10 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
the diseases of the climate most generally re 
duce them to one or two. The federal govern- 
ment has greatly increased these fortunes b- 
pre-emption rights and other annuities. y 
If the relative advantages ot the two sec- 
tions have been correctly delineated, what should 
be the difference in the products to make them 
equal. 'I'o an intelligent and philosophic mind, 
no production that the laborer could gather af- 
ter making, should tempt him to exc lange situ- 
ations. Before we conclude to fix our homes 
upon these rich lands, we should think of the 
beautiful couplet of Pope — 
“Man wants but little here below, 
Nor wants that little long.” 
Human life, when not abbreviated by disease, is 
but a span; to afflict that short period v/ith the 
sufferings, mental and corporeal, incident to a 
sickly climate, is at oest but poor philosophy. 
Here we can have health, long life, and lands, 
worn out and exhausted as they are, enriching 
their proprietors who are industrious and eco- 
nomical. The most of you have read an ad- 
dress lately delivered by the great New Eng- 
land statesman, at an agricultural celebration 
in Western New York. The occasion, the 
place, and the time for preparation, prompted 
and enabled that distinguished man to throw 
into his address all the powers ot his highly 
gifted mind. Bis great object in that address, 
seems to have been to exhibit the great advan- 
tages which Western New York possessed over 
the planting portions of the world. The re- 
peated bursts of applause from his audience tell, 
in strong, terms, how successful he was in ac- 
complishing that object. 
I have considered all his reasons and posi- 
tions, and they but confirm me in the opinion, 
that our portion of the State possesses, in a much 
more eminent degree than Western New York, 
all the elements conducive to the wealth and 
happiness of man. His conclusions are cor- 
rect, as applicable to countries exclusively 
adapted to planting and grain growing, but to- 
tally inapplicable to us. His contrasts and par- 
allels, as he has carried them out, not only ex- 
hibit our advantage over plantation States, but 
over grain States. He says, that “he planter 
makes but one product for sale and buys twen- 
ty; that consequently, a failure in the crop, or 
a serious fall in the price, is attended with the 
most disastrous consequences. Having to buy 
every thing, if he fails in a crop he is ruined; it 
his product declines ten per cent in price, it af- 
fects to that extent his whole annual income. 
Western New York is independent of these vi- 
cissitudes, because she produces every variety 
ot production, both vegetable and animal, ne- 
cessary to the comfort of man. It is this varie- 
ty which constitutes the great advantage of the 
farmer ot Western New York. If his crops 
fail, and prices fall, still he is independent; his 
family is fed and clothed out of his own pro- 
ductions.” 
Every one who hears me, know's that we pos- 
sess, in a much more eminent degree than the 
farmer of New York, all the elements of inde- 
pendence. What, grain, vegetable, or animal, 
that they can raise in Western New York, that 
we cannot raise herel If their tables are sup- 
plied from the products of their own soil, so are 
ours; if their families are clothed with fabrics 
made fflom their own fleeces, so are ours. If 
w'e cannot raise as much wheat and corn per 
acre as the farmer of New York, we can raise 
an abundance for our own consumption, and 
make heavy crops of cotton, that control and 
regulate the trade and commerce of the world. 
If they have health and good water, so have 
we. The mildness of our climate makes our 
productions quite equivalent to theirs in sus- 
taining animal life. In New York, their first 
fruits ripen in June; here we have a great vari- 
ety of fruits ripening from April to November. 
The orange and pine apple, the only fruits of 
the tropics that are desirable, are brought to our 
doors, at such prices as the poorest farmer can 
buy them. Notwithstanding we export large 
quantities of the great southern staple; notwith- 
standing we direct all our energies to its pro- 
duction, reserving our best lands for it, yet corn 
and wheat are as cheap here as they are in New 
York. Ifour old worn out soils can do so much 
under our wretched system of culture, what 
could they not do under the improved system of 
the northl If we can make so much grain, 
and yet make so much cotton, what could we 
not do if all our labor was directed to the mak- 
ing of grain! Here we can be fanners or plant- 
ers, as taste or interest may dictate. Indeed, 
our lot has been cast in pleasant places. We 
can have the independence of the farmer, and 
enjoy the superfluities and luxuries of the plan- 
ter of the tropics. 
The same distinguished gentleman, to please 
his audience, drew a parallel between ti e con- 
dition of society in the planting and farming 
communities. Hejinquires, “What is society 
in the plantation? There is no society. There 
is a capitalist, and there is a labor of a particu- 
lar description. But as a society, a society of 
intelligent and free spirits, there is none, none, 
none, and there never can be.” ’Tis true; the 
parallel is drawm between the West Indian 
planter and Western New York. But w-e are 
planters, and we have labor of a particular de- 
scription — yea, we have slave labor — yet our 
society is free, intelligent, and virtuous. Our 
latitude and temperature is particularly tavora- 
ble to the development of the highest grade of 
physical and intellectual powers. The institu- 
tion of slavery has not impaired the spirit of li- 
berty. Upon this subject the views of the cele- 
brated British statesman are beautilul, and true 
as beautiful — “Where there is slavery, those 
who are free are by far the most proud and jeal- 
ous of their freedom. Freedom is to them, not 
only an enjoyment, but a kind of rank and pri- 
vilege. Not seeing there, that freedom as in 
countries where it is a common blessing, and as 
broad and general as the air, may be united with 
much abject toil, w'ith great misery, with all the 
exterior of servility; liberty looks among them 
like something thai is more noble and liberal. 
Here the people of the Southern States are 
much more strongly, and with a higher and 
more stuborn spirit, attached to liberty than 
those of the Norlh. One ot the great obstacles 
to agricultural improvement, is the low estimate 
put upon it as a pursuit by all classes of society. 
The cultivation of the soil is considered a pur- 
suit unworthy of the attention of the scholar 
and gentleman. The successful planter edu- 
cates his more gifted sons for one of the learned 
professions, whilst he destines his less intellectu- 
al for the farm.” 
It has become common for the agricultural 
class to look up to the merchant and the learned 
professions as a higher order of society. The 
young man of genius and ambition, looks upon 
the cultivation of the soil as a grave that is to 
keep in perpetual night all his high hopes of 
distinction. This feeling in society is radically 
wrong, and has been mainly superinduced by 
the humble and unpretending character of those 
engaged in it. The capacity of the intelligent 
planter to serve the country is overlooked, and 
his claims for office supersceded by the babling 
politician of the village and city. To engage 
in agriculture is a voluntary ostracism. This 
subject has attracted the attention of every one 
who has taken any interest in the cause of agri- 
cultural improvement. It is a subject of regret 
and lamentation in every agricultural address; 
yet it is a prejudice so deeply rooted in society, 
that no remedy has as yet been suggested that 
promises to eradicate it. The intelligence of 
the people has been appealed to; agriculture has 
been exhibited with all the attractions that geni- 
us and fancy could throw around it; education 
of the agricultural classes has been recommend- 
ed and adopted without effect. Still the young 
men of genius, promise and education, all throw 
themselves into the learned professions; still the 
cultivators of the soil are content to be consid- 
ered a menial class in society, subservient to the 
merchant, mechanic and professional man; hav- 
ing little or no participation in the offices of 
honor and profit which they confer. Before wm 
can make much progress in the great w’ork we 
have embarked in, public opinion upon this sub- 
ject must be revolutionized; this disgraceful 
prejudice must be hooted from society. To ef- 
foct that revolution, the remedy is easy, simple 
and effectual, and you have it in your own hands. 
The agricultural class constitutes six-eights of 
our population;— you must make your numbers 
and your influence tell at the ballot box. Agri- 
culture sustains all the great interests of every 
country. She feeds the people, pays all the ex- 
penses of the government, in peace and war. 
She should not be content with casting her vote 
for those who are to rule over it, but she should 
have agents from her own body to participate 
in the administration of the government. Let 
her claim ; er ratio of representatives in the 
State and Federal legislature — it is her legiti- 
mate and constitutional right. Organize and 
unite, and you cannot fail to enforce this right. 
Teach the young aspirant after fame and dis- 
tinction, to look to you for the gratification of 
his wishes; make agriculture the theatre upon 
which genius and talents are to exhibit for pop- 
ular applause, and you will soon eradicate from 
the public mind that contemptible prejudice 
that has been so long operating so injuriously 
upon this great interest. The imposition of 
taxes is considered one of the most important 
duties of government, and hence it has become 
a fundamental principle in free governments, 
that those who pay the taxes should impose and 
regulate them. It was the disregard of this sal- 
utary principle by the mother country, that ex- 
cited her colonies to revolution. The mischiefs 
to the public interest, growing out of a disre- 
gard of this principle, is too apparent in the le- 
gislation of many of the States. The debts of 
many of them have become so large as to star- 
tle the patriot and statesman. Some are so dis- 
tressed with this debt, as to seek relief in the 
discreditable, disgraceful remedy of repudia- 
tion. If the farmer and planter uad have had 
the control of the public councils, those ruinous 
and reckless projects that have created this in- 
debtedness, never would have been adopted. It 
is only the cultivator of the soil that knows any 
thing of the toil necessary to make a dollar; 
and these are the men who. in our legislative as- 
semblies, are for holding close the purse-strings 
of the State. If the journals of the legislatures 
whose actions have been characterized by such 
wasteful expenditure of the public money, and 
abuse of public credit, could be examined, I 
feel assured it would be found that they are con- 
trolled by men belonging to that class known 
in political economy as the unproductive. 
Though all admit the great importance of this 
branch of the public interest, yet look to your 
own legislature and see how it is neglected and 
disregarded. You will find upon xts journals, a 
long catalogue of standing committees upon 
various subjects connected with the public in- 
terest, yet you wull find no standing committees 
upon agriculture. Long and elaborate reports 
are made upon the contemptible humbugs of 
the day, yet not a breath is spent upon this all 
important interest. In eighteen hundred and 
, a time of unprecedented gloom and 
distress to the planters of this State, the legisla- 
ture passed a law offering an encouraging stim- 
ulant to the culture of silk. At that juncture it 
was a political measure that would have been 
creditable to such geniuses as Pitt and Clinton. 
The great staple of the State, from a concur- 
rence of causes, was so depressed as not to pay 
the cost of production; and there w'as no pros- 
pect of improvement, as the low prices proceed- 
ed from over production. The country being 
deeply in debt, distress was predicted by every 
tongue, and time has verified the truth of their 
anticipations. Expecting no relief from the 
culture of cotton, the people began to direct 
their attention to the culture of silk. Many 
made considerable investments; all believed it 
would be profitable; yet no adequate and per- 
severing effort was made. At this juncture, the 
legislature passed a law offering a high premi- 
