Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-04-28

VI lLOpClL9 WIS SSSoH0sAI ~
this. was getting upon delicate ground
here, however. and being somewhat sh9rp-
ly yinterrogated-the phrase "rights of man"
having reasonable sound-I disposed of
this part of the subject by a, glittering
generality or two, capable like all the
National Democratic platforms, of being
construed two or three Mays. The con-
versation turned on the growth of the
Southern States, and the question of in
tcrcourse between the North nmd South.
inquired what my intcrlocntors thought
wonld be the effect upon Missouri,
Kentucky, Maryland, and the other
Northern slave States, If they should
become free States. Leave out the ques-
tion of the justice of slavery. and take 6
look at it from the dollar-nnd-ccnt point
of view. The response was that those
States. Kentucky l. Co., would increase in
material wealth, but that :he effect would
be disastrous upon the North. She would
suffer terrible losses from the emigration
of small farmers and mechanics. Bnt
asked, why not by n liberal policy toward
Northern mechanics, draw this emigration,
and add to the power and wealth it would
give to the excellency of the peculiar ihsti
ton +? Why did not the whole Sonth do
this? Why suffer the South by a restric-
tive policy, to fall behind the North in ma
terial development, when it could obtain
full share of the European emigration,
which was now adding faster to the wealth
of the North, than the African slave trade,
if reopened, could do to that of the South.
A young Georgian, who was sitting near,
and who had not Joined in the CONVERSE
ton up TO this time, turned about and said:
ave don't want the immigration from the
North we don't want the Northern me-
chanics and laborers coming among us;
c. d them, they corrupt our slaves.
They have no sense. They are all pouring
in upon US now, and gathering over us like
deadly night shade. They will corrupt
slaves. We can't teach them better. We
have done all we could 10 tehch them their
place, and they won't stay in it. We whip
them, and tar and feather them, and G.
d them, they don't learn anything"
l suggested that whipping white men
might not be the best way to convince them
Of their errors. Even the most humble
Northern mechanics and labOrers would
have serious and probably dangerous OBJ
jections to that process of couTictiOn,-
The Georgian said: "You can't get any
thing into the heads of such people, You
have TO put it through their backs. We
think a dam sight more of our niggers,
sir, than we do of those cattle. We want
to be an agricultural people, and don't
want their services. We can attend to
our own business, and make our own pros
perityn He stated that there never had
been such mn immigration of Northern me-
chanics to the South Ns just now. About
hundred Internal Yankee shoemakers had
appeared in Milledgeville. The South
wanted to continue to be an agricultural
country. The proper course was, to SIM
plify labor, and depend upon slaves. 1t
was against her interest to have nm infu-
sion of Northern labor, and have Northern
manufactures introduced. l inquired why
it would not be the better plan to teach
slaves to spin cotton. The reply was, be-
| cause it wns more profitable to grow than
to spin cotton. At the same time the
South could bankrupt the North by with
drawing her trade. I did not undertake
to make application to the South, in this
connection, of the immutahle laws of p0-
liticnl economy which are written in let
tors of light in all history. did not un-
dcrtake even to show that the South, in
/ bcggariug the North, might suffer some
slight inconvenience. | had u full hand,
but passed"