1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



747 



cultivaied. Compare Uie vvretclie.d and depletinj^fi was a state of patriarchal simplicity, when the 

 sysioiu of piiliiiiif oil blades, (those conduits to propriiMor of the soil, clevaled above temptation, 

 the nourisliiiient of com) when liie corn is in an culiivaied all the milder virtues, and his bondmen 



immature state, aJierwurds toi)pini]f it, then cut- 

 tiii<r oil' the sialivs in liie winier, with the one 

 suitunary operation of cutliuir corn, tops, blades 

 and all; ami in re(i>r'^nre lo mere labor, the scale is 

 ill fiv'or of the killer practice. 



The labor of one hand ouirht to cultivate 20 

 acres of corn, which on an averajie will maUe 60 

 waijori loads of litter; and as it trel)les itself when 

 well inauaired in the (iu-m pen, we have ISO loads 

 of manure iVoiu 20 acres, alier feedinix horses an<l 

 c .tile, on terms chi',i|.ier than a iransallaniic liir- 

 nier can obtain. We cm rival him in this way 

 We. could noi alford however, to send 12 miles for 



ived in peace and comfort around him, with 

 minds unve.xed by cares, and unseduced by phan- 

 toms of liberty — now conjured up by fiinalics and 

 knaves, in the polluted aimosphere of the present 

 times. 



Many individuals in this section of the state, 

 were once lilted up by this vvhirhvmd raised by 

 northern emancipationists, and in their elibrts to 

 place themselves in a position where they could 

 let themselves down in safety, and submit with 

 becoming resiii;nation to what appeared inevitable 

 necessity — they connnenced d system of gradual- 

 ly divesiinj; themselves of their slaves, and sub- 



a load of mamire, and purc'iaseit at ;«i3 a load, as ! sliiuting white laborers. In the northern and wheat 



it is said some of the English firmers do in Lon 

 don: because the cost of manurinii one acre, 

 would purchase so much first-rate land in this 

 country. It would be bad economy in us, witb the 

 scarcity and dearness of our labor, to prepare oil 

 cakes for our cattle and our land, because ihev 

 would cost more than it would cmie to. We 

 could illy alford to send to the fields of Waterloo, 

 to buy dead mens' bones, to grind to powder, to en- 



growing counties of Virginia, some years ago, 

 we thought the s|)irit of the times pointed to sec- 

 tional emancipation at least; and in the absence 

 of any apprehension of legal coercion, the moral 

 tbrce of opinion, anti a conjuncuon of circumstan- 

 ces, induced calculations of profii and loss, which 

 resulted in this belief, that a neirro man, who 

 would command ^1,000 or ijr 1,500 in Mississippi 

 or Alabama, could rot be advantageously em- 



rich our land; but we might attbrd to send to i ployed in raising wheat. Well, sir, we tried the 

 Peiersbuig and Richmond and buy a load of; change; I among others — hinc HIcb lachryincB.' 

 manure at 25 or 30 cents, which we are told '• VVe employed Tom, Dick, and Harry, all white 

 ■some of the nei<rhboring tiirmers omit to do. I freemen, and what was the result.? — Excuse a 

 The beneOciai use. and the cost of obtairiinij ! familiar illustration. Tom was detected in trafi- 

 tnarl in the tide-water counties, have received a j icking with the remaining negroes; Dick, a bold- 

 masterly demonstration, leavinii me nothing to «r rascal, would piller himself, and Harry, a good 

 say relative to that great fertilizer. j natured lionest fellow, would be drunk nine hours, 



In Enirland, a re(lund:int capital and population i and work one! We were forced to the conclu- 

 search means for their em()ioymenf. In this sion, that these may make excellent political * 

 country our wits are active in the employment of * * * * * * 



means 10 obtain both ca ital and labor. The true » # # but that they were very 



policy to pursue under circumstances of this dis- inefficient laborers. 



crepancy of condition, is not susceptible of math- i We may speculate as much as we please about 

 ematica! ai-.curacy. One thinir is apt)arent, that I human [lerlt^clibiiity, and indulge a thousand Uto- 

 general maxims are too frequently laid down with- ■ piaii dreams, that honesty belongs to no one condi- 

 out aitendiiiix to exce[)iions. lion in life; ihat in the absence of education, mo- 



Wlien therelbre, Adam Smith, says that white i ral training, and good breediiiir, a fine honest cliar- 

 labor is the cheapest, we must look to it as one I acter may be formed; but the plain truth cannot 

 amoiLir a thousand abstractions in political econo- i be disgui.-;ed, that the vairrant laborer employed 

 my, which will not apjily to our country, at the | upon our fiirms, is, three limes out of four, worth- 

 present practice. The converse may be approved j less, absolutely unqualifiedly worthless. Worthy 

 as the truth — that in ai! southern colonies, or new i exceptions certainly exist. The late Mr. William 

 countries where the climate suits the negro con- Wirt tried the experiment with German redemp- 

 stitution, black slave labor is not only the cheap- i lioners, in Florida, and his was a failure. A res- 



est, but the only one we can rely upon at all for 

 many years to come. It is foreign from my in- 

 tention, sir, to employ my humble mean.? to write 

 a political essay. Let those undertake it, whose 

 able efiiisions would command public interest. If 

 I can throw together a lew practical thoujrhts, 

 however, imperlect the manner, which will prove 

 useful, I shall have accomplished my design. 



I will not undertake them, to say, or g;dnsay, 

 that slavery is a political or moral evil, or whether 

 it is condemned or approved in holy writ ; though 

 it may be incidentally remarked that the pure.-^t 

 state of society which ever did exi.st, or probably 

 ever will exist in any age or counny, w:i.s, as we 

 believe, some half century ago in old Virginia, 

 previous to the discontent, consecpient upon abo- 

 litionism had crept into our domestic police, or be- 

 fore an aZ^g,'7 contact had infusixl a baneful poison 

 into the pulpit, the press, the bar, and leiiislative 

 halls of our southern country. The former 



pectabie gentleman in Richmond. Mr. 

 tried it on his farm, near City Point, if not misin- 

 ibrmed, wiih the same ill success; and from the 

 recent 'Report' of the patriotic president of the 

 James river impi'ovement, we may glean a few 

 thoughts about the blessinirs of absconding free- 

 men. I have frcfjueniiy conversed with the har- 

 dy yeoman of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, when an 

 eye witness to their rural maiia«'ement,and in refer- 

 ence to my inquiries about their labor, there was 

 but one answer. "We c;m safely rely upon our- 

 selves, and the labor of our sons; but the relation 

 between our hirelings and ourselves, involves us in 

 perpetual difficulty They frequently charge two 

 prices fi»rone day's work, and work but half a day — 

 take offence at triPiCs, are rude in their manners at 

 tab'e, indelicate sometimes in their conversation, 

 before our wives and dautrhiers. run off at times 

 of pinc^hiu!! need, occasionally finding it conve- 

 nient to rake something which does not belong to 



