New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-10
sOUTuERN PROPHECIES.

For the last thirty years tho South has been eo'
gagged in holding Conventions for the purpose o.
establishing direct trade with the world, and free
ing itself from dependence upon this city, Liver
nool and London for the sale Of its cotton, and
upon Manchester and Lowell for the purchase Of
its cloth-snd yet the dependence becomes more
complete from day to day. In all this time we
have had an abundance of words, but no action
abundance of seEglori6cation and promises of
what the South could and would do and yet tho
South declines in influence from Far to year-snd
does so because her policy is in direct hostility
with her words-the former looking to increasing
her dependence, as she ever doing, and the latter
looking to diminishing it, all by help of measures
counseled by the men Of Manchester who desire
that cotton may be cheap, and that cloth may be dear
Among the active and influential men of tho
South is Mr.. Barnwe Rhett, and among the mort
remarkable prophecies of Southern men is one that
we find referred TO in the recent interesting Lls
" and Correspondence OF Amos Lawrence, in tho
following words:
81 do earnestly desire your state TO carry out your
prophecy that in ten years you will spin all your Drop
of cotton; for of Massachusetts viii gladly surron'
der to you the manufacture of coarse fabrics and turn
our industry to making finer articles. 10 short, We
could now, If you were ready, give up 10 you tho
coarse fabrics, and turn one half Of our machinery
into spinning and weaving cotton hose; and nothing
will help us all so much specific duties The whole
kingdom of SaxOny IL employed Mt this moment w
making cotton hose for the United States from ysrDs
purchased in England and made Of your cotton. How
much better would il be for you and for us to
these treble profits and transport by making up tho
cotton at home Think of these matters, and look Mt
them without the prejudice that prevails so extensively
in your State. few years ago, asked our kinsman
~ h.axu thn forty hafa lhanFu
was esteemed ut that time His answer was; We
all thought it true when 1t started and il had It's
effect, but nobody is of that mind now. Still, be-
ieve that when an error gets strong hold OF the pop
ular mind il is much more difficult TO eradicate than
to supply truth in its place. If know myself could
not mee out to you any different excuse from whsti
would ask of YOU and | must say to you that your
State and people have placed themselves in false P
rition, which will DO as apparent to them In few
years as the sun at MONDAY"
This letter is now just six years old. being dated
December - 1849 and it refers as we see, to a
prophecy of Mr. Rhett that his State was, before
1859 to convert oil its cotton into yarns CLOTH.
having done which it could have direct trade with
the Saxons, who needed yarn, and the Brazllians.
who required cloth. Under what circumstances
was it that Mr.. Rhett made this prophecy They
were these: The tariff Of 1912 had started mans'
lectures in the South and Southwest and theywe
advancing with such rapdity that already, in lofS,
the domestic demand was absorbing nearly two
hundred thousand bales, with certainty that be-
fore many years it would reach half millioni am
the Yankees had been everywhere locking forward
to what is here suggested-the abandonment u
coarse manufactures aud the substitution OF hns
ones. In that year, however, the operation Of tba
tariff of le46 began TO b. felt, and in the following
year the Southern manufacturers found themselves
Obliged to make sn effort to induce the Northers
mes 10 make finer goods, and thus keep up tue
rices: but the answer Ofthe North 10 this effect
ave were about TO turn our attention to fns
"goOds, but Mr.. Walkers tariff has closed our
'print-works and bankrupted their owners, and W.
"haye nothing now TO do but hold on to the cOarss
"artieles. Those we can manufacture, and We
"have direct trade with our customers, whereas
lyon have not. When YOU make up your goods IN 4
Georgia and Carolina, you find yourselves forced
"to send them to New York, there TO be purchased
"by your very neighbors, and therefore with Cd
your advantages in the price of the raw msteri''.
"you cannot compete with us under the sy'teH
known as Free trade. With us the rate Of inter
"cst is low, aud with you il is high, and now fha'
"the time has come when business is TO be doo'
"fOr little or no profit, We must carry the d'''
1--WE cav exist under your system, but you eas~'
"and the weaker must go to the wall.
What has been tho result The answer e',
question has been given to the world In se'e'"
papers published BY The Journal Of Cor"o".
from which We learn that the MANUFACTURES
Georgia have in great degree died out. snd 'n'
concerned in them been rdned-Aad sohss e.