418 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 7 



admiration : but perliaps no less so than the cap- 

 italists who have contributed to the fund. Per- 

 haps the sages who projected the rail road to the 

 Ohio, from the Atlanlic, and excluded Georgia 

 from "our charier," will now see their folly, and 

 lament their stupidity — especially, ifuniiinirin ac- 

 tion, and avoiding the ditiiculties of complicated 

 legislation, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee 

 should combine, and thus producing co-operalion 

 with Virginia, create two outlets, the effect of 

 which, will be to exclude South Carolina from any 

 of the benefits, which, from her language, she so 

 anxiously desires — and this at the very instant 

 when the latter has, in Beaufort, a port more ca- 

 pable of becoming a man of war harbor, and 

 better situated than any other on the Atlantic, 

 south of Norfolk. However, I may seem to be 

 wandering from my subject ; and hence, I am led 

 to say that, as a road to market will be one of the 

 best methods to protect agriculture, Virginia, 

 Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, &c. &c. 

 should, if possible, follow t he example of Georgia. 

 Hence, let agents be despatched to Philadelpihia, 

 whose intelligent capitalists will doubtless follow 

 the example of Boston and ascertain whether, 

 with her present capital, as much could not be 

 had as would carry the desired objects into effect. 

 The commercial influence she would obtain vvould 

 be incalculable. I say her presunl capital, to pre- 

 vent the necessity of such a redundancy of issue 

 as has already inflicted so great a punishment on 

 the country — and on the effect of which, there is 

 too correct a picture to be found in Col. Young's 

 reply to those who ask him to become a candidate 

 for the government of New York. Well, very 

 well, do his opinions verify the sentiments in, I 

 think. No. 12 of Taylor's Arator, to which and to 

 his notes, 1 beg the earnest attention of your read- 

 ers and yourself. Well does Col. Young observe — 



" Whilstlegislation is directed, as it ever should 

 be, to the greatest number, laws will be iew and 

 simple ; but in proportion as it is perverted to the 

 corrupt subserviency of stock-jobbers, speculators, 

 and monopolists, will it become more intricate, 

 protracted, and multilarious. When the imnmta- 

 ble truth is fully understood, that there is no possi- 

 ble way ofcreafmg- wealth but by productive labor, 

 it is perfectly apparent that the gains and specula- 

 tions of the profits of monopolists are extortions 

 upon mankind, in which the few participate at the 

 expense of the many. 



Occupied with their private concerns, the cppeat 

 mass of mankind do not always bestow sufficient 

 attention to watch the silent operation of laws, 

 and to trace the connexion of cause and effect. 

 Little by little the aggressions of power steal un- 

 perceived upon the body politic, like the debility of 

 age upon the human frame. Twenty yeais atjo, 

 the legislation of the last session, if it could not 

 have been otherwise averted, vvould have roused 

 the whole community to arms. The undeniable 

 truth that all men are born free, and have equal 

 rights in the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pur- 

 suit of happiness, was not then forgotten or disre- 

 garded." 



The wise, the intelligent, the provident, in the 

 large towns of the north, must and will second 

 you. When they behold a starving populace 

 calling for bread, (and this, iC such doctrines as 

 those of the Journal of Commerce to which I 

 have advened are .sanctioned, they must now in 



prospective," aud eventually in /ad will behold,) 

 they will ofier their aid to stay the plague of such 

 an excessive issue, and to employ at the same 

 time, their surplus capital as well to insure the 

 safety of their property in general, as to open to 

 their distressed fellows, every channel whereby 

 provisions can he brought to sustain their families, 

 and enable their laborers and artizans, in their 

 turn, to keep society in peace and good order, and 

 to sustain the general interests and nianufiictures 

 of the country. For, to suppose any progress in 

 either art, science, or rrianufiictures, where provi- 

 sions are so high, as they are even now, is per- 

 fecily ridiculous — inferior wheat being 170 cents 

 per bushel, and Commodore Ballard's 215 cents. 

 In 1800 and thereabouts, if I am not much mista- 

 ken, the maximum of wheat, in the grazing coun- 

 ty of Gloucester, Great Britain, was 160s. per 

 quarter, i. e. 20s. or 480 cents per bushel ; when, 

 in Norlblk it was about half that price. Now, I 

 think it is about 6s. or 140 cents in England. If 

 circumstances of this kind are not calculated to 

 arouse the torpid and awake those that are asleep, 

 I know not what will. 



I have referred to jfrator. I could hope a new 

 edition of this admirable work could be published, 

 with notes correcting the then popular errors of its 

 truly original author, and demonstrating the cor- 

 rectness of his views on agriculture and the mo- 

 netary system. It would, I am convinced, go far 

 to prove, that if capital is not by the mere force of 

 public opinion and correction of popular error, ap- 

 plied to agriculture, that evil, infinite evil must be 

 the consequence. What have not Sir J. Sinclair, 

 Coke of Norlblk, Lord Somerville, and Francis 

 Duke of Bedford — what have not these men done 

 for the agriculture of Great Britain? And, per- 

 haps, I might ask what would they, what could 

 they have done, without the so much despised, 

 so much abused corn laws ? Laws, which have 

 now rendered their country independent of others, 

 and at all times able (lor such I am convinced 

 will in future be the case,) to supply her popula- 

 tion with provisions. This leads me to ask if du- 

 ring some of the discussions in congress, perhaps, 

 in consequence of Mr. Pinckney's urging the em- 

 bargo as the means of distressing Great Britain, 

 Mrr James Llo3'd, then senator from Boston, did 

 not demonstrate, that all the United States ever 

 sent to Great Britain did not exceed a fortnight's 

 consumption for her population? I speak from 

 memory and may be wrong. Mr. Tracy's decla- 

 ration on Mr. Aladisoii's Resolutions, I believe, 

 will not soon be forgotten. ( Vide Marshall.) 



G. L. C. 



P. S. The remedy, I apprehend, will be found 

 to be in the joint stock system, and a final termi- 

 nation to the chartered principle. Charters are 

 the ofl>ipring of chicaner}', and promoters of pe- 

 culation. Jf^hij, in defiance of tyranny, corrup- 

 tion, proscription, whether proceeding from the 

 state or general government, toill not the bank of 

 the United States, loith a capital so diffused as ef- 

 fectually to annihilate all two-penny chartered insti- 

 tutions, be created a general joint stock company 1 

 The state of New York has a law restraining 

 private banking. "\\ here did it get the power to 

 restrain trade in mouey, any more than it has to 

 restrict a tralBc in tin kettles? May this domes- 

 tic despotism soon reach its period ! 



