The Yazoo Democrat., 1853-02-23
From the Alabama Planter.
Cotton CuIfure--sIave Labor, etc.

Cotton CuIture--siave Labor etc.
Messrs. Editors ~ promised at the
proper time to reply to your structures,
as Set forth in the 39th number, vol
unae 6, Oh the Alabama Planter, in ref
erence to my views on the economy of
planting. AS preliminary, will state
that am ayerse to the lawyer OF inn
promptu manner of sitting or combat
ting the remarks of an ANTAGONIST, as il
opens the door tor cavilling. it sub
Stitutes the undertaking Of opinions for
argument, and results in much writing
and but little progress to conviction.
AS you have stated, believe your OBJ
iect in writing is to impart instruction,
and assure you that / would not pen
a line but to solicit instruction or in
| lvite action on subjects believed to be
generally useful. Were ] to write for
the mastery, should feel honored by
being in mental contact with the intel
hgent editors of the Alabama Planter !;
lbut having no such ambition, prefer
discussing this subject on the broad
iplain and often tested platform, having
for IFS base, the theory and practice Of
planting, as adopted and universally
pursued by planters, with slight modi-
fcationS, until it has made them the
wealthiest population per capitem Of
which we have any statistics. Al
though not in the habit Of using ego
tism for argument, don't know how
could make reply to your editorial
More laconic and satisfactory than by
giving my practice as pursued on a
grey, sandy plantation, embracing creek
bottom and upland, for sixteen years,
and leave the application to you. The
uniform pitch OF my crops since have
had land enough cleared, has been eight
acres Of cotton, tour of corn with hill
of red or tory peas for each hill of
corn, three Of small gram, principally
of oats, and half acre Of sweet pota-
toes per hand. The average crop oil
cotton from this has been under five
bales Of 500 lbs. per hand and / ven
ture the assertion, without the fear Of
authoritative contradietiC n, that not a
third of the planters in the state ex-
coed this, and that the average does
not much exceed three bales per hand
If these estimates are correct, which
believe can be more easily proven than
the reverse, will the conductors of our
public organs of communication and
others persist, unadyiScdly to frame i'm
their. iMaglnationS or use the data Of
certain localities, to pitch the crops
and make estimates, for the purposes
of denunciatien and to present planters
as hard taSk-masteTS, SOphiStically adj
viSing to plant less cotton, when annu-
ally the defective supply is threatening
to drive capital from its manufacture? ?
the demand being such as to tax the
inventive faculties in search of a sub
Stitute, and every effort is making to
establish competition abroad to grow
cotton. This being effected, the friend
ship of necessity, by which capitalists
at a distance are bound to our institu-
tions of domestic slavery with the
strength of cables, comparable in num-
ber with the fibres in a bale of cotton;
will be severed. The same argument
is applicable to the Syren song Of esta5-
fishing mills at the south to manutac-l
ture the most of the cotton with slave
labor; which will not be done. nor will
there be less cotton planted, until plan
terS are convinced that there is more /
made than is wanted by manufactures
abroad 1t being their true interest to
make all that Is wanted, at lower
price than it can be produced for in /
other countries, although it were to re-
quire our entire resources: acting on
the same principle that an editor or
merchant does, in neglecting to raise
their supplies, in consequence of it in
terfering with regular business, and as
they do, depend on the market forl
them. Dispense with the worlds ne
cesSItieS for the few staple articles pro-
duced by slave labor, and the DAYS of
the Institution would be numbered: for1
to the popular and falsely called moral
and religious influence, would be added
capital to render il valueless or tol
overrule and abolish il. The south
may esteem Il hulniliating reflection
to admit that We hold our property in
consequence offhe necessities Of others;l
yet we have many parallel examples in
the strong, Of individuals and govern
ments protecting the weak alone from
their present on future necessities
hence / advocate, as the true policy Of
the SOUTH to rear rampart OF cotton
bales and as On the memorable 8th OIL
january use them ~ potent means
20 perpetuate and enforce Commercial
and manufactnrer's respect
although il should require all of the
suitable planting lands to be devoted