Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-01-07

Mr.. Bancroft has an essay on tthe doc
trine Of the Roman Empire which, writ.
ten in 1884, and, describing society
which existed more than two thousand
years ago, is, in many particulars, curl.
ously exact description Of our slave states
before the war:
"When Tiberius Sempronius Gracious,
on his way to Spain to serve in the army
before Numsntis, travelled through Italy,
be was led to observe the impoverishment
Of the great body Of citizens in the rural
districts. Instead Of little farms studding
the country with their pleasant aspect
and nursing an independent race, he be-
held nearly the lands Of Italy eDgrossed
by large proprietors; and the plough was
in the hands Of the slave" nHe
saw the Inhabitants Of the Roman state
divided into the few wealthy mobiles; the
many INDECENT citizens; the still more
numerous slaves. Reasoning correctly, he
perceived that it was slavery which
crowded the poor freeman out Of employ
ment and barred the way to his advance
ment."
Again he writes:
"The aristoerscy owned the soil and its
cultivatoTs. The vast capacity for accu-
mutation, which the laws Of society secure
to capital in q greater degree than to per
sonsl exertion, displays itself nowhere so
clearly as in slaveholding states, where
the lsboring class is but portion Of the
capitsl Of the opulent As wealth consists
chiefly in land and slaves, the rates Of in
terest are, from universally operative
csuses, always comparatively high; the
difficulty Of advancing with borrowed cap
itsl proportionally great. The small land
holder finds himself unable to compete
with those who are possessed Of whole
cohorts cf bondmen; his slaves. his lands,
rapidly pass, in consequence Of his debts,
into the hands Of the more opulent. The
large plantations are continually swallow
ing up the smaller ones; and land and
slaves come to be engrossed by a few"
This is correct history Of society ali
along the lower Mississippi, where the
area in which cotton and sugar can be pro-
ftably grown is narrow. The great plan
ters have driven out the smaller holders.
No one who has read 0Imsted's s account of
the terrible struggle of the small cotton
planter, with his few slaves, to keep his
head shove water and maintain himself
beside his great neghbor, but will see the
likeness. Again, if in ancient Italy
-"the large proprietOrs Of slaves not
only titled their immense plantations, but
also INDUCED their sTsrics In training
their slaves te every species Of labor, and
letting them out, IS horses from livery
stable"
We find the same practice in the
States; many Of the wealthy and
more Of the deosying families living on
the returns Of such hire Of their trained
slaves. Nor can We omit this passage,
which brings before Us the dresry, worn
out "old pine fields" Of Virginis before
the war:
1.-THE large Roman plantations, titled by
we're the ruin OF Italy. Vs-
Tun eoafteHtibUs, EafLfaHdiG Jtaieani perdi-
6s'e. The careless system impoverished
the soil, and wore out even the Campagpia.
Large districts were left waste others had
been turned into pastures; and grazing
instituted for tillage. The average crops
hardly ever returned four-fold increase"
Suoh was fertile Italy under slavery
such was the more fertile South under the
same detestible system. II we want to
save the great part of our country from
ruin; If we want to raise the workingmsn
here to intelligence and prosperity; If we
Of the free North want to
ave our children from the fatal competi-
ion with slaves, we must utterly destroy
his slave aiistocraoy, which is the worst
enemy the free workman has.-POss