Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-11-06


they fall. wiiI sou, with your inaudiin senu-
mentality for evils and wrongs that nave no
| existence, except in a diseased and purblinu'
Imagination, reverse all the teachings OF ON
mercial countries and make war upon Inc
South, not to create but to destroy ltS
commerce.? Will YOU al one blow CIT oil the
productions Of the South, and ut the same
time destroy the best market for your manu-,
features? Such folly is not for this age-and
if this is thc'teaching OF your free institutions
YOU had better destroy T'Our text books and
burn down your schools. If, however, such Is
YOUR folly, | beg you to ~recollect that France
and England both stand eager TO grasp the
trade of the South which you seem disposed to
reject With scorn. What mean the recent
movements in Virginia in regard to the sale OF
the James River and kanawha Canal :
French capitalists, with the appreciation, and
it is believed under the auspices, Of the Eni'
peror of France, have made al initlatory con-
tract for the purchase Of his great improve
mcnt, with the stipulation to eXpcnd the iIlr-
Their sun of so, coo, 900 10 complete the work,
deepen and widen the present canal, build
wllarves and place the Improvement in a situa-
ton vastly superior to your favored Erie
canal. Recollect that, with other advantages,
which an inspection Of the map vii! show You,
it not only occupies Il line the nearest ana
most convenient for the trade Of the great W est,
but by reason Of Il more genial cline it will be
rarely closed by icc. Think of these things,
gentlemen, and, perhaps, you may, before it is
! too late, come to the conclusion that you were
about to reject the stone that will have be-
come the corner stone in the edificc Of the COIN
merce OF France.
The statistics par.del in Helpers book of
scandal, like everything else III that book, will
bad you into error. England and France Ito
not regard the South Is Il poor country. 1t Is
dear that the French, in their purchase of the
KanawlIa canal, have hot made il solely with
the view to n profitable stock investment, but
from considerations o. deeper and more en-
Urged policy. BY this means France may hope
70 obtain command Of the Southern trade
She comes us an ally, With large resources, TO
assist us in developing the internal improve
mc,Ils Of the South; sic docs this without any
e~xaclions on her part, without stopping 10 III.
qure into the evil Of slavery, but with the
hope that we will rcciprocate her generous COLI
fdence and muniticent contributions, by assist
Ing 10 direct our trad, to her harborS. She
sas that by striking for direct trade with this
csuntry she can avoid the competition Of Eng
lBh capital in New York city, by aiming her
e~sertions ut the Southern harborS. And she
Knows At a glance bcsideS, by seeking The d.
rect outlet Of the slave productions through
S,utlIcrn ports, She will obtain vastly over
phclming advantages, ~ striking the stream
If commerce near its head spring and divert.
iS its waters to her use
The South, in the las: decade, has advanced
il wealth and power h. rapid strides. The
list CENSUS gives no indication Of the present
wealth uf that favored ~sccion. The wealth Of IN
agricultural country depends upon the amount
If production and the picc the rave products
tring in market. luu have, in the North
vest, evidence Of this in TIE great development
d what wis ten years ago Il vast wll'l, under
tie stimulus of high prizes Of grain-thc pro-
uct Of that section. You lave also, %unIorln-
lutcly, seen it ~languiSlI allcn their crops were
CIT short, and uRremurcrating prices disap-
IDinted the farmer WIN brought his Scanty
GOp to market. Helper has selected Il period
b compare the wealth G the North and the
South when prices Of land were inflated from
| iigh prosperity ut the North. Let him review
lis book and show Us what is the present price
If land and town lots. Since his book was
written, land has fallen 10 price, city property
las hcrn reduced in ralu-, men have abandon
d their firms because Of their inability to meet
tie credit payments, and well mapped towns
lave vanished from the geography and been
urncd OFT into old fields. lfany inan doubts,
ct him isk for information Of the holders Of
abroad firm mortgages, Of land grant bonds
md Of spectators in Chicago, in ST. Paul, and
If some supposed thriving ownSo on the Mis-
o., ,r,;nb ,,nr. I,,., "a, ,,,,, a., ,n,n I'm |
the other hand, turn to Richmond, 20 Savan-
nah, to Mmphis, to New Urlcans-look upon
The busy -ailroadS extending over all parts
Of the South, which have been built with
Southern apital, without the aid Of Wall
street ncgoiatorS, and for which they owe the
foreign word nothing-look to the greatly en-
hanccd.valr of the lands Of the South, and
you will be satisfied that the Institutions Of
the South m not the callSc of poverty at least.
Lands on tn Mississippi, deemed almost worth.
less, are nowselIing for so, $50, 500 per
acre, and tNr valuc, Judging from their pro-
auctions, notbcginniug TO be realized. But
the Forthcoming CENSUS will furnish the best
answer 10 Hcarr's statistics and arguments
If his argulnats were true at all, with like
sophistry it m;ht be inferred that, because the
crops of kanSa have failed and the citizens are
abandoning thu country from fear OF famine,
free institutionand the non.eXistence Of slave
~ were the casc of the decline Of that Terri.
tory. No, sir. Yon are wickedly wrong, i'm
piously wrong, II making yourself the inter
prefer Of the acs Of the Supreme tiorernor,
who, so far from living any color to your views,
from his revcald Book, has expressly said
that he Sendcth ain upon the just rs we'll as
the unjust. iOuwcre equally wrong when
you attempted TO impress upon the credIlIltr OF
the North that he Observation-Disclosures OF tue
South were poor, degraded white mcn-the
slaves to DO the bidding of the ariStocracy oil
the Shareholder. !our. error mas been in jlidg-
ing others by yoni; WI base instincts, and IN
deeIuing all other White men OF the Su'th were
degraded and slave 10 DO the bidding OF their
masters, because y,n, a white man, devoid Of
common honesty, seeking to live, not by labor,
but by vour wits, robbed yonr masters till,
and were compelled to obey his bidding when
he dismissed you lom his employment, AID
suffered you ITO leyc your country Tor yonr
counlry's good.
The programme If the republican party, rs
announced by Lincoln first and then By Sew
ard, OF an irrepresSDle conflict between free.
dom and slavery, is 10 be decided on in the
coming election. n Lansing, the capital OF
the State Of Michigan, Mr.. Seward says
"You then come to the great question Of the
irrcprcsSiblc conflict between freedom and
slavery. Those wm think that y nation can
he wise and prosperous and happy that retains
slaves, will have another opportunity, 1T the
next Presidential ~rectior, IN secure the INA
ciinery by which it :an ic done. On the 9th.
or hand, all of us Who lave enlisted in this
great civic contest, OF which the eyes Of the
whole world are set, will then find that all wc
have to do is to take are that We 10 not suffer
differences among ourselves Or any other cause
to divide lis, and one single administration will
settle this question finally and forever
What question will be settled forever: Why,
that, If Lincoln is elected, his administration
will settle finally and brever, thai no nation