American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1862-11-21
COTTON AND THE ENEMY.

q
Fr77l the Richmond Exam'ner.l
We may expect that * rapr.l inar.- evertions
Il ~ soon ba PIT f.~th bv the s.r4rry 70 ge.
1.7-7peeion Of considerable portion Of our
S"'ton eeuutr-. The winter is approaching
thc Tver~ viii soon rise ard "a short time
bic signal VIII be- given for general aud
II r"ha"ir sImrli 8ue"u- onset o. orr Seaboard
AID he inland frontiers Of the south veg
Cotton i ia be- the great pie this winter.
IN g.et'v millions Of people in the North are to
BE- supplied from stoct Of cotton and cotton
goods which the New York journals declare
|xiil be entirely exhausted before the first Of
'frx' January. A distress of no ordinary char
|actev threatens the North the ." cotton fam
Sc " - discussed by the journals IN A tone Of
'ihe most serious alarm. AMI the fact il pointed
but that 70 more than fifteen per cont. of the
POTION machinery Of their country j. now run
'BinC. with \ stock on hand that viii be con
surn@d before he yesr = ont
II has never AZ any time in this w-r been 50
70 keep the great staple Of The South
sout of he hands o. the enemy A. now. When
zfhe war commenced the ! an KEGS had on hand
Ia abundant supply of cotton and cotton fab
zyics which has thus far enabled them to put
y # he distress which now 60 nearly hreat ens
siher. One great object Of the enefny's winter
.rampaigu south Of Virginia will be to obtain
Buprlies Of cotton but in this he will be
afasily defeated, NJ matter what NAV be his
% ilitarv Successes. If orr people remain faith
fl to their obligations Of loyalty and patriot
n If the ennmv should pct possessian this
sviufer Of any considerable portion of our cot
ton territory. It does mt follow that he will
r. possession Of the sfaple IL produces
$Nhere the cotton cannot be removed beyond
ID roach il is TO be committed 10 the flames
III this matter we must trust much to The dis
friction and vigilance of our military com
rnaudrrs but if TO these added a rule to
punish with death those who succeed bY con
N iyances in selling 1t to % North we believe
atha' then, and not until then. we would have
ID perfect assurance of the safety Of the cotton
pf the South from the hands of the enemy
"a The Yankees have been most adroit in their
N mana cement 70 obtain cotton from the iuvad-
~ districts of the South. They give to this
price n peculiar distinction /; they viii not
foni~ca'e it their policy j. to buy it and
pay FIR it in gold. The object of this magma
1mity Of the tempter is simply to hold out
frducements to the planters not 10 destroy
cir cotton. 1t will be recoilected that Bat
z r. in he midst of his pillage of New Orleans,
arsed it to be advertised that be would re
{ 4pect even rebel" ownership in all the cotton
Brought 10 its wharves. and make the returns
: - the planter in gold. The device proceeded
ION the suppoSition that there were men in the
fouth base and avaricious enough to sell their
{ eountry. Urfor' unafely this snppo=ition has
bsrn r"a' I'd 70 extent we had little i'm
: a na.I
$50 j We wish to keep our cotton this winter
III Of Yankee clutches. we must first take
tvcrc and vIgiiant measures against the CON
Eahand and unpatriotic trade that supplies
H. enemy through number of keen and av-
ricous cOntr@vances. FROM this source the
Forth is now obtaining supplies of orr sta
4 u TO an extent almost incredible. recent
Wamher of the New York Times estimates
~ lat the receipts of cotton there had for some
4cnths past averaged FIVE thousand bales a
-. But little of this is the prizes of war
III has been cold in the South and has gone
birth through the secret and crooked cEan-
Al els Of the smuggler.
EE il is absolutely astonishing how blunt the
III nnral sense Of = portion of our people is on
DC subject of this contraband and destructive
#ade communication recently adj
4#&reSsed to this paper. purporting TO come
POM a large planter, in which great com
III airfs were made Of military commander
~ho had not allowed hin, to pass his crop to
Eew Orleans the argument of he said patri-
ansic planter being that if he sold TO the Yam
NJ tfcs it would be SO much taken from the enc
~ and 50 much to enable himself to make
Z oval and grateful contributions To the ex-
N nses of the war. The hypocrisy of this IL
Y Bot a. contemplate as the avarice which is
~ Himsily covered with the patriotic argu-
nfut. Our cotton is more valuable to rs han
x6e gold of the enemy that would purchase 1t
ID with it our demorilization and di~honor-
- gain. there is one circumstance which ap-
= lars never TO have struck those who busy
ID em=elves in making weak and ignorant ex
- scs for traffic with the enemy. If cotton IS
S III within the lines of the enemy the gold
- ~ Is paid for it Is kept within the same
8 Bes. What good can it do the confederacy
|sfA these circumstances What possible profit
81 the South TO derive from the gold that has
WED out from Mr.. Lincoln's treasury IN
lew Orleans and Nashville, and II sunk IN
III avaricious pockets Of those who have be
6ore the associates of the enemy?
"a is to I've hoped that the wild, wicked
fssson for gold will net eat much further
10 the patriotism and morals of our country:
oHkl that arguments which involve great and
t4arcate public interests are not longer to be
ID down by a weak rant about hard money
South can do without gold. The North
mot do without cotton. We should hold
latter with misers grip We should
4iroy it rather than It should he captured
E the enemy. As he is about To take pea
~ Zion of any portion of our country, let our
d nmanders put the torch to the cotton and
r. halter for those who, pretending to
+ their property to keep il from the an
H. are really hiding it for them. The
yer of cotton will never be realized, as
Il permit it TO slip through our
fers to the North and Europe. If we sue
y in keeping it within a strict blockade
only a few months longer, we may yet
re that Cotton is King = that Its pow
% not vanished, and has never yet been
~ tested.