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Show 116 DESPOTISM of society that spirit of industry essential to the increase of public wealth. 2. rrhc spirit of industry is not however alone sufficient for the accumulation of property. Industry quickens production ; but to accumulate, it is necessary not only to produce but to save. Econo11111J then, may justly be regarded as the second great source of public wealth. But to expect any thing like economy from the unprivileged class, would be extremely ridiculous. Economy is ]ike industry, it is like every other virtue,-it never will be exercised unless there is a motive constantly operating to produce it. Now in the condition of servitude no such motive exists. In fact, the motives are all the other way. The slave receives from his master a certain weekly allowance of food. Any attempt to lay by a part of it, would be absurd, for as soon aS a store was accumulated, the master, if he discovered it, would stop the allowance till that store was consumed; or at all events, he would immediately diminish an allowance which experience had shown to be more than sufficient. lt would be the same with respect to clothing. But why dwell upon this topic? Is it not plain that he who is incapable of possessing property is alike destitute of motives to produce or to save 1 If slaves arc improvident with respect to themselves, it is not remarkable that they are still more so with respect to their owners. No matter what occurs i if the cotton house is on fire; if the fences are down, and the cattle destroy the corn; if the horses stray away; if the tools are lost or broken; it there happens one or all the thousand accidents which are always liable to diminish the value of their master's property, and which a little care or foresight might have prevented -any or all of these occurrences are a matter of perf~ct unconcern to the slave, nor will he voluntarily lift a finger to prevent them. If indeed he has any feeling about the matter, it is rather an Ill· clination to destroy than to save. He expenences • IN Al\JERICA. 117 secret delight, in the losses and whom he hates. sorrows of a master Nor is economy likely to b . siderable extel}t by the hire! in e practised to any conmanagement of the great T o~crseers to whom the These overseers are frequct;t~n a~tons JS Intrusted. have little or no interest in lf y c angc_d, alld they ment of the property intrusted l~o ~fonoJ71Cal manage- As little can we look to tl lelf c large. masters for any exhibition ~f ~~nduct of the slaveconsideration. It is an old b c vat';le now under comes easy goes cas 'r . o ~crv_at wn. that what conduct of briaanl· . his saymg IS venfied by the that class of me"n w~;o \mates, an~ robbers, and all with equal force and fo;v~ upon p under. It applies masters h lC same reason, to s lave and to ;u~ i~t~e~~~~~h tcllocntrivc to spend all they g~; W 1 y can. and ~h lave thus seen that with respect to the slaves close coe;p~!~vneri,hidleness_ and improvidence ]{ecp the poorer cia~~ of fre:~~mc t,s, the fact \~ith respect to next to nothing th r:ll. I hough their resources be small wa , ey s I contnve to Jffiltatc in their neighbors.y, the careless extravagance of their richer It thus appe th 1 . the second prin~~~ 1 at t lere ;" a great deficiency of economy, amonO' a~l sou~·ce o public wealth, to wit, slave-holding st~tes o~~ses of the population of the 3. A third or~at sour mrnca . . invention by owh"cf . ce of pubhc wealth consists in and mord rodu '. 1 lS m_ean_t, the discovery of new call tll,·s gp t Ctlve applications of industry. But to power of a rceoam mmue ans of · .t . mcreasmg the prod uctive honorable Tl t .m y m_to action, indtlstry must he servation; and ~a m.gcnu!l y which busies itself in obto produce the xpenmcgts for the discovery of means displays itself csame e. ect with less labor, seiUom useful arts are h~~cpt tl !communities jn which the made elsewhere ar~nf l~g ,' esteem. Even inventions nse with great ' d'ffi ~~ tIC most part bronght into I LCU ty, m those socwhes in which |
