THE LATE MR. COKE. 343 



farm. Well, now, look at the six Southern States — (we are speaking of agri- 

 culturists, mind ye ; we need not care lor others, for they] they I will take care 

 of themselves.) In these Southern States, then, the proportion is 90 employed 

 in Affriculture, with 1-2 in Commerce and 8'3 in Manufactures, as purchasers of 

 agricultural produce — in one section about two producers for one consumer ; in the 

 other, eleven for one ! In one, the producer and consumer, close together or con- 

 nected by the very best of roads — in the other, far apart, exchanging at great cost 

 of time, labor and monej'". We have imported, last year, it seems, more than 

 one hundred millions of dollars' worth of goods. Suppose the people of the United 

 States, nota;?ar/3/ — for that is ever ready to uphold the worst and to oppose the best 

 measures, and taints whatever it touches — but as one people were to give out, and 

 let Europe and the whole world understand that we meant to make these $100,000,- 

 000 ourselves — what would be the effect? Would we not bring over the men and 

 the machinery s^nd ihe ?nillions of capital along whh them, and then, when the peo- 

 ple would be here, to eat the farmer's produce of every sort on the spot, and to 

 buy and supply with the least possible cost of exchange, would not our people 

 stay at home, and lands, instead of going to waste, be all drained and ditched 

 and planted in fruit and cabbages and potatoes, instead of only a very small pro- 

 portion of it, in only one or two or three staples ? And then could we not raise 

 honestly, and above board, by direct taxation, enough to support the Government 

 at one-half the cost the landed interest pays now, under a fraudulent and cmi 

 ning invention of politicians and great men to wheedle and cheat them ; and 

 would not our sons stay at home — should we not have concentration, to which 

 the laws of Nature lead, instead of dispersion and decline — might we not dispense 

 with armies and wars and preparations for wars, for which the farmer has always 

 to stand as ultimate paymaster ? We only " ask for information." 



Virginia is tifteen times larger than Massachusetts, with richer land, better 

 climate, more coal, more iron, more water-power, can raise all sorts of pro- 

 duce in greater quantity per acre, wool included, suppose, then, she had with- 

 in her borders fifteen times as many non-producing consumers of agricultural pro- 

 duce to supply with wool, beef, coal, iron, mutton, potatoes, fruit, butter, cheese, 

 timber, corn, flour, rye, oats, onions, leather, oysters, fish, wood, bacon and cab- 

 bage, as Massachusetts has of that class of people — fifteen times 85,000 manu- 

 facturers would be 1,275,000 — suppose they consumed altogether an average 

 of 25 cents a day, they would want of what is produced out of the land, 

 $116,345,750 a year ! What would land be worth then ? Would not the people 

 that are flying off" stay at home, and would not the young men settle near their 

 fathers, and their sisters all get married? Would we not have concentration in- 

 stead of dispersion ? And then, what would be needed would be a plain, honest, 

 direct tax for the support of the Government. Let the farmer know exactly 

 what he does pay, and for what he pays it. Let him have, once a year, a bill of 

 particulars, in the plainest terms ; and then, and not till then, will the landed in- 

 terest be brought to understand and to control the price he pays for being governed. 



We only throw out these intimations for our readers. If there be any inter- 

 est in which we feel a sincere, unaff'ected, anxious concern, next after the per- 

 sonal safety and well-being of our immediate family, it is the landed interest 

 of the country. We are satisfied there is something rotten in the state of 

 Denmark that depresses and scatters where we should have concentration and 

 prosperity. What is it ? 



As for Mr. Stevenson's address and Mr. Rives's that preceded it, we only wish 



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