The national Republican., 1862-01-08
LABOR IN WARM COUNTRIES.

The New York Journalot Commerce dislikes our
structures upon It's strange statement that all ex
perience shows that men will not labor In such
/ tropical regions as the Southern States, ex.
cept under the compulsion Of slavery.
1t defends itself for using the term" tropical
| In reepect to States, none of which are within
the Tropic of Cancer, and the great body OF
which are far north Of that tropic, upon the
vaguely expressed ground that their climate
has led to the common application to them Of
that term. They are never called " tropical y
according to our observation, except by thost
who have, like the editors of the Journal Of
Commerce, a particular theory to uphold in re-
spect to negroes.
To our remark that no theory Of the neces.
sity Of slave labor was even started in respect
to the similar climates of Southern Europe, the
Journal Of Commerce answers, first, that very
little Of Europe lies south Of the south line Of
Pennsylvania; and secondly, that the condition
Of the laboring people Of Southern Europe is
very miserable.
It is almost Incredible that the Journal Of
Commerce should suppose its readers to be ig-
norant Of the fact that Western Europe is
warmer than America on the Atlantic the gen.
eral difference being equal to ten degrees OF
latitude, the parallel Of 40 degrees in Europe
corresponding with that Of so degrees in Amer
lea. And yet, 1t is only upon the supposition
Of such ignorance that 1t can have regarded II
as of any Importance to say that but little Of
Europe lies south Of the south line Of Peunsyl
vania. That is, to be sure, true; but It is al.o
true, that the portion Of Europe is very large
which averages in climate with our Southern
States. Our most southerly State, Florida, is
not so hot country as Italy.
1t Is of no consequence to the matter in hand
even II IL ia true, that the condition Of the Ia.
boring classes in Southern Europe is miserable
The question is, whether men will labor In such
climates, except under the compulsion Of the
lash, and the experience there, as here, is, tina,
they will. We never hear the contrary, except
from the defenders of American slavery.
As to the condition Of laborers that depend,
upon the density of p opulation, activity of cap
ital, and a variety Of circumstances other than
climate. Women labor in the fields in South
ein Europe. So they do in the whole of cont
mental Europe.
In the Russian ports on the Baltic, men who
load ships, work all day upon no other suste
nance than black (rye) bread. There ha,
been more starvation in Ireland during the
present century, than there has been in Sicily
But whatever may be the condition of laborers
the experience of similar European climates
demonstrates, hat labor in our Southern States
needs no such driving power as the whip and
the paddle.
Having given to the editors of the Journal
of Commerce the credit Of great intelligence
aud of saying whatever was possible to be
said in favor Of slavery, we are not little
surprised at being chided for lack of edi.
torial courtesy, in applying 10 their arguments
the epihet "t driueling' Certainly, We do
not charge those editors with b,ing driuel.
lers.' They are very far from that But they
necessarily "driuel," when they undertake the
defence Of negro slav ry, not from lack Of
intelligence, but 'canse it is inherently i'm
possible to defend such system, except upon
basis of sbsurdities.