New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-01-17
African Apprentice systsm.

j Eds. Crescent The time is rapidly approaching
when the Legislature Of the State will again be
called upon to act upon the BILL introduced at ts last
session. providing for the introduction into the State
Of African laborers. The sole reason that the bill re-
ferred to did not then become law, because some
of the avowed friends Of the measure desired that
the subject should be fully discussed before the
people, and ample time afforded for elaboration, be-
fore final action was had upon the matter. We have
the most gratifying assurances from every quarter of
the State that the proposed movement has met the
warm approval OF all classes of citizens and that
final action in the matter need be no longer delayed.
AS an early friend and advocate of the measure,
and a member of the Company proposed to be organ
lied for the introduction Of African apprentices into
the State desire to present briefly to the public,
through the medium of your valuable paper, few Of
the considerations which urged to inaugurate the
movement in question before the Legislature of our
State. A1
1t is fact that has become apparent to the most
casual observer and one that has excited the most
painful apprehensions in the minds Of the true friends
Of Southern interests and Southern that
the South requires more laborers It is equally true
that our statistics show that since 1851 there has
been little or no increase in the quantity of cotton
| produced. The cotton crop of 1851 amounted to
900 bales and the crop Of 1857 to only 100000
bales showing only very slight increase. Bat the
demand for this great staple Of Southern industry
has by no means been checked or controlled by the
slow and partial increase in its production but to
the contrary has kept far in advance of the same,
and is constantly augmenting, both at home and
abroad, its consumption being rapidly extended as
civilization has advanced and new countries opened
to commerce. It is estimated by men of ripe judg-
ment and who have devoted great deal of time to
the investigation of the subject that at least
Of bales will be required to supply the demand at
home and abroad for the year 1860 and it is safe to
predict that this consumption and demand will con-
tinue to increase in the same ratio Where then is
the labor to come from to meet this increased demand
for cotton There is but source whence it can be
derived and that is from Africa for it will not be de-
MED that African labor is the only kind Of labor that
can be successfully used in the production Of cotton
at least in such quantities as the commerce of the
world requires.
H,such be the case then, it follows that the only
legal means Of procuring this necessary supply of
labor is by the Apprentice system. It is idle to
waste our time by discussing the propriety of re-
opening the African slave trade, as considerable
portion Of the leading in the South are disposed
to do for this under existing circumstances utterly
impracticable. The laws prohibiting that trade can
never be repealed under our existing form Of govern
ment ard it is the utmost folly to indulge in specula
tons upon the effects Of measure which, to all re-
fecting men, must appear so utterly impracticabe.
do not propose to discuss here the legality Of the
proposed measure to show that it would not violate
anything contained in the laws relating to the slave
trade, as that would require more space than the
limits Of this communication would allow. Suffice it
to say, that during the tendency Of the be-
fore the Legislature, at its last session. it's entire le
gality was admitted by the most violent enemies of
the BILL and that the friends of the entirely
willing, should it become law, that its validity be
tested before any impartial tribunal in the United
States. ,...4,. yt7.sys--s,-z.r--s---
Let us consider for moment the consequences,
should the Southern people refuse to avail themselves
Of the means of procuring the necessary supply of
labor, by resort to the system proposed. We have
already shown chat the demand far exceeded the pro.
duction. The quantity Of cotton sufficient to meet
this demand the world is compelled to have, and it
is to the Southern States mainly that the world has
looked to supply this growing demand. If, as we
have stated the slave labor of the Southern States
entirely Inadequate to produce the quantity required
and we fail to procure the additional supply of labor
required by the only means within our power it will
follow as necessary consequence that renewed and
continuous efforts will be made to supply this demand
from other countries; which, in all probability will
prove successful This subject is being earnestly
discussed in Europe and the climate and soil of every
quarter of the globe is being tested, with view of
ascertaining its adaptaby to the production of cot
ton. The western coast Of Africa is the spot last fixed
upon in which to put in practice the vast schemes
conceived by English statesmen, and to be sustained
by English capital, for competing with the Southern
States in the production Of this great staple And it
has been recently boldly advocated in the English
Parliament, as an inducement for renewed exertion
in the suppression Of the slave trade that the labor
of the African can be successfully used in their own
country to suppant the Southern States as the great
source whence is to be hereafter drawn cotton suff
cient to feed the manufactures of Europe. And they
propose putting in execution to enable them to COM
pete successfully with the Southern States the very
system of apprenticeship Or contract labor that we
propose establishing nthis State No ia so blind
as not to see what terrible blow would be inflicted
upon the prosperity Of the cottongrowng States of
this Union should these schemes prove successful
and that the salvation Of the South requires that we
should swell the production Of cotton SO as to keep
to defeat all attempts at competition in other quar-
ters This we have shown can only be done by adopt
ing the African Apprentice system. az=
/ Another strong reason for the adoption of this
movement, and one which should appeal strongly to
the heart Of every Southern patriot is that it offers
the only sure and peaceable means of checking the
steady and gradual advance of aboltonism. A re-
lentless war is now being waged by majority of
Northern men upon the institution of slavery. That
arch traitor and leader Of the fanatical host William
n Seward has nnhshed his manfasto IN tho vuorId