Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 245 



though so great advantages had been already experienced, and the 

 prospect of future benefits was so promising, still, many of those whose 

 interest had been most promoted, and the value of whose property 

 had been most enhanced by this invention, had obstinately persisted 

 in refusing to make any compensation to the inventor. The very 

 men whose wealth had been acquired by the use of this machine, 

 and who had grown rich beyond all former example, had combined 

 their exertions to prevent the patentee from deriving any emolument 

 from his invention. From that State in which he had first made, 

 and where he had first introduced his machine, and which had de- 

 rived the most signal benefits from it, he had received nothing ; and 

 from no state had he received the amount of half a cent per pound 

 on the cotton cleaned with his machines in one year. Estimating 

 the value of the labor of one man at twenty cents per day, the whole 

 amount which had been received by him for his invention, was not 

 equal to the value of the labor saved in one hour, by his machines 

 then in use in the United States. " This invention, (he proceeds) 

 now gives to the southern section of the Union, over and above the 

 profits which would be derived from the cultivation of any other crop, 

 an annual emolument of at least three millions of dollars."* The 

 foregoing statement does not rest on conjecture, — it is no visionary 

 speculation, — all these advantages have been realized ; the planters 

 of the southern states have counted the cash, felt the weight of it in 

 their pockets, and heard the exhilarating sound of its collision. Nor 

 do the advantages stop here : this immense source of wealth is but 

 just beginning to be opened. Cotton is a more cleanly and health- 

 ful article of cultivation than tobacco and indigo, which it has super- 

 seded, and does not so much impoverish the soil. This invention 

 has already trebled the value of the land through a great extent of 

 territory ; and the degree to which the cultivation of cotton may be 

 still augmented, is altogether incalculable. This species of cotton 

 has been known in all countries where cotton has been raised, from 

 time immemorial, but was never known as an article of commerce, 

 until since this method of cleaning it was discovered. In short, (to 

 quote the language of Judge Johnson,) if we should assert that the 

 benefits of this invention exceed one hundred millions of dollars, we 

 can prove the assertion by correct calculation. " It is objected that 



This was in 1812 : the amount of profit is at this time incomparably greater. 



