Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-21
THE COTTON QUESTION.
Demand for Opening of the Cotton
Ports
From ttr Tendon Shipping and Mercantile aa1'''

From the Tendon Shipping and Mercantile Gazette
Az the American civil war progresses, and the
nrospect of q determined, and, it may be, pro-
tracted struggle becomes more distinct, the qnes-
ton of the future supply OF cotton oegs 20 De as
cussed in this country with an amount oi esgerhess
proportoned to the interests nvoledi and the serl-
ous consequences which may ensue should the
source from which we have hitherto derived the
greater portion of the raw material De closed
AGAINST us The blockade of the southern pOFlsI
and the prohibition by the Southern Congress OF
the exnort of cotton except through the ports OF the
Confederate States must, il carried out rlgldiy,
eectualy prevent the exit OF cotton from any port
of the Union. The pressure put upon the Soutnerh
States by means Of the blockade, ana inc Ilsn
nrices at which provisions already range IN New
Orleans Mobile and elsewhere, have impelled the
Sontherners TO provide against future contingencies
and with the view of carrying on the war lndepend
entity of all external aid to grow large quantues
of cram The consequence is, that breadtns OF
lend On which last season cotton was grown, are
this year devoted 10 the cultivation OF Whess anu
maize II is time that s0msthng should be done by thus
eo,,tysy Ia conjciiOH nth France, tolcdrds dat'cPd.
ina the great mschtg lshieh can hGTdy Idn % .sus
he export Of cotton from the Southern states IS macH
Ion5eS iptsrdicted. We have, in coneeding to the
Southern States the rights of the begerents, also
conceded those rights to the Federal Government IN
respeet to those States. The blocKaae OF the
| Sontbern ports is therefore, act the complete
! LEGALITY of which we cannot, and do not question:
| But we do think that the commercial relations
snbsistiuc between this country, France and Amer
loo and he Tagnttie of tie Interests nUo!rsd IN NE
freqtened Interruption Of trade could fully justify me
tgo GoUerTnItS IN proposing to TIE Cdbtet d bd8''
iD1fon Tie propre. under erSting circumstances %
n7 one or t,co Of the Southern pOrtstO foreign ship
| nina. Such course might be taken without ni!te
.iIv compromising the position Of advantage when
the Command of the sea has conferred on the rede-
oI Government and it would be entirely consistent
! ,y;tb that prineiple of the immunity OF commerce
from, the pressure and ravages Of war, OF when the
| +stesrnen of America have always been the adVo-
| cotns There is nothing, moreover so very unusu.
Al m such an effort to accommodate the praEuee Oh
| civilized warfare to the exigencies OF commerce
The import and export trade OF Charleston OF no
| bile or New Orleans, might De carried on unuer
tba strict surveillance Uf the blockadng squadron'
III rioht 30 restricted to those articles which form
tba sta1es of the Southern States, and 10 me mer
cbandi@e ordinarily received in return. w 90 NOS
see that the opening Of port or two IN the oOutn
,o,Id confer upon the Confederate States so great
On ADVANTAGE as should induce the Federal Govern
snt to negative peFemptorily any such proposition
| Ipbile there are other considerations when shoulu
induce the Federal Government to incline 70 II
Cotton to this country is now Indispensable Upon
fine supply of that article depends the subsistence Of
some four millions of our people. Ne mRSt, u'.Ps
fore get the rdlc mdteriG h0loeUer zoe may procure a.
We need not observe however, that the suppress
sion of the American Cotton Trade will affect ethel
countries besides England. France and Germany
are both deeply interested in the matter, thougi
not TO the same extent as we are. The colony Q
Algeria. with al the efforts of the cultyators 0
that prolific region t0Oud probably not Keep tae fIee
manufactures going tor one month. The Northeri
n States themselves are interested even more tnA
l. France for the supply which has kept the Iniils
Massachusetts, going has been derived from 1e0rsi