Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-11-09
Tn. Pb,lo.ophy OF Numb.rs,

When John Hickman, oil Pennsylvania, was scared
into duck.f, by Henry Eimuudson, Of Virginia, he
consoed and avenged himself with the threat that the
eighteen millions Of the North would one day come
down and wipe out" CHATS the phrase the ten millions
Of the South Ths ease with which such thing might
be done soon made the idea familiar aud popular with
the Black Republicans and when the Southern States
showed an uuwillngaess to be rul,d by the Illinois
Gorilla, they determined to Try L.. The calculation"
was not found to work well, and 1t begins nov to be
discovered that there fault In theory well fail
ure In practice The Petersburg Express has New
York Journal in which Hckmans figures overhauled
After an elaborate examination, that Journal "a the Rr
press informs u.s. has arrived at the conclusion that be
CONTEST ia not OF twenty millions against eight, but
contest Of twenty millions against number whose 'fsc-
tive strength Is larger than sixtssn millions d"
The process by which it reaches this conclusion is
very clever and sound ia the fret pace" it Gays,
40 country ever armed its whole population the indus
try of the majority who stay at homs supplies mainte.
nance to the minority who take the field The slaves as
aborers are jos. important an element OF military
strength a. the number Of white Inhabitants We
must accordingly include the slaves in any correct est.
mate of the military power Of the South, making the
war on the most superficial view, not contest Of twenty
millions against eight, but Of twenty millions against
twelve"
This PROPOSITION Of the writer Ia clear sunshine,
aud Ia powerful element In the calculation which IL
covers. The sballow.brained, cravenhearted Hickman
did not, or could not perceive Its important bearing up
on his premises and in fact but for the terrible blows
which have been administered by the South to the con-
csited arrogant and clustering Yankees, the magic
I-..tlI AZ. f,,l I,..o
The writer, after laying down the preceding propo-
sop says that "he omission Of the slaves from an es
innate of the military strength of the South Ia triple
and having established the Hrst part Of the
Ia the above proposition he proceeds to point out s
second and third parts, follows:
10 the Northern States women seldom productive
aborers furnishing commodities for Market and children
are kept school, Ia the South the and CHILDREN
of saves IRE regularly worked field hands, thus maxi
ng the number OF producers twice great the num-
Der of white inhabitants Of the Northern States The
four million OF Southern slaves them furnish about twice
as many producers equal numb Of the white pop
ualion Of the North. The tour mblors practically be-
come eight aud the contest Is 10 this view, equivalent
90 MATCHING twenty millions to sixteen. Bat alreldy
minated even this reclifcsio is insufficient. and
must make third dependent on the proportion between
production aud consumption In slave population. Tie
ability to maintain sodlers does not depend the az
gregae production, but the surplus which is not
.un ID BY the laborers themselves. Slaves being kept
almost cheapy many animals, their net earnings
over and above what they consume, much greater
than the net earrings OF the number Of white Ia
borers thus furnishing basis for maintaining proper
tio0aby larger number Of soldiers.
Having thus by very fair aud impressive course Of
ra iocinaton established oil bis points, he sums up as
follows:
This is, then, no contest Of twenty millions against
| 81 r.f. At -
the calculation altogether; nor contes. Of twenty mil
counted the slaves adding four millions to the white
population of the South nor yet contest equivalent to
Of twenty mi lions aganst sixteen the fact that
the women and children Of the slaves are producers
would make 1t but contest of twenty millions against
number whose effective strength larger than SIX.
teen millions by Of the fact that slave abo ers are
comparatively Eoncoasumers
This article the whole, Gays tho Ryprss, Is about
the best specimen Of good and sound logic
have in the Northern PRESS snos the
Of the war.
few more Southern victories will still further improve
the understandings Of gasconsdng 70 aud acquaint
them fully with the great fact which they are just be-
ginning to learn, that the North Is no match for thu
South In any field Of ion except thai In which money
is to Be made BY srsd and sharp prGetiee' Here. we
Confess the genus energy and tkil Of the Yankees are
eminent ard 10 this field alone they qualified to con-
test the p,lm Of superiority with the South.
In imagining themselves To be ssniors, they have