Washington telegraph., 1845-02-05


any definite arrangement either in respect
to the ratio of decrease or the modes OF
efiecling it. IL would have, in the first
place, to determine the amount of crop TO
be raised; If would be necessary to appor-
ton this amount among the cotton growing
States, and then again amongst Individual
\ planters. Amy general rule Of reduction
would bear so heavily upon certain die
tricts as would make it oppressive. Say,
for instance, that it should be determined
that the crop is onc-tiird too large, and TO
reduce it with the limits agreed upon it
should be further decided that every plan.
ter should reduce the production on his es-
tate one-third, by planting one-third less
acres in cotton. Would not this be an
onerous condition for the young planter
who has just begun the business with a
force disproportionaiely large in comparison
with the number Of acres he has prepared
for cultivation Or should any other arbi-
trary measure be adopted, the instances Of
hardship under il would make it unpopular.
Suppose it was agreed that no more than
certain number Of bales should be raised TO
the hand, how would this effect the cultiva-
tion of up.andsl The tillers Of the rich
bottom soils would be the only sufferers;
the reduction would fail on them exclusive
ly. 1t is almost if not quite impossible 10
devise any rule or measure that will not
work unequally, when applied TO such an
extent Of country, 10 such variety Of soil
and modes Of cultivation. Besides, were
convention to agree TO any fixed measure
that promised success if faithfully carried
out, what sanctions could it give of enfor-
cling acqulescence in its mandatesl The
DEGREES Of the convention would be binding
only upon these who were members of it, or
who sent delegates TO represent them in
that body. The obligation Of even these
would be merely a moral one-such as the
\ upright and honorable would fill with scru-
! pulous fidelity. But many would not. The
| planters might denounce such, and justly
too, as recreant members Of society, and
os,racise them from all fellowship-yet de-
nunciaiions Of this sort would have little
| weight with those whose sense of honor
would not keep them within terms of their
engagement. And then again the large
numbers who would not agree to be repre-
sen;ed in the convention, could scarcely bc
! held amenable to its DEGREES.
Is there then no remedy Although We
doubt tile power Of conventions to furnish
one, we think the good sense Of the planter
maY-and this too will be done, if done at
all, without any combination or concerted
action. SelEinterest should long ago have
done that which self-defence will soon
make necessary to be done. When it Is
known that crop of seventeen hcndred
thousand bales will fetch more money than
one Of twenty -four hundred, it seems strange
that planters do not employ their labor in
raising other products than cotton. That
the smaller crop would sell for more actual
money than the larger one, needs no other
demonstration than the commercial history
OF the past year. Just twelve months ago
the impression was very general that the
I crop in the United States would fall short
Of that of the preceding by six hundred
thousand bales. The effect Of this belief
was to raise prices to point nearly 100
per cent. above what they rule now-this,
too, in the face Of the large surplusses of
previous years. Besides the difference in
the actual returns Of specie, the planters
also are great losers in the extra expense
Of getting the large crop to market. This
item alone, which appears Insignificant in
company with the huge statistics of cot
ton crop, will make the planters rich in a
few years. In proportion TO the bulk of
the crop, ficights and other charges in the
mere handling and transportation Of it in
crease not only upon the excess but upon
the entire production We are within
bounds when we say that the expenses of
getting a crop of two million four hundred
thousand bales to the markets Of the world
over those of distributing ono OF one million
seven hundred thousand bales, taking into
consideration the advance in freights and
other charges produced by the former. cam
not be less than Ss,OOJ,O0O. This i 4
round sum that the planters pay for the pri.
v.lege OF raising more cotton than the spin
ming. .jennies ana power looms Of Christen-
dom can convert into cloth. The loss, II
will be seen, j. not confident to the differ.
ence in price. In every way large crop
is injurious TO the planter-bringing less
money and costing him more.
The remedy upon this presentation ofthe
case i palpable, that if the planters 10 not
alDpt Il Of iheir own accord, it would seem
useless, to call convention TO compel them
to do %. But one planter says he can't
reduce his crop unless others adopt
fllccicus. Let others do as they like, that
planter viii do well who converts his estate
into q farm. properly 20 called, producing
every thing that he needs at home, and SEN
ding to ma-llet only the surpluses raised up-
on it. The produce sent to market should
represent the net gain of agriculture. No
agricultural country can prosper, where the
producers buy all they use and sell all they
raise. The bulky nature of agricultural
products makes the cost Of carFIare a for