Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-12-27
Look AJ,cuI.

VI pNbtVo w cONVuc llOht wv ANutlOuul
Conlederacy, and affirming the duty and
power Of the Government under the Con-
stitution to oppose and prevent secession,
it may not he Improbable to look ahead,
and consider the relative advantages ard
disadvantages of a Northern and Southern
Cunfederacy.
The prosperity Of an individual de-
pends upon what is saved at the end of the
year, after supplying all wants.
The prosperity of aation depends up
on the excess of its productions over what
is required for home consumpti ton, and
demand for the same in foreign markets,
or in other words, its elements of COM
merce.
In case Of o Northern and Southern
Confederacy being established, the free
States composing the former and the slave
States the latter, which, if either, will not
be self-sustaning; and which will excel
the other in those elements essential to q
nations prosperity? There can be no
doubt but that of beef and pork, corn and
wheat, the North produces sufficient for
her Sn consumption; and a surplus to
send abroad. But it is not uncommon to
see and hear the assertion that the South
is not selfsustaining in the matter Of
breadstufs and the necessaries of life
The statistics for the period ending in the
year 1850, show that the Southern States
produced in the year 1S49, three hundred
millions of bushels ofIndian corn, which
would allow thirty bushels year to ev-
man, woman and child in the South,
black and white. In addition to other
articles of food, rice, potatoes and sugar
also produced fifty millions of bushels Of
wheat. The returns for the last ten
years will undoubtedly show large in
crease of all the productions that consti-
tute the principal food of nation. Tex.
as, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Ken
lucky and Virginia, can raise enough to
feed the whole South, while the labor of
the Gulf States is concentrated to the pro-
puctin ofthose large elements of com
merce-sugar and cotton.
Assuming then that each Confederacy
could feed its own population, what would
be the relative positions in reference to
surplus productions and articles for ex-
portation? The trading capital of ma
ton being its Exports, it follows that the
interchange Of the productions of foreign
countries must depend upon its Exporta.
tions.
What does the North export? What
does the South export? Which furnishes
the element of our Commerce?
The statistics for the year ending june
3Oth, 1860, show that our Expectations,
exclusive of specie, amounted to $3l6,-
900 ,6lo; of this amount there was fur
nished by the free States S5,07l ,431; by
the slave States exclusively $2l4 1872, $3.50
of productions furnised by both free and
slave States 800, 1926, ,299; of the amount
furnished by free and slave states one
third is the production of slave labor
SO that out of S316, 220,6l0 of exporta
tions of domestic industry, nearly $3.50.
0O0,0 900 are furnished by the slave States
and only 66,000,000 by the free States
Our Importations for tho same period
amounted to 1861, ,797, 200. Assuming
the population and wants of the South to
be one-half Of those of the North. the ap
portionment of the Importations would be
as follows:
To the South. ...s .s........ $l2O SD ,066
To the North. minimum. al, ,l9s,I32
We can very well see how Southern con
fedcracy exporting $3.50, 100000 could
import 1920, 500, ,066; but how North
ern confederacy exporting only 500, ,000,.
600 could import S24l, 1913, 1872, is prob.
lem we arc not able to solve.
One great advantage that Southern
Confederacy over Northern consists il
this, that while the soil and climate o
the North is adapted only to the produc
ton of breadstuiis, that of the South il
adapted not only to the production of the
nccessarcs of life sufficient for home con
sumption. but also to the production o
5000, 900, 900 in the single article of cot
ton alone, which is equal to so much golc
and has the worH for its market.
While the North furnishes but little o
our national wealth as exhibited by tn,
= reports, how is her industry employed
, and in what consists her wealth? In no
. manufacturers.
} But in the event of q Northern and
Southern Confederacy, the South will
q have no necessity to protect domestic in
: dustry. and hence the interests of the peo
pie will be that of FREQ trade. What thel
would become of the manufacturing int
erests of the North, the chief source Of he
wealth? The Pacific confederacy woul'
: have its gold, the Southern it's cotton, tn
: Northern its manufactures. The worlc
wants the gold, the world wants the cot
ton but where could market be foun,
. for the manufactures? Let free trade b
q established by a Southern Confederacy
Z and capital and labor at the North woul,
q at once feel the blow, while in the Sout
:, - they would be tted.-Plaia Deale,
The DisHEem DerInemt OF the u N