Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-10-29
LYNCIBURG FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER &c. 1855.
Daily Sir9iaiaa.
ny REQUEST.
SOUTHERN INTERESTS.
DIRECT TRADE WITH EUROPE.
LETTER FROM COL. pAYNE........No. II

SR--Thc slayeholling States of the South pro
badly possess the sources of agricultural nnd min
eral wealth in mn equal. fnot superior degree, to
any other country Of tho same dlmensions. In
their principal agricultural products they possess
the almost exclusive control of the market OF 9TH
er countries.
The time has mensurably passed by when tho
manufacturing interest oyershadowed all others,
and gayc prceminenec To u nations conimeree.-
When one people manufactured for all the rest.
they might well assume tn regulate and control
the affairs Of trade. Bot the manufacture OF lea
ding articles is becoming common ainong civilized
nations. and tho people are inst learning to supply
themselves from the workshops Of their own ore-
rati>os. Manchester is not singular because oi
its cotton goods--nor Sheffield for its cutlery
each meets with rivals in the marts OF trade from
countries that were once best customers. II tho
New Enalnnd States pride themselves on their
skill in tho making of cotton nnd woolen inbrcs
watches and clocks, buttons. spoons ana other
emotions" hty, too, arc in thu same catcgory,
with their English brothers, and hnvo long since
learned that they have no monopoly oi the mar
kcts. While, therefore. this process of cqualiza-
tion is going ON, tho apicuitural interest IL fast
regnining its ancient dominion. The claim to III
innate commercial supremacy for the South, rests
then. ul"u its agricultural products, aud Its MI
miticd ability to furnish such articles Tor trnde IN
have become Indispensable To the comth"tand vel
fare of ALL Tobacco ono uf our lcndilg staples,
il raised to supply the foreign demand and tho
supply is only obtained from tho South, because 1t
can be procured nowhere else. This quantity can
be increased too. in proportion to the increased
demand. The tobacco planter OF the South tun
like the mnuuinctuter) has no fears oi meeting
with Nh o,crstoeked market from other compeing
cnuntrics--ho plants with the full assurance oi
ready sales aud rcmuneraling prices. Tho Same
remark equally applies tonnother important south
crn production.
Great Britain, ~ YOU know. has lab rcd long
aud zcaousy To bring her Indian territory into
competition with TIM Sou'h as n cotton growing
region The patronage at that government hns
been literally used toward accomplishing this
much coveted result; but after sIuandcrng thou
snnds in bootless experiments, wo have before us
the demonstrated fact, that tho great mnnnnctur-
ing interest of Europe will bc forced to depend m
on the cotton fields of the South. So absolute is
this dependence that were the supplies to bo with
held even for n time. it would shake the commerce
Of fEurope and millions Of now thrifty operatives
would be turned paupors upon society. 1t may,
in truth, bc snd that the security OF some Euro
pean governments the comfort Of tho people gen
orally aud immunity from hunger for thousands
of the population are involved in the regularity of
the supplies Of the great Southern staple. Tho
demand for this Indispensable product IL regular
" increasing, and the ability to meet TINT increns-
ed demand has not Vet been II subject of doubt
None olthc cotton growing States have IA
vet developed their full capacity for pIodncton.-
In the vns cotton producing regions OF Texas the
planters have scarcely made n fair commencement
while in Alabama, louisiana and Mlssis's ppi,
extensive and fertile tracts are yet covered with
prmeval growth. Tho writer is preparing this
letter in the City Of Memphis, surrounded by the
movements oia trading and active population
But from this spot he has only to cast his eye to
the western bank of the Mississippi and it there
rests upon n region moro fertile than tho lar lam
ed valley Of the Nile. embracing millions OF acrcs
l.. q A. all, t,,a.
mense auvial bottom is still covered with its ma
tive growth and The same hrcc2e that bears along
the sound of the ratlipg car, mud tho steamers
whistle, carries also the report ol tho huntsinnn
rifle as he brings down the antlered denizen Of the
unbrokcn forest. This magnificent body of coun-
try has vet to come under contribution to the de-
mands of commerce. What will be- the increased
production Of cotton within the next ten or twcn-
ty years cannot he con icctured Speculation On
tho subject is useless, and the mind is bewildcred
in the attempt to contemplate the future that a
waits this fnyored portion Of the world. Our pros
perity can only be blasted or irammeledby failing
to do Justice 10 ourselves and to our own pec"ftdr
interests.
But Sir, with our productions Of cotton tobacco
aud grain so essential to the uctual wants, and to
the hurness of others with our exhanstless sup
plies of minerals that are richly mbedded in eve
nv mountain of the South--with net work oi
railways and our numerous nayigable streams nj
ready to bear oil Southern productions rs freight
ei blessings to the world-with all these adyan-
tages, shall the South longer persist in unnat
ural and thrttless policy, that places her com
merce at the mercy Of those whose interests II Is
to grow rich Mt the expense OF this section, and
who have with common bonds oi sympathy
The commercial domination over the South which
has 90 long existed, would break down the en-
erges and cat out the substance oi almost any
other people
No great improvement, Sir, was ever yet sug-
gcstcd or undertaken that did not encounter oppo-
sitions and often too from those who were really
most deeply interested in its success. Laggards
and false prophets are to be found in every COM
munty, who hang ns dead weights upon any pro-
cct that seeks any general good BY such chm
racters it may be urged that not yet ready
for direct trade with Europe. We reply that
We never shaU be until the vessels procured to
carry it on. But we further submit, that if Nir-
gniu, in the days of her colonial weakness could
| carry on direct exporting and importing foreign
trade, is it anything marvellous to suppose that
that the same State in the plenitudc of her
strength and banded with her robust Southern
sisters shall be able TO repeat the same thing
If the territory Of Bremen, with its adjuncts, but
| little larger than some of our western counties,
can sustain profitable direct trade with New
York by means of ocean steamers, ~ not the
very suggestion of southern inability to do so,boh
dishonoring to the South and discreditablc to the
| objector.
Tho city of Memphis, with Il population of but
little over twenty thousand people gives profitable
employment to daily limo ofsteamers to New
| Orleans n tr-wcekly line TO ST. Louis, one to
| Louisville, one to Cincinnati one to Vicksburg,
and also one to Nashville the lattcr,) during the
| fall and winter months; besides these there are
| various other boats in the trade, making regular
trips to different points on the Mississippi and its
tributaries. These boatsas your Excellency well
knows, are not small affairs, but many of them