tn" three great
proofs of prosperity. which are 10 be found in
the South. and which are confessed ny this
argument. towt ProductivcncsS Of vested
interests. hgh.prccd labor and high wages for
labor. and cheap lands. is in the most cnviahlc
position that any republican society can ever
occupy. Our hardy agricultural population.
who can own the cheap lands and arc attach
ell to the soil. and whose labor is valuable in
the same proportion that other labor in the
country is valuable. | would not he willing to
exchange for the masses of Northern landIc>S
laborerS. who by their cheap labor, contribute
10 the wealth of the few who can possess the
land The idea conveyed in this Report, that
our lands would not sell for rs much now rs
they brought fifty years ago. and that that re.
suit would have been avoided Nv increased
numbers Of slaves, or that il would Tow be OBJ
Waited BIZ an influx ofSlavcs is a novel thought.
Those very lands have been worn ont by slave
labor. and it would have been strange remedy
To have doubled the number Of negroes upon
them. The truth. on the contrary. Is. that
savc-labor agriculture has required fresh lands
To keep it profitable and the character of the
products has been such rs not To admit of the
same improvement in lands rs other branches
of agriculture Neither could cotton State
support such dense population as those coun-
tries have where there are 100 and 800 to the
square mile. and ronfinWc protitablv the rul-
t,irc OF cotton or any other article Of Southern
export In such i state OF things. the con-
sumption Of provisional products would be so
great that it would require the land 10 be dc-
voted TO the production Of the cereals. aS is the
case in the North and in Europe. 50 that the
cotton culture and those branches of acricul
tnrc to which negro labor is best adapted, wonId
disappear under the auspices of that halcyon
prospect held out 10 us in this Report.
But the great mistake in the argument #
the Report. lies in applying the reasoning
which is applicable 10 free labor at the NORTH
10 the slave labor Of the South. Now, If it
were admitted for the sake OF argument that
dense population and cheap labor. were really
blessing 10 nation--ihat is 10 the greatest
number OF the pronlr o! a nation where slavery
does not exist--ii by no means follows that a
dense slave population and cheap slave lab'r IN
the South would work ont similar benefits To
the people Of the South Under the ircc-lahor
system Of society the vested interests. or
the landed estate. is = separate and distinct in.
tercst from the laborin. interest. Capital there
is one thing. and labor is another. Aud a.
rapital can reduce the wages 81 labor. II en-
lanrcs It's own profits; and, az labor 'an en-
nance It's own wages. il decreases tho profits 81
capital. The contest is between the capitalist
and the laborrr and in the Language "i this
Repor,-"Tf labor goc, down. III pr"t'''' "r-
ing HE ,rmr. the subject of It's employment
must ~, nm and like a Ser.Saw, the one end