Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-20

cannot be provided for By MACMILLAN as he
has been. There is but one Captain MAURY,
but there are thousands and tens of thousands
of them. 1t is but natural that the zeal of the
Commissioner Of immigration should be stimu-
lated by his personal interests, and to this con-
sideration, without any disparagement Of Cap
tain MAURY, must be assigned much that we
find in his letter as to the present and future
disadvantages attaching to a residence in the
Southern States. Viewed in this light we are
prepared to receive his facts, reasons and ar
guments with many grains Of allowance.
He abruptly introduces his communication
with the following startling estimate OF the
losses of the people of the Southern States by
the war
Rv emaneipation. s., 200, 900, 900
| ExDenses of the war.......--... 2,OOO,OOO,OOO
Destruction of private property. 1000 ,OOO,OOO
| Additional taxation imposed by
the victor for payment of Fe-
deral war debt, say 10000
900 per annum, equal to 6 per
cent. interest On.............. l,OOO,OOO,OOO
Total Observation-Disclosures. 81 900 900, 900
This, he says, was the accumulated wealth
ofcenturies constituting nearly the whole indus
trial wealth OF the South, which he thinks can
not be regained " by the present generation of
Southerners." He thinks we sacrificed our dig
nifty and laid our honor in the dust when 'we
,1a
pudiate the war debt" and to adopt claws,
preambles and ordinances" that our "children's
children will blush to read" He declares that
the line of division between the Northern and
Southern States is "such, as no human hand,
50 heart or will can erase. 1t has been drawn
" by nature. War has stamped it upon the
" hearts and minds of the people. 1t is geo.
" graphical and sectional line. 1t cannot be
" obliterated." He cites Jamaica, San Do
mingo and the Spanish Main as proofs that
reliable labor system cannot be constructed
out of emancipated African slaves. He ven
lures the assertion that, in process of time,
the negroes will exceed the white population
by two to one, and asks what will become Of
the latter.
OF course Captain MAURY's communication
is a strong paper. He is a strong man, and he
has every motive that man can have to draw
settlers to Mexico, by making them discontinued
with their present homes and representing
Mexico in the most attractive cOlOrs. 1t is his
business to do so. His appeal, it will be OBJ
served, is to the "SOuthern Gentry" who can
bring with them ga little ready money, even
though it be not more than a thousand dol
lars" He is Indifferent to professional men,"
mechanics" whose capital does not consist of
money, but of ''brains and brawny arms" He
encourages these gentry" by saying that out
Of Mexican population Of 8 1000, 900, there are
zoe, OOO, 900 oflaborers waiting to be employed,
and that these gentry can hire them and
''proSper as they never did" All this looks
very much as if the great object is to draw
from the South all the little capital left in it,
1t would seem that money is wanted more than
men.
This article is already too long, and we can
not spare the space to reply at length to many
Of the arguments and views presented in the
communication referred to. Whilst we with
hold our concurrence from exaggerated state
ments of the disadvantages under which the
Southern people labor, we are as little disposed
to extenuate those disadvantages. If we had
not the ability to achieve success, we should
show to the world that we are not destitute of
the merit that attaches to fortitude in defeat
and misfortune. Captain MAURY's chief argu-
ments may be thus stated: The Southern
States will be kept as conquered provinces, and
free negro labor cannot be relied upon. Upon
these two assumptions he invites us to depOpu-
late the South. 1t is utterly impossible that
eleven large States can, in this liberal age and
under a free system, be long kept DISTINGUISHED
and held as conquered territory. The President
says they cannot and shall not be thus held,
and nearly one-half of the Northern people
are of the same mind. Indeed, we know of but
a hale IesA.. -. cha North vphn maintain
THADDEUs STEVENS doctrines of perpetual
subiugatiOn. As for free African labor, we will
not allow the difficulties connected with it to
scare us from the richest country upon the face
Of the earth, and a country whose soil we own.
We will make the experiment, and if negro
labor shall prove inadequate, we will try what
Captain MAURY proposes in Mexico-white
emigrant labor. If Generals LEE, JOHNSTON,
and other leading Southern men
can remain in the South, it certainly ought to
be good enough for the "gentry" to whom
Captain MAURY particularly addresses himself.
Posterity will not bestow its appreciation upon
those who shall leave their country because of
its misfortunes. We certainly feel that we are
our duty when we condemn all
efforts to drain the South of its capital and
population.