The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-10-28

mute. now many tafhttfb att tHoi' az
the South, owning $50 head Of horses or
mules, who do not own more than 20
slaves? How many persons owning 500
bead Of cattle, or sheep who do not
also own over twenty negroes
There may be few such persons, but so
very few, we venture to say, that they
cannot be considered as constituting a
class. The truth is this clause is mere
deception, honest in seeming, yet in real
ity designed to form double exemption
for the weather. shareholders. II is
merely clinehing the nail which had al
ready been driven up TO the head. But
suppose we admit, for the sake Of argu-
ment, what everybody knows is not the
fact, that there are a great many stock
raisers in the slave States who do not
own twenty slaves, and do own $50 head
Of horses or 800 head Of cattle. A far
mer who turns his attention to stock
raising exclusively, always aims TO have
choice blooded stock. A lot of 250
horses would average, at least, 500
apiece and herd of cattle, at least,
$50 apiece, which would make each lot
worth $4,000. If we examine the re-
ports of stock sales for years past in the
stock-raising districts of the South, which
are chiefly in Kentucky and Missouri, we
will find that from 500 to $500 for fine
cattle, and from $500 TO 5000 for fine
horses, are no unusual prices, so that our
average is under rather than over the
mark. A stock-raiser, like ALEXANDER,
of Woodford county, Kentucky, will
show far higher average price for his
stock than a farmer who has only six or
a dozen horses, and twice as many cattle,
on his plantation. We will now pro-
coed to the value of slaves, and it will
certainly be very liberal estimate
to put the average value Of twenty slaves
at 500 each. We must recollect in our
calculations that $500 was regarded. a
good average price for negro families,
before the war, and that since that time,
slaves have been decreasing in value,
whilst that of horses and cattle has heen
increasing Now let us compare the
value of twenty negroes, with that of
the above mentioned lots of stock. The
estimate will stand thus;
800 head Of cattle at 500 oach..o......s2 $4,000
$50 500 each ......,....S 900.
20 negroes at 500 each.,.....sl4,OOo
It appears from this that if a man in
vests his money in slave property he can
purchase exemption for $4,000, but if
he chooses TO invest it in cattle and
horses, it will require S25 900 to purchase
the exemption enjoyed by his slave-hold-
ing neighbor for little more than half
that sum. In the eyes of the legislators
Of this hydra, this chimera, this gorgon
Of a Southern Conrederacy $4,000 in
vested in slaves is equal to $4,000 in
vested in horses and cattle. This may be
Southernism, it may be Southern rights,
it may be Calhounism, but we are GER
tain it is neither justice nor common
sense. It's fayOritism and partiality TO
Shareholders is too shameless and glariDg
to escape detection and indignation.
And is it for the privilege Of living I'M
der such laws as these that the South is
convulsed to her centre, and her soil
bathed in the blood of civil war? If
rights, must not the tree which bears
them be the dark and deadly upas tree
of tyranny, beneath whose hateful
shadows no living thing can endure