202 PRESENT AND FUTURE OF AMERICA. 



4,000 or 5,000. Abolitionists represent that falling 

 off in value to other causes, but they are mistaken ; the 

 decline was so rapid that other causes had no time to 

 operate, nor do the English themselves believe that other 

 than emancipation of the slaves had aught to do with the 

 decline of the West Indies, and we see them doing all 

 they can by importing Bengal coolies to supply the place 

 of the slaves who refused to work. 



Dismiss 3,000,000 laborers to-morrow, how could an 

 equal number be supplied ? 



It would be very trying to the endurance of white 

 males to labor in the hot South ; white females could not 

 do so. The present number of laborers in America is 

 calculated at one to five of the whole population. I cal- 

 culate it at one to six for agricultural laborers ; here 

 would be nearly two millions of actual laborers redeemed 

 from the necessity to labor, and to get two millions of 

 substitute whites, it would be necessary at least to im- 

 port some eight or ten millions of whites. For two mil- 

 lion of males could not be exclusively found. The whole 

 immigration of twenty years into this country was about 

 1,855,643 so the laborers necessary could not be ob- 

 tained ; and to ensure any number of laborers at all, 

 wages would go up to a higher rate than it is at present. 



What would the slaves do if emancipated 1 To get 

 the necessary means of life would be an easy matter. 

 They would plant some Indian corn, and probably some 

 ground-nuts and sweet potatoes ; that would be the ex- 

 tent of their agriculture, and possibly they might keep 

 some poultry and pigs ; but a large portion of the more 

 intelligent would flock into cities. Some would establish 

 little shops and brothels, others would hire themselves as 



