Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-02-23
NUMBER l58.

l IN 1873, composed OF body OF men thar
whom the world never presented more il,
lustrious-ofa Madison, a Monroe, a Mar,
shall, a Doddridge, Randolph, Bar.
6our, and othersa little less distinguished,
that Benjamin Watkins Leigh, the intellec.,
tq9l peer OF them all, used this memor-
able language:
wish, indeed, that l had been born
IN a atlandwhere domestic and negro slave
rry is unknown. wish that Providence
mad mad spared my country this moral and po-
lltlcal evil: 1t is supposed that our slave
labor enables us to live in luxury and ease.
without industry, without care. Sir, the
| evil OF slavery is greater to the master
than to the slave
This, sir, was the language of that great
man, uttered in speech wherein he was
resisting the abolishment of slayery-re-
slstlng 1t because he believed the evil, on
account of its extent and peculiar rela-
tons, to be irremediable. Will we of West
Virginia not be wise and avoid such an
evil while we may?
But sir, wish to refer to some matters
OF fact pertinent in this connection. In
iS4o the total population of Virginia was
974, 1922; of Ohio, $780, In 1860 the
population of Ohio Was i $50. SC 82o '.of Sir5
Virginia, l,596, ,31S, so that the increase of
population during fifty years in Ohio was
1,159, 500, whilst in Virginia it was only
64l ,696. Andyet, in extent of territory,
IN variety and value of mineral resources,
IN natural commercial facilities and adj
vantages, in climate, and in all the natural
elements of wealth and prosperity. Vir-
glnia vastly eNcelled Ohio. How, there
tore, are wei to account for the rapid pro.
gress of the latter beyond the former.
There IS but one answer-slavery. Look
at the rich, inexhaustible mineral resonr.
ccs of West Virginia-our iron, coal, oil.
slumbering beneath our hills, cropping out
on our mountain sides, everywhere invit-
ing the hands of industry and develop
ment What has paralyzed that hand /?
What has kept capital, and skill, aud pop
nlat1on IRON our midst? Why are our pc
rennlai streams forever wasting away un-
appropriated and useless? Why are we
without roads and markets except where
foreign enterprise has come to our rclief1'
Iheanswer is the same-slavery. Shall
we.still cling to the instrumentality of our
mpovershment now when we have an OBJ
portunity of escaping from it? Or, rather,
will we not say to capital, and skill, and
labor, come-open our mines, build our
roads, people our valleys, make us rich
and prosperous, and powerful This al
ternative is now before us. Which shall
we choose? sHsElsis{
"a But wish to institute some further
comparisons. In 1890 the total population
OF Virginia was 74S,3l8-of New York
$40, l2O; or 40S, 1913 less than that Of Vir-
ginia. In 1860 the population of New,
York was 1850, ,T35-of Virginia / $780,
319. or 2,2S4, All less than that of New
I ork. DO You suggest that a large pro-
portion of this eatincrease of population
the SfnEa Of N ~
the ePeople of the city of New York, and
as Virginia is an agricultural State, the
comparison | have instituted is not fair
one? But ask why is not the city of New
York at Norfolk-or rather, why is not
Norfolk what the city of New York is?
and more than it is? The harbor at New
York sbctter. The geographical position
is better whether for foreign or domestic
commerce. Why, then, is not the wealth,
population and power, political and ply.
steal, Of New York, in the genial, cline of
Virginia instead of on the icy shores of
the North river? Why is not Virginia
the empire State of the confederacy to-day,
rather than New York? The same answer,
still come bacE-slavery
The Hon. John B. Henderson, of Mis-
souri,, lately instituted the following com
parisOn, discussing in the Senate of the
lAlS Ol Slu-
very Missouri commenced her career
as a State in 1920, with population of
66, 557 inhabitants. Illinois at the same
time had but 55,162. Forty years elapse,
and Missouri, with superior advantages,
presents a population Of 1852, ,317, while
Illinois shows It'll, T53. The ratio of
increase in Illinois for the ten years pre-
ceding 1860 was 101 per cent. while that
OF Missouri was but T3 percent. In 1910
Kentucky had population of 4OG,511.
Ohio at the same time had $50, 760. Fifty
years pass by, and Kentucky has 1885,
713, while Ohio shows 2, ,339,599. In 1910
the population of Kentucky is nearly
double that of Ohio; in 1860 the popula-
ton of Ohio is more than double of that
of Kentucky. The facts are plain. What
is the cause? Is it slavery?''
lsbeg leave alsoto refer to an interesting
article recently published by Hon Robert
j. Walker, whose public life, national
reputation, political antecedents and emf
.uent abilities, entitle his opinions to the
highest consideration in this connection.
He extends the comparison between Illi-
nois and Missouri to the value of lands.
extent of internal improvements, cities,
and to agriculture, manufactures and
wealth; and produces an array of figures
and facts in favor of free labor over Slave
labor that is startling. (See Appendix,
Note D.)
Mr. President. there is no sophistry
which ever can sevade the logic of these
plain facts. | do not know how any can
did man can fail to see the advantages to
West Virginia of a separate State organi-
zation. Nor will this separation be at all
detrimental to any interest of Eastern Vir-
ginia. If it would be, we might pause
we MIGHT hesitate Bnt II will not cauyr+