Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1858-03-18

concentrate all the nnances OF this country
at the North, where already, for the want o
direct trade and a proper system of banking
in the South, they are ruiuously concentrat
ed? Nay, sir, what guarantee have we that
you will not emancipate our slaves, or, a
least, make the attempt? We cannot rely
on your faith when you have the power. Il
has been always broken whenever pledged
Now, Sir, as I am disposed to see this
question settled as soon as possible, and an
perfectly willing to have final and conclu
sive settlement now, instantly, and afte,
what the Senator from New York has said
I think it not unimportant that 1 should at
tempt to bring the North and South face tc
face, and see what resources each of US
might have in the contingency of separate
organizations. If we never acquire another
foot of territory for the South, look at her
Eight hundred and fifty thousand square
miles; as large as Great Britain, France,
Austria, Prussia, and Spain. Is not that
territory enough to make an empire that
shall rule the world? With the finest soil,
the most delightful climate, whose produc.
tions none of those great countries can pro,
duce, we have three thousand miles of con.
tinenental shore line, and so indented with
bays and crowded with islands, that, when
their shore lines are added, we have twelve
thousand miles of shore line. Through the
heart of our country runs the great Missis.
sippi, the father of waters, into whose bo,
som are poured thirty-six thousand miles Of
tributary streams; and beyond, we have the
desert prairie waters, to protect us in our
rear. Can you hem in such territory as
that? You talk of putting up wall of fire
around eight hundred and fifty thousand
square miles so situated! How absurd.
But, sir, in this territory lies the great
valley of the Mississippi, now the real, and
soon to be the acknowledged, seat of the
empire of the world. The sway Of that
valley will be as great as ever the Nile knew
in the earlier ages of mankind. We own
the most of that valley. The most valuable
part of it belongs to US; and although those
who have settled above US are now opposed
to us, another generation will tell different
tale. They are ours by all the laws of ma
ture; slave labor will go over every foot Of
this great valley where it will be found
profitable to use it, and those who do not use
it are soon to be united with US by such ties
as will make us one and inseparable. The
iron horse will soon be Gathering over the
sunny plains of the South to bear the pro-
ducts of its upper tributaries to our Atlantic
ports, as it now clatters over the ice-bound
North. There is the great Mississippi, q
bond of union made by natures law. She
will forever vindicate her right to the Union.
On this fine territory we have popuotion
four times as large as that with which these
colonies separated from the mother country,
and hundred, I might say thousand, fold
as strong. Our population is now sixty pei
cent, greater than that of the whole United
States when we entered into the second wal
of independence. 1t is twice aslarge as the
whole population of the United States was
ten years after the conclusion of that war,
and our exports are three times as great as
those of the whole United States them
Upon our muster-rolls we have amillion Of
men. In defensive war, upon an emergen'
cy, every one of the them would be avail
able. At any time, the South can raise,
equip, and maintain in the field, larger
army than any Power of the earth can send
against her. and an army of soldiers-mer
brought up on horseback, with guns in theil
hands.
If we take the North, even when the two
large States of Kansas and Minnesota shall
be admitted, her territory will be one hun
dred thousand square miles short of ours. |
do not speak of California and Oregon
there is no antagonism between the South
and those countries, and never will be. The
population of the North is fifty per cent
greater than ours. I have nothing to say
in disparagement either Of the soil of the
North or the people of the North, who are
brave, intelligent, energetic race, full of in
tellect, but they produce no great staple that
the South does not produce; but we produce
two or three, and thosea are the very greatest
that she can never produce. AS to her men,
however high they may be, they have never
proved themselves to be superior to those Of
the South, either in the field or in the Sen
ate.
But, sir, the strength of nation depends
in great measure upon its wealth, and the
wealth of a nation, like that of man, is tc
be estimated by its surplus production. You
may go to your trashy census books, all Of
which is perfect nonsense, and they will tell
you that in the State of Tennessee the
whole number of house servants is not equaI
to one half those in my own house, and such
things as that. You may ascertain what is
made throughout the country from these cen
sus books, but it is no matter how much Is
made if it is all consumed. If man is
worth millions of dollars and consumes his
income, is he rich? Is he competent to en-
bark in any new enterprise? Can he build
ships or railroads? And could a people in
tnat condition build ships and roads and &c
to war? All the enterprises of peace and
war depend upon the surplus productions Of
people They may be happy, they may
be comfortable, they may enjoy themselves
in eating what they make; but they are not
rich, they are not strong. 1t seems, by