Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-10-13
MIrr WELL, ENOUGH ALONE.n

monition Of those amongst us who seek to Improve
Cns they say the condition of the Slaveoing South
Lv tue re-upeming of the African Slave Trmds An
article in the Advertiser of last week intended to
henr upon this point Tho object of the present re-
Elections, is 10 levcopc little further tho force of
Tie old maxim in its application To the subject OF
Southern prosperity.
Il docs not yet appear but that the wants Of man
kind may be supplied in the article Of Cotton, by the
present Cotton growing interests of the earth, tor
ascs-aye. for centuries to come. That demand has
at all events been kept up WITH in the past and judg
ing by that past we have much reason for thinking that
it will be 50 in the future The many improvements in
the culture of the grea staple the steady increase of
our ,by procreation the reduublcd energies OF
planters anil rmers and the introduction of such fer
tzers us Guauo are among the which have ore
rated to keep the supply Of Cotton up to the demand
thus far And is it not fair to infer that the continued
operation o. these and the probable addition
of yet undiscovered appliances, whether of nature or
of science, will go on increasing production in proper
ton tn consumption. Even say that by the opening
up of Chius or other Influences the demand to lie
doubled within tho next twenty years. is it not proba-
Die tlht Tie hcTcaSc nl rtces coiscuc'it lne'euPoH
would stimulate the industry anu skill Of our section
to double, nearly 90, its present average crop of
Cotton. Before donying this proposition, let every
Suulhcrn C"tton planter call in rs witnesses his own
experience and observation The first Of these will
recall t. his unl the increasc Of CctLon-producton
in the past, and the second will show, by examples
I'll around him, that there Is still and scope for
vast augmentation Of its production, if prices were
sufficiently permanent und high to put all tho mcans
Of our people in full action towards developing that
production. But supposr did not fully keep up
with the demand, is it not much bctor thus, than to
exceed it? Better for prosperity and for the per-
mauency Of the institution Of slavery? The chief
effect Of falng below the supply, would be to in
crease the price of our material. It might coine
to pass, that prices would On this account rise to
worry high notch. How this could do otherwise than
benefit Us, it Is llicut to That our facilities
would be immcnscly enhunced with Cotton raised
permanently to Ii Or 20 cents pound, is PROPOSE
ton surely which he denied. The ctcct would
be, not uny to increuSe the wealth Of the wealthy,
but also to enable the poor man by his own labor to
subsst in comfort and increase his substance. Il is
certainly better tha: hc should derive this benefit from
a cause 20 legitimate the increased demand for the
products of his labor than that he should scck to do
SO hy assisting i'll the prosecution Of u slave enter
prize which is doubtful in morality, difficult Of exc
cuon, and likely (if carried out to dcprcciatc our
great staple beneath the grade Of liberal rcmunera
ton AS things now stand then, repeat, there is
strong probability that tho supply Of Cotton will
nearly keep pacc with the demand 10 nearly that
no strain upon tho interests Of other nations would
result and yet far enough behind TO keep its price
permanently high. 1t seems equally probable, that
tho lifting Of the food gnte Of African slave npor
CATIONS would result in soon exceeding the de-
maud for staple, iu bringing its price down to
low and Auctuatng standard, nnG, Us consequence,
iu seriously imparing the valac Of the institution
and the power Of our position people Would
it not be WISER in this view Of the matter, to "ct
| oll-aHongh alone"
There is another ah;nction to disturbing the cxs-
tant condition Of slavery, which dcGirp hNrcy to
ausgcst. 1t is this: IF the savctradc shall ever DO
renewed 10y the United States Government, it can only
be upon such grounds Of e1pediency and humanity
as will justify il before the civilized world. Granting
this is it not more LhaG probable that other nations
Of the earth will also DO induced to allow the tralu'
and oven to adopt for their tropical colonies the exact
form of slavery which wo alone now possoss This
done, and the Southern States may well tremblc ut
the prospect It is not much their soil and their eli
mate which have heretofore prevented other countries
from competing with us in the article Of Cotton MS
it is the lack Of peculiar kind Of labor under our
peculiar organization Of that labor Let the nations
CONS to adopt that organization, or let but England
and France do 90: and the Southern States will not
long boast that position OF peculiar strength which
they now enjyy. The tendency then, We say, of the
argument in favor of the renewal Of the slavotrade
by American States, is to lead European Government,
also 10 isa liberation and perhaps to the establishment
of systems Of slavery salqr to ours. liathcr than
hazard this probable result ia il rot better fur us to
deSist tho agitation Of the question and "let we'll
enough alone"
1t behoves the people Of tho South to bc cautious in
the extreme, when called on to pronounce upon the
suggestions of tho slaveryagators Of the day. Some
of these agitaors arc without doubt influenced by
views of philanthropy and patriotism. But in cstima-
ting the character of their movement, the motive of
cupdity sheuld not be overlooked. That movement
s likely to draw in its train tho reckless tho dcsper
ate tho unprncipled, OF Ur whole country. 1t holds
out the tempting prospect Of fortunes rapidly to be
made in the active business Of the trade itself With
| such luro in yiew even tho vrtuOus Gdyenturer
would scarecly stop to ask, "am acting best for tho
future of my country ?'whilO the spirit Of uncon-
roed cupidity would give itself Ludly to the causc,
thinking Of nothing, caring for nothing, except its
own individual agraudizemcnt. Wcsay that our peo-
pie should not overlook this motive-power in ostma-
ting the proposed slavery movement The indepcud-
ent and Yirtuous planters and farmers of tho South
may clse discover when too late that they have been
led to their own destruction by dclusiro wisdom,
Of the strongest ingredients Of which "he greedy
lust Of gain." Ear better to guard in time against
the chances Of guch consummaton. Far better to
say to the agitators at and decsivcly owe will
let well-enough alone"
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.
This most popular literary sheet has entered its
thirty eighth yenr, aud still maintains IN eminent
position among tho journals Of the lny. 1t hns long
been arorite in this locality. 1t pleases tie young
and the DID, the rich and tho poor; md every body
speaks we'll of the Port. It is edited by Henry Pc
TERsOy ESD, and has a number of distinguished au-