Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-01-29
IMPORTANT STATISTICS.
Effects Of Freedom and Slavery Compared

Wemake the following extracts from ar
ticle No A. contributed BY Hon. K. j. Walk
or to the Continental Monthly for January
We have nowhere seen more forcibly state
ments of the blessings of freedom and tn,
curse of slavery than is given in these abl,
and brilliant articles:
By the census, the population of Virgin
ia, in 1890, was AS, Jos, and in 1860, |, 500
3lS--nsking the ratio of increase ll3, 3.
pes cent. In 1870, Now York numbered
$40 l2O. and in 1860, $3.50, 7S5-the ratio
of increase being l,0l0,gg. In 1870, Vir.
ginia in population, ranked first of all the
states, and New York the fifth. In 1860,
they had reversed their positions, and New
York was the first aud Virginia the fifth
At the same rate Of progress from 1860 to
1000, as from 1890 TO 1850, Virginia, retain.
ing slavery, would have sunk from the frs,
to theswenty. first State. But il, as in the
absence of slavery must have been the case,
Virginia had increased from l79O to 1860 in
the same ratio as New York, her popula
tion in 1860 would have been 7, 7S9, I4l, and
she must always have remained the first
in rank of all the States.
The area of Virginia is 81 ,3j2 square
miles, aud that of New York, Al, 900. The
population Of Virginia per square mile. in
1870, was q 10, and in 1860, 2,6O2 Tha,
OF New York, in 1890, was 1888, and in
1860, "a, 80. Now, if.New York, with he,
present numbers per square mile, had the
area OF Virginia her population, in 1860
would have been 5, I75 654, and that of Vir.
glnla, reduced to the area of New York, on
the basis of her present number Der square
mile, would have been l,320,00j By the
last tables OF the United States survey, the
the shore line Of Virginia was ,57l mile,
sul OF New York rs miles.
When we leave the tide water rivers 20,
the interior navigable streams, Virginia ha,
& vast advantage. New York has no such
rivers above tide, but Virginia has the Ohio
for four hundreds Of miles, with its tributa
ries, the kanawlia, Guyandotte, and Biz
Sandy. Ii is true, Now York has several OF
the great lakes, and the vast advantage OF
connection with them through her great ca.
nal. But, in the absence Vi slavery, the
canal projected by Washington preceding
that OF New York; would have connected
through Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay
with the Ohio river The james river,
flowing into the Chesapeake, cuts the Blue
Mountains, and the Kanawha, a confiuent
OF the Ohio, cuts the Allegheny; thus open
lug an easy and practicable route for great
canal from the Eastern to the Western
waters: The valley Of the lakes, with which
New York is connected by her canal has an
area OF 335, % 10 square miles, The valley
OF the Mississippi, with which the Chesa-
peake would long since, in the absence of
slavery, have boen connected by tho Vir.
ginla canal, has an area of 226, ,6JJ square
miles
How many decades would be required
after emancipation, to bring the superior
natural advantages of Virginia into practi
cal operation, is not tho question: nor dc
believe that tho city of New York will
ever cease to be the centre of ito own trade,
aud ultimately of the oommerce oi the world.
Virginia has vast mines of coal, the great
element OF modern progress. New York has
none. Ii is coal that has made Great Bri.
tain mighty empire, giving her power,
by land and sea, equal to the manual force
Of all mankind.
HYDRAULIC POWER --Omitting Niagara,
which thus Tar scorns the control of man,
the hydraulic power Of Virginia very far
exceeds that oi New York. IL il TO be
found on tho Potomac and its tributaries.
anu upon nearly every stream that flows in
to the Chesapeake or Ohio. The superior
inildness Of the climate of Virginia makes
thus power available there for u much great.
or portion Of the year Tho great falls of
the Potomac, where Washington construct
ed the largest locks of the continent, has n
water power unsurpassed, aud is but twelve
miles from tide water at Washington. Thi,
point Is a most healthy and beautiful ooa.
ton, surrounded by lands whose natural
fertility was very great, and, ia the absence
OF slavery, must have been vast manufac
turing city. This wator power could move
more spindles than arc now worked ON ALI
this continent.
SO II we look a the tables of mines, man,
ufactures and fisheries, with the vastly s,l
perior advantages of Virginia, the whole
product IN 1860 were of the value of S5I.
SVD, 900, aud Of agriculture, $6S, 7O1.UO0.
whilst IN New York these values were re
spectively 1919, 623, $50 and so26, 376. 440
-Idbtes Of census Of 1860, 33 and SO.
by the same tables, il appears, omittinp
commerce, that the products of industry
As gwen, viz: of agriculture, manufactures'
mines and fisheries, ovor that given "A New
ork. $00i 900, 900, or Sl55 Der c1p}{t. and
10 virginia Sl20, 0O0, 900, or $75 ps,. .aoDita.
Ihis shows total value of productx law
\ ork more than five times graater than in
Virginia, aud per capita, more than two to
6ne. WV w
by thctsusus table of 1860, No. s5. n
1875: "The tine value of tho real and per.
'onal property according to the eighth con.
.us was, New Work $l,s43, 3ss, ,5i7, and ofI
Virginia ST03, 249, ,Gsl." Now, We have
'cen the value Of the products of NewYork
~ 1860 by the census was $60i, ,OOO, O00, 0,and
aud Of Virginia sl20,000,OOO Thus AL
question OF the actual yield of capital that
pi New York was 32s2 per cent, and Vir. |
GINA 1918 per cent.
Our war taxes may be very great. but
the tax Of slavery is far greater, and tba ra
more to the national wolkh than The whola
deduction pade by the War debt. Oar m.
tai wealth, by the census of 1850, being bv
table 35,Sl6, l59, 1915, ,06s, one per cent. Ia.
ken annually to pay the interest and grad.
lialy extinguish the war debt, would be $l6I.l
lg6, ,l9o whereas, judging by Virginia and
New FORK, the diminished increase of the
annual product Of capital, as tho result ofl
slavery, is % per cent, or 1852, 400, 2S0l
per apnumi equal in decade without COIN.
pounding the annual results, to 81, 524. .692..
600. "''-'
by table 30, p. l96, of the census of lIsO.
the cash value Of the farms of Virginia was
e37l ,096, being $ll 06 per acre. and of
New York SS03 21l ho2 ha!.,. A. ~ ~