Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-02-09


work for nae, whether he costs six hundred dol
lars, or twelve hundred, and he could do as much
labor if there were eight million negroes in the
Cnited States, as he can now, when there are
but four million.
Therefore, as to the manner in which revival
affects the value Of negroes, it is a question, not
of what our civilized negroes will bring at sale
but of what they will bring at hire. The fallaey
of the objection that revival would diminish the
hire of negroes, as far as the cotton States are
concerned, lies in the assumption, first, that the
supply of cotton is as large as it ought to be;
and second, that negro can do no other WORK
than raise cotton. / have shown that the pro-
duction Of cotton lacks much of being equal to
the demand One of the profoundest writers in
America OH public economy lately estimated
that the consumption of cotton has increased
about six per cent, per annum, since lS3l-2,
when our production attained its maximum.
Taking three million bales as the average crop
of the South since 1872, and adding an annual
increase for seven years Of six per cent, which
is the accumulating rate Of consumption, and
we should have say four million three hundred
thousand bales, as the supply now wanted from
the United States by the world.
Omitting therefore all consideration Of the
prospective demand for more cotton, i'll view of
the usual rate Of increasing consumption, and
especially in view of the heavy demand, which
must soon spring up in China and Japan for
cheap power loom cloth, to supercede the costly
hand loom article, we see that Mt yield of three
bales to the hand it would require about four
hundred and fifty thousand moro able bodied
cotton laborers, to meet the present unsatished
demand for the King Staple. Allowing one
such lsbo-er to every three of the African popu.
lation, which would be within the mark, if We
accounted for the insbfciency of sayages as cot.
ton laborers, it needs an importation of ut least,
thirteen hundred Thousand wild negroes, to fill
the existing demand for cotton alone. If we
could supply this supposed deficit, it is not pro.
bable, that the price Of cotton would then fall
below eight cents per pound, which will pay ten
per cent on the value Of negro at one thou
sand dollars-a very good profit on the invest.
ment.
We cannot reasonably hope long to make very
much more profit by our labor than other people
make By theirs, because whenever a laborer in
another country, finds that he has to give tro
days of his work, in exchange for one of ours,
he will abandon his business and engage in the
pursuit we are following. As an evidence of it,
look how the high price of cotton since 1872
has induced the inhabitants Of other States, to
give up the occupations they were pursuing and
take to planting cotton. Hence, if we do not
produce more cotton, other States will. We
have our choice either to import more labor and
preserve the monopoly or exclude the labor, and
lose the monopoly of supplying mankind with
cotton.
The ability of India and Africa to compete
with the South in growing cotton was dwelt upon
AZ Eae.irs The nh;ection to reviving the slave
trade, that it might lower the price of cotton.
Another formidable competitor could enter the
field against US, and if cotton shall continue to
hold much longer at present prices, we may be
prepared, to look for large importations of the
Staple from Australia-that Island continent
larger than the United States-richer than Cali.
fornia in precious metals and the seat OF a fu-
ture Anglo Saxon empire that will rival even
ours. By recurring again to the Patent Office
Report of 1856, it may be seen that Messrs
Mitchell and Williams, two other of our Consuls
reported that
been successful, though small for the last few
years. Sea Islands have done well and have not
deterioted. Only agricultural population is want.
ing. The cotton plant stands the heat and
drought remarkably well. The product of an
acre ut Ipswich, Moreton Bay, was 92O pounds
of Sea Island cotton in the seed valued at 25
cents pound cleaned. For ten years, the fall
of rain has been nearly fifty inches per anuum
on this part Of the Australian coast. From 200
to 500 miles further North it averages about
seventy inches. But the climate all along the
coast is remarkably dry notwithstanding and to
this is attributed its great salubrity. The allu.
vial land is too rich to require manure for any
branch OF cultivation. Nothing indeed is as yet
known of physical influences adverse to the cul-
ture of cotton. Not only is it true that the frost
is harmless, but that insects of any kind do not
affect the crops. The plant is perennial. 1t is
picked five successive years from the same stalks
and in some cases the yield was largest the fourth
year. The climate as has been stated is extreme.
ly propitious, the picking season extending over
four Of the coolest months. Nature seems 10
have designed this portion of the world for a
cotton field Of the most gigantic dimensions
Mark! this Is the laugnage of our own officials.
to our own government, that Australia, needs no
manure--no irrigation-no renewal of seed
but :" only agricultural population is wanting"
to make it Z" cotton field of the most gigantic
dimensions" Will such q country as this re-
main neglected of being supplied with "asri.
cultural population" if England shall continue
to need more cotton than she can get at preseas.
prices? Is not Australia fertile and ulsettIoo,
country like our Western States? Can the dig
ging Of gold, or the grazing of sheep always
pay better as a permanent business, than the
growing of cotton at ten, or twelve cents per
pound upon rich land costing almost nothing,
with African apprentices likewise costing moth
ing. Is not the stream of Anglo Saxon popu.
lation, now pouring itself exclusively into Aus.
tralia Has not Australia tripled her popula.
ton in ten years and guardrupled her commerce
with Europe in less than five years? And if
the disciples of Exeter Hall shall progress for
the next two or three years as rapidly as they
have lately done, in working out the problem of
how to get more cotton, will not a stream of
African population also set toward Australia
These are questions which must be answered by
Southern men. The civilized world will have
more and cheaper cotton than the United States
can possibly produce, with their present labor.
Cotton factories are rising as if by magic, in
every State of Europe from bleak Russia to
tropical Sardinia, and the continental powers are
beginning to import their own raw cotton direct
from this country, as well as to occupy their own
markets with home made cotton fabrics. n
1856 about five thousand bales cotton wee11(
ported into Europe; now nearly four million bales
are imported thiiher. VIII the consumption likely
diminish, since all Europe have commenced
manufacturing and since China and Japan with
their FIVE hundred millions people have been
opened up to- commerce,
It has not been half century, since Turkey
exported more cotton than any other nation Of
either continent. But the low price of cotton
in the Cnited States, between the years lS4O-5O
compelled the discontinuance OF cotton culture
in the Levant. Turkey is a slave holding com.
munity too. She is also close neighbor to
Africa. May she not resume her former cotton
raising with present prices to stimplate her?
Probably she can be successful without Dr.. Da-