Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-06-12
9ailg Niraiaiau.
1from the London Chronicle OF May ~
English Wow of tho Cotton and Slayory
Ouoaficn-N Nufa fov tho Tyalror;ta,

-. .Quosucn-Nu utS 1or the AolporiteS
The supply At cotton to our manufacturers IN
wolves considerations Of tho highest impo, tance
to this country, and We rejoice ~ find that ~ en-
inent a person us Lord Drougham ia about to gu.
iotce that view OF it which we have long taken.-
Our American brethren accuse IA. of eomplioity
IN their slavery system, becaaso from tho necessi
ties OF our position we are tho largest consumers
OF ils produce. They might as well accuse us Of
destroying the shoals Of sprats consumed by tho
Goldfish wo eat. We use their cotton because wo
cannot do without it. We have no choice, We
are innocent. because. il acconpliees, We are in.
voluntary ones. 1t is oil very well to expntiatc
in tho sublime attitudes Of abstract principles. but
human nocessities must also have their share of
attention; and therefore We especially rejoice that
one, whose philanthropy aud hatred Of slavery
none eau Doubt bus determined to bring tho Eng.
lish view OF this subject prominently forward aud
claim attention for il.
The English aversion to slavery is ell known,
and We believe even the American shareholders
themselves would be glad TO got rid Of il il they
dId hut know how. But We cannot allow the
poor sadie creature 10 exhaust NIL our sympathies;
aud wien we bear foolish, well-meanipg people
whose minds seem incapable of roaci.iug iuuro
thnn one idea, exult in tho hope Of slave ipsur.
rection--which would put m end to tho proluc.
ton VI cotton in America--we can but wonder ut
tho strange iniatualion thu prevent thoir seeing
how 1t would affect us, Statesmen aud traders.
time this bnduo,s am, dolusiun ceased. IL Is
impossible 10 reflect seriously upon tho nature oi
/ our cotton supply without eyokiag n phantom
that no exorcism will bsrish 1t ,eizes and
TRANSPORTS IA TO some extensive town, whose tall
chmneys are VISIT in every direction; hut there is
no crowd IN the streets; no mill door or shop il Omen
There nre no issuing clouds Of smokc--not one
pulsatlon the iron giants is heard-no throwing
OF the shuttle--no clan king Of tho loom no hum
"a ON suu nd I hun in
This unearthly stiffness chills our blood Where
tnep. nIe those five hundred ihuusand busy, intel
ligent human beings that should people it We
entor M oprn house We penetrate room after
room; und, impclod from street to street, we fnd
everywhere living Nkeletuns. and IL voiceess mis-
cry and death, until. arriving Mt the dcserlel ex
change. We read Tho cotton supply from
America has ceased"
But could II be that any Of our grent mnnuiar
turing towns sbond ever prescntruch n .prctaclc2
Are we. thcn. ~ dependent on American cot
ton ! AT present It is but too true. Amoricu
supplies nearly three fourths of our cotton and
thrl Ctore the greatest danger that can threaten this
country Mt the present time is u sudden cessa ron
of the supply ofcoton from America. Tho frcnch
Emperor of thu old ladies, with oil his dreadful
hceis atd armies, Is Il pct lamb in comparison
with such IN event. nenormous amount ol British
capital, and the lives vi millnns oi British people
! 'cpeld on our cotton supply being constant and
necessary alarm but where the nationa safety
is concerned every possible danger for which
remedy may be found ought to be treated ~ il II
were proba bic danger IN order to stimulate the
procuring ut that remedy. To show that there is
no exaggeraiion in our statement. we appeal to
the following unimpeachabe facts OF j2S 900
tons OF cotton wool imported last yenr. 32s. 900
were American. OF the total cost, $50 00O, 900
about G24,00o,0G0 WINS for American. When
manufactured, unrtg
Ijl OO0,oo0: home copsump,ion GA .00O, 900:
total, 10000 900 OF this eco, 900 600 or Amcri-
can The wages and profit OF manufacture were
fb 900, 900; Of this, G3G. 600, 900 on American.
We pay FOR much Of this cptton by products nf
our hardware and other manufactures. SUPPOSE
we pay thus lJ,000,000. 1t results that out of
our total export trade OF Gl3l 600 .O0o. Amer lean
cotton III II manufactured state figures TO the cx-
tent Of EI3UU0,0Oo. which, with tho els 900 600
above, makes $4,000, 600 of and for American
cotton--orly Ll0,oO0.OOO loss than ono hnlf oi
the total exports Of Great Britain. AT tie same
time Manufactured American cotton to tho value
of E2o, 900 600 year is being sold in shops and
WAREHOUSES, aud consumed in The United ing
dom. Then there are tiis mercantile transactions
connected with this 323.000 tons of cotton--tbo
shipping employed in it's import and in tho sub.
se,Iuent exports. II is not 50 easy to estimate the
amount OF capital engaged in this commerce,
manufacture aud trade. and involved in tran sue.
Or less with Li-rotran supply, but it must amount
to from two hundred to three hundred millions
sterling.
81 much iir goods and modry: and what rs re-
gali- human HE. Nearly ~. 900 people nre en-
gaScl in manufacturing American cytton only,
aud from three To- four millions "i human beings
depend upon H. aud upon its manu- lor
their daily ipnd. Yes. fur miilrms ui men, wo-
me- n aid chdrcn--imt negroes, not Americans,
hut white people, English Scotch aud Irish now
hnrrN, cn''t"tde1. and even prosperous, and ad.
ding largely every year to lhe nAtienul wealth.
wouIl b. pinr grd into tho lowest abyss of misery
by the failure Of the American cotton supply.
should this happen before some palliative or sub
stiute is found. And we say it 10 impossible ad.
equa'ely To estimate the awful calamity of such II
failure Of supply Why. Hfty Gladstones rolled
into one Chancellor VI the Exchequer would fnL
it difficult to make both ends meet. Talk Of in-
comeax, we should want one VI ten shillngs in
the pound. aud with nothing coming in to assist
realized property in paying it. This view Of it
is bad enough; but that of tho immense mass Of
misery, suffering, frightfu death and social con-
fusion it would produce, is woIse still Passions
would become nfaa,ed--ihe inaddened people
would strike right and left in their fury: mayi-
nary grievances would be elevated TO the first rank
of realities and whatever else might he saved
from the vortex, it is quite certain that all the
artificial distinctions VI society would vanish as
IL dream.
Let US, then. separate cotton supply from abo-
lition of slavery aud cheapness, under which the
question is generally smotLerei. We English
desire tho freedom, Of every slase-xe ike cheap
cotton but we ure, above all, solcitous for the
lives and happiness Of our fellow subjects. the
safety of our institutions and Of an enormous
capital. One thing we wish to state very clear
ly. The disputes in the United States may have
forced this sus ject more closely On attention.
The employment of slave labor in America may
render the supply Of cotton from that country
more uncertain and insecure than if it rails.
ed by free labor. But if the latter only were
employed. We should equally object to remain