The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1860-04-24

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Destroy these resources, and what becomes
of your shipping, manufacturing, mercantile
parts Of your States, and ofthevast interests
dependent on item? One cannot failto see at
a glance. Now let us regard its effects on the
industrial classes individually, the honest,
Woodworking men and women Of the country.
There arc three articles Of tropical production,
chiefly of slave labor, which touch very closely
the necessities and comforts Of the laboring
people of this country; and those arc sugar,
coffee and cotton. The sugar consumed i'll the
United States for the fiscal year ls5s-59 was
from slave labor, o5o,697.s63 pounds; from
free labor 42,153,ol7 pounds; of domestic
maple sugar from the. Pacific coast, 97,5so,ood
pounds making the whole l,o72,370,Ss0
pounds consumed in the United States. Now,
strike off the slavc-grown sugar, Of cane alone,
05O,697,S 1868 pounds, and then you will have
left l2l,oOo,0oo pounds to supply the wants
of the country-about one-tepth OF the amount
necessary. But if you regard the cane sugar
alone, which is that chiefly for general use, and
strike out that produced by slave labor, you
will have about one twenty-fifth of the amount
left in the country to supply its wants What
effect that would lave upon the enhanced
price Of this article which has become such il
necessity, as well as luxury, to the people,
and how far it would be pnt out >f the reach Of
the poor man, one may well imagine. We may
form some idea, however, by referring to the
condition of England in 1910. quote from
Porter's Progress of the Nation, page 547:
THE cost to the people Of this country England
of the derental duty sugar imposed for the bene'
fit Of the English sugar colonies, had become extreme
" burdcsome The cost, exclusive Of duty OF three
million seven hundred and sixtyour thousand seven
hundred and ten hundred weigh retained for consump
ton in $40, was 60, l5G,S12, if calculated at the
Gazette average prices. The cost Of like quantity o
Brazil or Havana sugar. Of equal quality, would have
bcen f4 III, lSl; and. consequently. we paid in one
year s5,0l5,69l ovcr twenty-five million dollars)
more than the price which the Inhabitants of Other
countries in Europe would have paid for an equal
quantity Of sugar. This, however, is all extreme view
OF the case II our markets had been open at one rate
Of duty the sugar oa countries, the prices oorcig
sugar would have been somewhat raised, while that
from tle British possessions would have been lowered
but it may be confidently said that even in that case,
the saving would Iavc been more than four millions o
money"
Thus, on 4 Clininution OF about onc-cight ol
the supply the cost was more than double
What the cost or increase of price would be
with only one twenty-ftth of the supply in the
country, | leave Senators to imagine.
The article of coffee furnishes a condition Of
things not less striking. The amount Of coffee
produced in the world in the year 1859, from
Slave labor was 429,O00,o0O Of pounds; free Ia
Dor 32O,OOO,0OO pounds; total production
742,0OO,OOO pounds. Tie amount of coffee con
sulncd in the United States alone, i'll 1859, wa:
2o3, ,S32, $50 pounds, say ouethirl less than the
whole production of free labor. Now, sir, strike
out the production Of slave labor, and you leave
Il little more than enough to supply ono single
country, at an increased cost, on account ofthe
diminished supply, Of one half. Senators may
well imagine, from What | have said in relation
to the condition of affairs in England, in 1910
touching the cost Of sugar, what wonld be .tllt
price of coffee. These two articles may thcr
hc considered as beyond the reach Of the every
day and hard laborer, when you abandon tht
products Of slave labor.
In relation to cotton, it is still more striking
The total production ofcotton in the world tex
cluding local CONSUMPTION, except in the United
States) was 4,614,4Sl bales; of which th'
United States slave labor produced 5,S5l,4SI
bales Brazil, $4,000 bales; making togethc
1916, ,4Sl from slave labor. In the East Indies
$4,000; Egypt, ol,oOO; the West Indies
1000. These last are free labor countries. Ih
total production from free labor, in 1853, wa
$4,000 bales The consumption tor the sam
period in the United States North of Virginia
was 76O,2l7 bales; elsewhere in the Unitc'
States, ls7,49s; total, o97,65l bales Th
remainder was consumed in other parts Of tn
wcrii. Strike ce tk,. r7o&u'ta II save iaho