Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-05-29

III kl9 01LtEAIc : oAo'o
present comparatively high prices Of co!
ton ard sugar yields but a small prot
to the owner. How long, has it bee
, since those commodities were selling a
+ such reduced rates, that the planter
wer. seriously thinking Of turning thei
attention 10 something else, besides rails
ing these things for market? Every on
knows, that but a short time has elapsed
since the p'ics of cotton and sugar wa
so low that when a balance was struck a
the end IF the year, the expense Of pro
Juction was greater then the profit? In
crease the number of cotton bales, anc
the number Of hogsheads Of sugar nov
made, to anything like double the guam
tity, by a large importation Of )aooren
from Africa or anywhere else, and yot
will at once ruin those who are now en-
gagged 10 their production. The efec
will be, that the market will be glutted
prices put down to nothing, and tue cul
t~ivation of the soil a hopeless business
1t takes no philosopher to forsee this
The consequences which would result
from this apprentice system, or the re-
opening OF The African slave trade, so
far from bene6tting the slave interests Of
the South, would have a contrary effect.
The injury would be direct, and irlepar-
able. It might, and no doubt would,
reduce greatly, the value Of the slaves
already here, without atfording any o
responding benefit. Although the price
of negroes woula be greatly reduced,
yet, it would only be n~oninaIIy so, for
the price, whatever 1t might BE-, would
be regulated by the worth Of their labor,
in the amouut of cotton and sugar, when
reduced to dollars and cents, which they
could make. Supply and demand, | con-
cede regulate the price to a great extent,
yet whenever the labor of slaves ceases
TO be valuable to the owners IN the pro-
duciion of the great staples of the coun-
try, there will be no demand. When
ever the planters can no longer work
their negroes proftably, they cease tv
want them at any price. Then it is
manifest that is the worth of their labor
in producing cotton, sugar, rice and to-
bacco, that regulates their value in mar
ket. If their labor is made to be WORTH
less, BY over production, as must neces-
sarily be the case, who would be bene
fitted, by eng able to buy them at all ?
If the expense of owning, and working
them does not pay the proprietor, how
long could be afford to work them for
nothing? Why should any one want 10
have them? The effect upon present in
terests needs no further argument. To
state the proposition, brings with it, It's
own proper answer.
We have about four millions of slaves
in the Southern and Western States now.
The ratio Of their increase, is so great,
that by the end Of the present century,
their number will reach tan millions
Facts and figures, ascertained by the last
census, proves this beyond doubt or cavjI.
Then in the name ofreason and common
sense, what do we want with more.
whether they come AS slaves or apr remit
ces The State of Virginia, ha, sold,
aud sent of more slaves to the South.
than any other State. Yet, for every
one she sends away there are two more
born tn supply its place. Her slave popu-
alton has been steadily on the increase,
and is Q much greater than ever II
was before. This shows concIusive]y.
the natural increase of the slaves
we already have, are sufficient, for all
our present or future demands for labor.
Would it be good policy t~o.clear of
timber and wear out our lands, any
than We do now? To 60 on at
the rapid rate, that has marked the his
tory Of the cotton growing States, here
and especially Louisiana and Mis-
we shall soon bavo none to clear,
aver: with the number If slaves we now
rave. What folly to desire more! In
;hs aggregate ve have enough. The
distribution is the evil, and for
his here is no remedy.
We all remember how strongly the
southern people condemned the English
and The French apprentice sys-
ems. a short time ago. We know that
lie public press of the South, and bigl'
public fu"ct ouar'es took strong grounds
gains! them, and denounced as worse.
Infinitely, than slavery, as it existed in
he United States. There was not a
nan in the whole South but condemned
'otk. Are we now going headIoug, to
'|unge into the African apprentice sys-
EN-, the very thing which we declared to
70 wrong in principle, and a fraud upon
he poor, ignorant Africans, when prac-