The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1865-08-03
NORTHERN AND BRITISH lMMI-
GRAFTON TO THE SOUTH.

pOIUauce Vi NortHeru anu DliCiSh iulhl-
grafton to the South:
"What Virginia needs alb I'VE all things
is immigration. We should encourage
it for population, and population alone
constitutes Safe wealth. Nothing but
human labor, and its results or products,
possess value, and without value there
can be no wealth. The richest lands in
the world are as valueless as the desert Of
Sahara without men to cultivate them.
In truth, lands never can become valuable
but only as population settles on them
a means of commanding hnman labor.
Hence lands rise in price as population
becomes dense, and the demand for them
consequently Increases. But after all
they have no more value than air and
rain water, which are equally essential
elements OF production. Three-fourths of
the lands in Virginia are unoecupied and
uncultivated for want ofpopulation. 10
this state they constitute neither property
nor wealth, and are as useless and unpro-
ductive as they were before the country
was settled by the whites. But if they be
used as meaps to introduce population,
to bring into the State human labor, they
at once become means or agencies with
which to build up the wealth and pros
perity of the State, for all State and all
individual wealth lie but tn, command Of
human labor.
"The Northern Abolitionists thoroughly
understand this doctrine, aud have been
successfully practicing on it for many
years past. We will illustrate and prove
our position by a notorious example.
Some ten or twelve years ago, a company
of the most ultra of the Abolitionists-
men who were daily denouncing us OF the
South as "dealers in human tiesh'-pur-
chased large tracts of land in Kansas, en-.
closed them, erected dwellings,, store
houses, mills, schools, churches, and all
other Improvements that would fit them
for the reception and comfortable accom-
mediation Of large laboring population.
In the words Of Senator Sumner: Capt
tai was sent ahead of immigration 1t
was an excellent scheme-equaly humane
and profitable. Population did rapidly
flow in. The lands and houses sold and
rented for very remuneratiye prices.
White labor became cheap-cheaper than
negro labor. The lands OF Kansas, not
worth cent to the acre until capital had
improved them and broughtin laboring
population, became as profitable to their
owners as the lands Of the Oldest States
But had population-a laboring popula
| tion-faled to come in and cultivate
them, those lands, mills, dwellings,
school-houses, &C., would have rem lined
as valueless as the deserts of Africa or the
ruins of Palmyra. They never did pos
sess, nor never can possess, a cent OF value
in themselves, but are only useful as u
means Of commanding value-that is, of
taxing and making profit OF the human
labor that cultivates them. Buy lands
and bait them, and white labor will flock
| in, settle and cultivate them on far more
cheaper and more profitable terms than
they can be colopized and cultivated by
negroes introduced from Africa; and yet
the producing is as humane as proftabid.
The obvious application Of the Kansas
speculation to our circumstances is, tina,
three fourths Of the lands of Virginia
being uncultivatsa, they POSSESS no utility
(yalue they can never haVe), because not
employed asia means of commanding
labor, and of Extracting or exploiting
profits OF values from sncu labor. We
must introduce population, labor, skill
ana capital from other States and coun-
tries, and in order to do SO, sell or loan
Four surplus land for almost any price
Better give them away than retain them,
| as a mere tax, in our b ,pds. With a
dense population, one-fourth Of the best
Of our lands land we should generally
retain the besD would be worth more
than the Who'll, are now worth. The
price Of lands (not the value) always in
creases in proportion as population be-
comes dense. Population alone consti
tutes wealth, because human labor alone
constitutes value. Ceteris pa,i6us, that
country is richest and most prosperous
that containes the largest population in
proportion to its ter. itorial area. Virgin
ia is desperately poor merely because her
population is extremely sparse; yet no
country Of the same extent has the eapa-
city to sustain denser population in
comfort and luxury. We want more PEG.
pie; and we should especially invite them
to come j from the Northern States
Immigrants from no other quarter 50
much resemble our native population, nor
would be so easily alb ,orbed, assimilated
and Virginianized.' A population of d.
verse and distinct nationalities. settling 10
colonies and preserving their national
traits, custcms habits, modes Of language
thought, &c., are curse to any country.
Wa want immioranfs from the North and