Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-10-05
BY MCLANAHAN & Dill.
TIE COTTON QUEsTIoN.

/ From the New Orleans Bee
The seeming inactivity and indifference o
Great Britain with regard to the blockade of thC
| southern ports gives color to the suspicion thai
| that power has secret understanding with the
| Lincoln government, in virtue of whichthe lattei
has agreed to furnish her with the amount Of cot
| ton she may require. IN order to fulfil this
promise one or more of the ports OF the COnted
! crate States must bc opened by about the begin
ming of November. Whether these assurances
are well founded or not, it is impossible yet tC
decide, but the formidable naval preparations in
progress and the boast OF the northern press that
the Lincolnites win soon be in position to con
troll the cotton crop, certainly favor the presump
ton Of their correctness.
| Everybody agrees in tie opinion that Great
Britain cannot dispense with the southern cotton
| crop even for a single year. Two millions OF
/ bales of American cotton constitute the amount
needed for her manufactures. The varieties Of
cotton received from other sources are for the
most part of inferior quality that they cannot
be probably worked up, unless mixed with the
finer and stronger fiber OF the American growth.
Deprive Great Britain of her supply Of southern
cotton, and Immediately population, estimated
al tillly onr-tfth Of that of the entire kingdom
say six millions thrown oUt of employment,
and menaced with frightial misery and destiu-
ton. To say that such an element would be- in
prosperity OF the realm is Ia utter q trIisn- We
believe thar the suddcn cessation ofthc cotton in
dusny Of Great Britain would create a revolution,
and might punga that country into civil war
The palliativcs proposed by the English press in
the event of a scarcity of the cotton supply are
worthless, To work short time is simply to
starye the operatives by slow gradations, as full
time merely secures them sufficient TO enable
them - live from hand to mouth. And at the
IL 2 IL.
terrible moment when the present stock would be
exhausted.
Another feeble source of consolation IS found
in the belief that England will b. supplied with
large quantities of COTTON, either by coniraband
exports, or by way Of Mexico These arc falla-
cious expectations The few small vessels that
might escape fhe blockdde could carry hut q tTi-
fiuE amount of eotton-not perhaps $4,000
bales during the entire seas0n-a3niitnr that
the Confederate government were 90 wink at q
proceeding SO much at variance with lis true in
teTesfs As for exporting cotton by way Of Mex
leo, il IS simply ndi0glous. The quantity that
could be transported by that long aud circtiious
rOute would be as a drop in the bucket compared
with The wants Of the British factories, while the
enormous expense of the enterprise would so
enhance the price Of the article as TO defeat The
object aimed at EXportation across our frontier
is prohibited by law, backed up by quarter Of
million of men. II is clearly impossible there
fore for Great Britain to obtain our cotton unless
the exPeaient proposed by Mr.. Lincoln should
prove entirely practicable. Let us examine this:
Cotton pUrts cannot be created at pleasure
either by force of arms or argument. When we
arr informed that LncOln's great expeditions are
designed merely to open the insignificant port Of
Brunswick, with view 10 establish point for
the expectation OF cotton, We answer the game is
not worth the candle; that this pretended desti-
nation is f.int and its real object Is those har-
bors where Annually IS collected the greater por-
ton Of the cotton cr0p-such as New Orleans
Mobile, Savannah and Charleston. From Sep
ttinbeT, 1850, 10 September, 1861, in these four
cities alone were received 5, ,I07 $50 bales-or
fonr-ifiiis Of the crop, divided as follows: New
Orleans l,757 $50; Mobile 537 ,SSl; Savannah
~ $50; Charleston 335,96I. This is quite sul-
fcicnt to show that if Lincoln has really prom
ised England the free expectation OF cotton, he
must contemplate the possession and occupation
of one or more Of These citics-and particularly
Of New Orleans and Mobile, which usually re-
ceivr mogv than halfthc crop
Nevertheless, however confidently the Fed
erals may raly upon their formidable feet 70 at
tain the object Of their mingled hatred and Gu
pidity; however successful theyMay have been
in persuadins England Of then ability 10 finnish
her cotton, and in inducing her await tle Issue
of the enterprise, we are satisfied that Abe Lin
coin will deceive himself and that Great Britain
win be his dupe. Even the occupation Of New
Orleans were this possible, would be far from
placing the Yankees in possession Of the ,900,-
600 bales OF cotton annually sent hither Thanks
10 the patriotic resolutions adopted bY the fac
tors here aud ia other southern sea ports, and
ratified by vast majority Of the planters, nearly
the entire crop viii be retained on the pianta-
tions until the blockade shall = raised, aud The
cotton TRADE viii be carred On sviitsr i ie ,ss-
elusive. profit OF the North or England. bnt 10
that Of he producers themselves
Suppose Line1in's yandals ger THIS very day
the occupants Of one or more OF the sea-b0ari
towns IA the South. Would that enable them to
seize and c0ufseate the cotton held in the inte-
ri0r BY no means, since nothing is more Ger
tain than the solemn determination of the plan
feTs TO e0nsign every bale 10 the flames, sOoaor
than that It should glui the rapacity of the de-
tested Yankees. They know full well that, in
the contingency referred so, they would lose
their cotton, and such being The ease, they would
a thousand times rather make the sacrifice them
selves than behold the rich fruits Of their indus
try filelel from them TO enrich the tyTans and OPP
prlssor. Under no conceivable circumstances,
therefore, can any considerable amount Of s0uih-
ern cotton fill into the hands Of thr enemy. We
trust and indeed believe, that our planters viii
never be required to perform this act OF patriotic
but should STERN necessity impose the
duiy, It ,yill be performed without a moments
hraif4fsna