Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-04-09


hsacemen since 1850 has been greater on tine Fred
erickaburg road constructed Twenty-Five years ago
than in the counties the Danvle, the South-slde,
and the Orange and Alexandra roads. The lands OF
prince Edward inters. cited Ivy two new roads since
1854 have advanced in value III per cent, Whereas the
lands of Wsstmoreland, on the Rappahannock, have
advanced 4S per cent. The lands of Orange, pene-
trated by railroad since 1901 have advanced 81 per
cent whereas the lands Of Gloucester, on the Chesa
peake have advanced in value 40 per cent. But en-
forbear for sufficient proof has been given that rail
roads not the only agents to which we are lndeDeu
for the assessment of 1856 and it ia my own, convc
ton that full credit has not yet been gwen 10 eapa
sion Of our currency in 1885, and TO that uniVersai
change ofvalues which has been wrought by Inc
mines Of California and Australia.
But, sir, even making the absurd concession lna'
the whole increase in the value OF the lands, amount
ing 10 nnety.eght millions Of dollars, Ii due 10 Tue
construction of railroads, ask what is the hnancai
advantage gained by the State7 IL amounts 10 tns'
air that she receives under the present rate OF TAXA
,iou less than $iooOOO from the increased oass Oh
1893 600 600. and pays annually to her bond'hol9ers.
on her debt contracted within the last eight years not
less than 81 ,3OO,UuO. ,.
am convinced, Mr. President, that the dlsap'
pointment which many have felt in inding that our
rail roads have not produced the fruits esPe'.teu
from them, has been traced to every cause but the
true one and cannot listen to the demand ior noi.
time for the development OF results When .t.",r
that since the first spade full OF esrh was ln'"n'
81
nartv bas doubled in value in the Northern citles,
nd nauv States in the West have been settled and ad
United into the Union. Why are we compelled 10
acknowledge barren results and to submit TO olsap-
pointment! will present my own theory 10 the 90
nate, however imperfect il may be. !tis my cohvic
iion sir that there can he no great increase III tne
wealth and prosperity of State which does not resi-
upon the basis of steadily and rapidly increasng
population. While may appear 10 WANDER iroll lle
subject under discu ssion, il can show that the nn
6nishsd roads are not more competent than Inc nm
isbed roads of the State to remove tue OBSTACLE "ch
checks the development of Virginia, some reason
will hxve been given why we should not involVe tne
state more deeply in debt in order 10 aid IN thelr
construction That obstacle which retard5 the de-
yelopment of our resources, and which, the ROADS
COMPLETED and with the exception oil the Co!'ugtom
and Ohio Road, those IN process OF consuuc'ion WIN
ina Intellectual TO remove, may be found IN the lac'
that ,he number of aborers in Virginia ID nearly the
same TO day that it was before the first roau was
built. it'll, -odo :, "a,
possible for to retain even tae natural Iucleaa "
our laboring population, and there are others WHICH
nravant ANN ngress of labor to supply the place OIL
that which is lost ismy purpose to CONSIDER taese
two casses of causes in their order Inc oss OF ID
| hor annually sustained by Virginia in the migration
~ bsr blacks is to be attributed in the main to the
fact that the products of the States South OF US are
| more profitable than our own. Wheat ana tooscco
are the staples which employ and support our farm
ers and planters. The former csn be cultivated IN
|
within the frigd zone and the latter in every latitude
from the New England States to the Southern Capes
of Florida. The adaptation OF 40 large surface 10
these staples would seem to forbid the nope mat lucy
will ever except for brief periods OF scarcity afford
| more than the ordinary profits Of manual labor
| The products OF the South stand upon different
| footing. The demand for, and consumption OIL cot.
ton and sugar. are increasing ut an enormous rate IL
is established, beyond doubt, that IN the proaucoh
of these staples no country and no labor can COM
pete with the States of the South and their slaves.
The peope of England no longer hope tor iull sup
niles of cotton from India, but with sentimentality
80 characteristic of that nation listen WIN PRETENDED
| credulty TO every lying traveller who holds out to
then the hope of the cultivation in the heart OF ca
vays continent, of the great staple which supports
millions of her operatives, and ~, IN measure, Inc
basis OF her national wealth.
The Southern States have, then, boundleSs pros
nsct before them destined they when slavery
ha he confined TO this country to be the sole produ
| cers of what have become two necessaries OF lle;
would now ask, sr, il the railroads which we nave
Lnit have checked, in the slightest degree, this dram
Of our labor to the South by no means feel assured
| that thew will not rather have tendency to aid the
exhaustiny process. Ia it an unfair CONCLUSION, that
AZ YOU increase the facilities OF communication be-
tween the worn lauds of Virginia and the ne1haust
bs aaa Of the Mississippi you hasten the fuilment
of the law which causes labor to seek the State and
the nroduct which will afford it the most profitable
employment In turning my attention 10 th's emit
grafton Of our labor 10 the South, winch ior years lbs
| b-en drawing Virginia oil Der Hefi NE nav
been startled TO ad that cur slaves though not posi-
| tiyely diminishing in numbers, are becoming, each
decade smaller element of our population.
In 1920, there were in Virginia 603 OS7 whites, and
AS, 1853 slaves, l,V2s,24O Of both OF which the
slaves constituted IL per cent. In 1850 there were
Sgj3O4 whites, and Az 52S slaves or ,3b ,Ss2 Of
both of which the slsves constituted 81 per cant
showing decline in 30 years OF our slaves as an ele'
mant of population, Of per cent.
Every railway train that leaves our cities for The
| (ro,, nj labor,
no more look for its return than We eau expect the
waters of the James to flow from the ocean to the
mountains.
Attached as | am to slavery, believing it to be a
servatiye eement necessary TO the perpetnstion
| of Democratic Government am mortified TO be
forced TO tbs conclusion that the railroads which We
have constructed, and the millions embarked in them,
will be inefficient to strengthen this great Institution
! which is the basis OF our civilization.
| Let me next consider the causes which have pre-.
vented An influx OF labor into Virginia. and the ope
ration Of which has in no degree been modified by
| the railroads which We have constructed. we have
productive and cheap lands, and climate removed
alike from the burning heats OF the South and the
| ripors of a Northern winter and yet there ID no
stream of population flowing across our borders into
our State, aud there no immigrant ships lying at
| our wharves. And why ia this the casef will
not enter into minute analysis OF all Inc influences
in operatlou but there be but one answer to this
question: and is that black and white labor cannot
| harmonic, or even exist. There 10 between su
preme and inferior race natural repugnance
which arrays one against the other when they are
placed upon the same footing and employed In the
| same aVocson; and experience proves beyond
doubt that they cannot be made to work in the same
| factory or to till the same fields
But more than this cir, there are many who assert
and ieve with truth, that in the pursuits OF agrl
culture black labor is the more economical OF the
two and that in fair competition white labor goes 10
| the wall. Northern men have tried experiments in
Eastern Virginia in cultivslng farms with hired white
labor and have invariably failed In addition to the
difficulty of engaging and retaining white labor the
experimenters have found that the profts on their
capital were less than the profits derived by their
neghbors employing slaves in the cultivation Of their
lands. call the attention OF The Senate 10 ihe TACT,
that while have had in our power Is employ the
nomadic Irish in the construction OF our rail roads,
that yet the esrth-work has been done for the most
part by hired slaves.
hnys examined briefly the causes which have car
ried from US annually apart of our labor and the OBJ
staces which hSve excluded immigration from the
North and from Europe. the rail roads which we
have built have neither modified the former nor re
moved the latter, and am convinced that those IN
process of construction, with single exception, will
involve the State more deeply in debt without adding
greatly to her wealth Unless some work can be con-
atrucied which will enable us To escape our purely ag.
rcuItural condition, must continue to advance at
the Same snCils pace which has hitherto marked our
progress
a singular falIaoy prevails, that railroads have
greatly increased the productions while 1t IL neces'
sary acknowledged that they have not added largely
70 the popuation of Virginia. This failacy can, in
my Judgment, be easily refuted. Take air, an sstae
with it's 90 aborers employed in the production OF to
bacco, and would ask if the amount Of production
is increased by the fact that instead OF the planter
crop seeking market by the wagon or batfeau, 1t
passes at once to the warehouses OF the city ny the
railway or canal. Does the aight of Locomotive
strengthen the arm of the negro and Increase his Ca
pacity for labor Now, sir, Virginia 10 nn estate
Nlafu
construct il they increase not the number Of labor.
ers the production of the State must remain substan
TALLY the same.
have studied with care the effect Of rail Dads in
our tobacco region, and have found that the most
striking result which they have produced has been
to increase the inspections in Richmond and Peters
burg, aud to diminish in the same ratio the inspec
tons of the interior towna This is not an idle as