Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-03-04
The Future of the Southern
States.

Mr.. h0DCft y. Nalker mas written ll
the Continental Monthly J two letters
on American Finances and Resources
/ in which he shows, from the census, the
Disadvantages under which the southern
states have labored by reason of the cx-
istencc of slavery there. lie compares
in the first place, Maryland with Mas
saehusctts, taking Maryland because that
state has greater natursl advantages than
any other, and because it has increased in
population per square mile more rapidly,
from 1890 to 1860, than any other slave.
holding state.
Maryland has 11,12i square miles
area, Massachusetts, 1000 square miles,
Maryland has shore line, sea and river
of 1886 miles, Massachusetts, 764 miles
In Maryland the rate of mortality is but
in 92, i'll Massachusetts,, | in 81. The
area of arabic land in Maryland is more
than double that of Massachusetts and
TIE soil more fertile Maryland has in
cxhaustblc mines of coal and iron and
the necessary nues Massachusetts, has
no coal, no valuable mines Of iron, nor
luxes. The population of Maryland in
1890 was 3l9,72S 8; Of Massachusetts
37S.7l7. In 1860 Maryland had 6S7 ,03l
Massachusetts,, l, ,231 ,064. In 10 years
Maryland increased 3677 300; Maasachu-
sets, So 34S,or more than double as much
In 100 Maryland had 2S persons to the
square mile, in 1860, Gl in 1890 Mas
sachusetts had 4s to the square mile, in
1860, l571. Bear in mind that Maryland
has doablc the area of good land that
Massachusetts, has, an1 the enormous
difference will be seen.
The valac of the products of Mas
sachusetts in 1860 was S2S7 100000 !;
Of Maryland, s66,000000. In Mas
suchusctts it Was S235 per head in
Maryland, S06. That is to say, the
average annual value Of the labor Of each
person in Massachusetts was greatly
more than double that in Maryland. -
Massachusetts,, with smaller territory,
had 30 miles of railroad Maryland
nut $50 The value Of all property, real
ani personal, was, in Massachusotts,
4sl5 ,00U 600; in Maryland, $3316,000.-
900. Comparing this with the value Of
products before mentioned, the profit Gu
capital was in Massachusetts thirty five
per cent in Maryland, seventeen per
cent, or less that half aud it is noti-
ccabc fact that in only two slave states,
Delaware and Missouri, was the rate Of
profit larger than in Maryland, and both
of these had capnaaratively fewar Il. es.
II now we take Intelligence as 4 stand
ard, in Massachusetts the value Of priut-
cl matter was IN lS60, 5000 ,9lG in
Maryland, $3.50, ,l55, Massachusetts, had
TWO hunarel aud twenty-five newspapers
AMI periodicals, Of which one hun4rel
4nI twelve were political, tAirty-onc re.
! : ous, Il ty-oac literary, tw4nty-cight
miscellaneous Maryland had oHiy fifty
seven, all hat one or t,ao political. Mas
sachusctts had three thousnnl six hum
l.ed and scventy-niue pu5li; school
Maryland ulne hundred anl seven. Mas
sacAusetts had eighteen hundred and
sixty-one adults who could neither read
mr. write Maryland thirty eight thous-
anl four hundred AMI twenty-six, etclws-
ire Of TER s'ares. LIT free working men
ponder these facts, and say under what
sySteia, whether Of free or slave labor,
they eau earn the largest wages, or their
can receive the hest education.
Bat Mr. Walker goes on to show a
more remarkable fact that rs Maryland
is 70 Ma saehusetts so is South Carolina
to Maryland. He shows that in lSU0
the product per head in Massachusetts;
was S235, in Maryland 500, in SUyh
Carolina sj6 thus in free and elugNed
the reward Of labor is
more than double that III Maryland, and
tohr times that in South carolina.
" Slavery, then, the census proves, is
hostile to the progress Of wealth and
to science, literature and cdu-
cation, to schools, colleges and unlver
sities, to books aui libraries, to churches
AMI religion, to tho press. AMI therefore
to free government hostile to the poor,
kccpu. them in want and Ignorance
hostile TO labor, reducing it to seryitule,
AMI decreasing by two-thirds the value
OF its products hostile to morals, re-
pudiatlng among slaves the martial and
parental condition, classifying them by
law as chattels, darkening the Immortal
soul, and making it 4 crime to teach
millions Of human beings to read Or
write"
Now we may look at these figures in
two ways; they show how fatally slavery
has hau,perod the progress il wealth,
varied industry, comfort aud Intelligence
Of the states in which it existed they
show that precisely in proportion as slave
ry flourished, 80 the prosperity OF the
state declined. The law extends even
to countless" says Mr.. Walker, " those
having comparatively the tewcst slaves
far more rapidly in popula-
ton" But in these s.mc figures we can
see the future Of the South, feed from the
curse of slavery. What Massachusetts,
is-anl more, too-Maryland may be-
come, ami that speedily; what New
York has gained by freedom, that Vir-
ginia may gain, too, and the easier that
She far excels New York in many Of the
most important sources OF material wealth
she has deeper harbors, mines Of coal and
iron, shorter line Of communication
with the West, larger territory the
balance of natural wealth is all on her
side.
~ Al l.. q. 4