And yet, Virginia, as we have seen,
had much greater natural advantages than Pennsylvania for commerce,
foreign and internal, her shore line up to head of tide water being
1,571 miles, and Pennsylvania only 60 miles.
We have seen that, exclusive of commerce, the products of Pennsylvania
in 1860 were of the value of $399,600,000, or $138 _per capita_; and in
Virginia, $120,000,000, or $75 _per capita_. But, if we add the earnings
of commerce, the products of Pennsylvania must have exceeded those of
Virginia much more than four to one, and have reached, _per capita_,
nearly three to one. What but slavery could have produced such amazing
results? Indeed, when we see the same effects in _all_ the Free States
as compared with _all_ the Slave States, and in _any_ of the Slave
States, as compared with _any_ of the Free States, the uniformity of
results establishes the law beyond all controversy, that slavery retards
immensely the progress of wealth and population.
That the Tariff has produced none of these results, is shown by the fact
that the agriculture and commerce of Pennsylvania vastly exceed those of
Virginia, and yet these are the interests supposed to be most
injuriously affected by high tariffs. But there is still more conclusive
proof. The year 1824 was the commencement of the era of high tariffs,
and yet, from 1790 to 1820, as proved by the Census, the percentage of
increase of Pennsylvania over Virginia was greater than from 1820 to
1860.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242