New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-23
THE REPUBLICANS AND THE SLAVE
STATES.
SPEECH OF JOHN c. UNDERWOOD,
At Bolton, Virginia, Oct IL, 1869.

SPEECH OF JOHN c. UNDERWOOD,
At BelltOn Virginia, Oct II, ls6e.
FRIESps AND FEILow-CITIzEYs: Look at the nat
ura capabiis of the great State of Virginia and at
her early history kind Providence has been emf
nently bounfu 10 her in the injnes and salubry Of
her elm a,e as compared with er Northern negbbors,
in the natural fertility of her soil and Other agricultural
adv antages in filing her Hills valleys and plains with
coal, iron, SALT gypsum, mar lead, copper, gold, and
OF er minerals ard her wateIs with fsh and oysters in
qua1 tty and quality elsewhere unknown in giving her
an unexampl,d number of navigabie rivera, reaching
far up into her territory the best harbOs the CONT
nent, and centIa, position in the Union, thereby in
vipg her to engage in commercial pursuits in the
abur dance Of her coal-felds and waterpower, espe
ciay in those wonderful falls Of her four great rivers
into Deep nevigsble tide water-the Potomac at
Georgetown, the RappabarnOck at Fredericksburg,
the James at Richmond, and the Appomat-
tox at Petersburg furnishing facilities for manu-.
featuring unequalled by any country on the globe.
This unrivaied combination OF capabilities demands
that Virginia should resume the position she occupied
before aud during the Revolution and stand where she
then Stood foremost among her sisters Ia wealth and
population With the sc physical advantages, why has
she failed to maintain her proud position IL has
not been from any natural inferorty OF her White or
ruling population, for it comes OF the same Anglo
Ssxop TT ok which settled the ourishiDg States OF
New. ENGLAND. But, in my Judgment it has been sole
iy from the difference Of her institutions from those Of
her more fortunate neighbors Of the North And had
her statesmen and rulers folio wed the advice of Wash
iDgtOn and Jefferson, and the example Of those more
wisely governed States the sceper Of power, wealth,
and influence would never have departed from the Old
Dominion. The present great and pressing want OF this
State like that Of the United States, 10 cultivation and
improvement not enlargement or annexation and her
only true course ia charge OF her policy, when sha
invite to her aid and cooperation her Caucasan cousins
the intelligent moral industrious ertisans, mechanics
miners manufacturers farmer and commercial men OF
Europe end the North 10 share her taxation develop her
resources, and make her State OF freemen, with ell
the energy edncation enterprise love Of freedom, of
progress, and Of or3er Characteristic OF the Anglo
Saxon The history of the world, and especially
of the States Of this Union, shows most concusvely
thst public prosperity bears an almost mathematical
proportion to the degree Of freedom enjoyed by the in
habtanta including, Of course, that most useful aud
productive eess the laboriDg people Of the STATE The
free laborer will produce aud cave as much and con-
sumo and waste as little as he can The slsve, on the
contrary, will produce ard save as little and
consume and waste as much as possible. Hence,
states and countries filed with the former
class must necessarily flourish and increase in
wealth and population, arts, manufactures, edu-
cation, and oil things valuable, because they are
animated by all The vigor OF the Wi Il while States
filed with the latter class must exhibit comparative
stsgnatiOn because 1t universal law OF nature that
force and fear end in ruin and decay We have an in
stIuctive example Of the class il the activity
tepIise prosperity and intelligence Of New-England,
Of the Cther me pltldDe
Carolne-s State that, by neglectng the teachings Of
her MsIions aud following her Euers her BroOkses,
her Kets, and her Quattebums, in the race Of arts
tccrGcy and Authorization, is rapidly sinking into
agricultural seriy, bloated egotism, and brutal BAR
baTim, unit the has most significantly adopted a cane
fcr her emblem, which equally ana striking!y typies
her military refouIets and that imbeciy and deorepi
tude which, wi,hoCt something to lean upon, must
inevitably fall into speedy death eD dissolution.
These instructive examples should convince us that
fre dom Of speech and Of he press 10 the very life aud
soul Of republican prosperity, essential ID the preserya
On Of apy free Institutions and terror only 10 th0se
who haze the light becGuse their deeds are evil
We are therefore grs.iisd that the foes of Freedom
are 81 length, by the pressure OF opinion nom all
ChIisendom, forced TO debate with IS even in their
stronghold and we may be confident that the cause
We advocate will gloTi0u1y adv lnce under tie genial
influence Of free, full fair kind, and eonc atory die
cUsaioD, for tlh mutt certain DE Brought out by
such dfcutscn as fire by The collision Of the flint aud
the STEEL
And what would be the eject of the reopening of the
African alaye-t@.Ge, now urged by many Of our mis
guided counIynen Would lot ne perpctrstiOn Of
lbs crimson crime bring down pom as the Just indg-
nation aud execraGOu Of the whole civilized world and
be suicidal to liberties 10y increasing the amount
and proportion OF ignorance and barJ2nsm !
To illustrate the intimate dependence Of general
wealth and education upon Freedom, let us look at
few figures Of arithmetic, which ere infinitely mo
eOC uent than any figures Of speech and, let me add
the tures hare produced mainly derived fron me
cia tables Of Che United States prepared by
Pref. De Bow, one Of the most ultra aud persistent
devoteeF Of ihs Pro-Slayery party.
COnPARIsOF OF NEWBORN AND VIRGINIA.
Population. Assessment 1850. Native Iliterates.
New-YOrk' 49, i5sS (, S595s slO08CsH6 2aA
v rginia l5so. a55g9S@99} asi6iG433 1909
'Nsdye white adults WHO could neither resd nor write.
Teachers In Volumes IN Noo fpspen Yearly
public schools. pub. Libraries. periodical issue
New. YoIf.....I 10 9G5 l7G09 2O 423 ll5,535,473
tir"ipis ....,.... 1907 1870 81 92lSO63
COMPARATIVELY FREE AND SLAVE COUNTIES ~
VIRGINIA.
Acres Valuation. Per acre. FIeemen. Slaves
1873 81 l8I52 $50 IS 4047
3fooke........ 514n 18lG55l 25 10 5W5 u
JLio.....,.,. 1921 2t23,s5l ~ ll6H rs
;outbsIn pton. 1915 90 l0t8NJ 30l L.t6 200
IIeenyile ,...l56988 A5,l75 ~ l6o4 900
COMPARISON or FREE AND SLAVE CITIES.
Population. Wealth Wealth per capita
Boston ............. lG5f00 a2fJ 800 $l5O
hcog5.....,.,....sli2t 100 IuOOOtO Ji2H
View +OTfaIK.,......l15.0O yllBbls1 SIl
4C,UVJ Vl455D 90
Ia these statistics slaves in the slave cities aud in the
Virginia Assessment are Tockoned as properly and