The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-08-14
England and tho Cotton Trade.

- England and tho Cotton Trade.
All parties in England seem at present to be
impressed with tho necessity of relieving that
country from its dependence upon the United
States for nsupply- of cotton but they differ
among themselves as to the best means of effcc-
tuating that object. One party proposes to
revive the Slave trade, under the name of the
apprentice system, and by means Of the labor
thus secured to raise sugar and cotton in the
West Indies: nnd another party urges tho no.
ccssity of renewed effort in British India. but
even admitting the practicability of the meas.
urc, which after all is mere chmcra Of over
cxcitcl enthusiasts, its policy is entirely ques-
tionablc. The effect of its adoption, would be
to deprive tho English manufacturer of his
best customers, who have means otherwise
of purchasing the manufactured fabrics, than
by the sale of tho great staple; aud would
probably lead to the establishment of manu-.
factories capable Of successfully competing
with those of England herself These are the
positions assured by the Baltimore .San in the
following extract:
For in the first place. if Great Britain should
succeed in growing cotton in her own dSdfiiic
ions to an extent to affect tie planters Of the
South, she would Immediately, lose the best
foreign customer she has, that is, these United
States. No principle is now better established
than that trade cannot long be continued, IL nil
on one side. The old idea that one country
will take the products from another. year after
year. when that country buys nothing in re.
turn. has long been exploded rs absurd. We
Americans are able TO purchase such enormous
quantities Of foreign goods because our cotton
crops keep the balance of trade generally
even. 1t gives us 30 many millions every re-
turning twelve month to barter for the manu-.
fncturcd fabrics md other, luxuries of Europc.
Let Great Britain decline to purchase our cot
ton, and-we shall soon be unable to buy thcse
luSuries We already export rs much specie ns
we can aff1rl. To do much more would ruin
us in very few years. Even, therefore, if we
wished TO continue importing foreign fabrics,
we could not long persist in it.. after Europe
ceased to take our cotton crop; for We should
very soon find that we could not pay, being
without products that she would accept, and
having no gold or silver left to export. We
all live, nations rs we'll men, by giving and
receiving; in word by exchanging that Of
which we have surplus for that in which We
are deficient. If we have nothing to barter
with, we must 20 without-thc bcggar without
his loaf, the nation without its luxuries.
In the second place, if Great Britain should
would be to build up American manufactures, so
that in tho end, they would be able to compete
successfully with those of England every.
where.on the globe. Our cotton planters, if
Manchester declines to- buy of them, must, in
sclfprotection, find n market elsewhere. They
cannot afford to let their fields lie idle their
servants eat up their substance. their wives
and families sink into poverty and distress.
They will either establish cotton mills at the
South themselves, or hold out Inducements TO
the North to take oil their CROP Tho indus
try, enterprise, skill and capital of this coun-
try needs only such a state of affairs to make
it the great manufacturing centre Of the world.
Before long England would ;fiut1ktbe United
Stetes underaell;ng her in Asia, Africa. South
America; even in Europe"itsclf Her Man,
chester would begin to decline. English oper-
atives would flock to our shores to find tie
employment which had deserted them at
honfes sgd Thus another element would be add
~ TO our prosperity, another subtractcd from
that Of Great Brstain. The South would buy
wholly of the Morrill, for the North would make
those finer fabrics which Europe now princi-
pally furnishes. This condition of things
would have the advantage, too. of Keeping the
wealth OF America Yithin ITSELF It will be
good thing for the republic, therefore, If Great
Britain sueceeds in raising cotton. s@ -,
t,.nnybes that il will take timo to adapt
ourselves to these changes and that in the in.
tersal. weJnay be ruined. But SO also will it
take time for Great Britainto grow cotton for
herself If every year. rs hor India planta-
South, so every year, rs tho North has more
mills. American enterPsS Ras the % past ' has
showhsMiH keep even pAcesWitll English avid.
ity., BY the time Great Britain is able to do
without our cotton, we shall be able not only
to do without her manufactures, but to under
sell her in every market in tho world. The
game which ahe. proposes is onsAAt which two
can play; and with our superior skill we
can bent her at;playingit At present she has
one, and Only one, advantage over us, which is
that capitalis more plentiful on her Bourse
tlian ours. But one the effects of this schenae
will be to equalize US in this particular, and as
soon have her in our power. ~