Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-04-22
For the Advertiser.

tFnrthe Advertiser.
Fellow itizcns of EdSefieid District:
Tue Honorable ,Senntur fruB Edgefeld, and
The HlitYr of the EigeGeld Adee'ti.er, in his pa
PER ii last week. under the head OF Tho Legis-
!.,ure." says, THE body adjourned on Friday
-vening last. after a 4Heskis2 Session, which was
marked by very httEs or merit" And SUNS up
hxs,,ine.- Taking i. all in all We think it reuld
i'~vs hcen better IL the Legislature had not teen
called together"
With much rerpcet for cur Honoru,,le Senator
I tissort fr6Haaf his cpnclasiops In rsgard TO tho
action of the Legislature mud the Importance OF
ito convoeation. And. as happoued- to difor
from him aud my colleagues on tho Bill to pro-
hihit and punish the planting moro than one acre
nj Cation II tbe hand, 7 desirs to state. como of
tho ressons for my rute, on, that bill.
II cauuotsh he denied That the Act referred to,
and o,hers passed at the, lat seseion, have the
.rpnarsnc Of extraordinary legislation. and cah-
not he ju.,i6ed except on tho ground that an ex-
,rsordiuary s,ateof thingsSexist. to warrant such
an exercise OF poverty the Legislature. Do such
extraordinary facts .~e1istss' to warrant the Log
tcintQlG ~ III - hiStNh ~ wv AS
importance as that Of prohibiting the citizen from
planting on his OWE land, ard ruliyuLihg With
bis own hands, any crop-he may think best and
most profitable for him q l anawer yes. In my
opinion such facts d" exists, and ! believe tho Act
oI the Legislature referred to is right under the
circumstances 10 which tho country is placed,sud
that no constitutional right Of tho citizen is vio-
lated by it. 1t is to 10 regretted hnt 1.-THE Act WAS
n"i passed earlier. rs thereby some labor would
have heen saved bnt the Act not having beeu
passed at an earlier day 1t was rightto pass it.in'
April at the extra Session; and our patriotic
Governor deserves the coinmeniati-n of the coun-
try for converting The Legislature to consider of
this and usker matters of prime Importance to tho
country generally.
The recent action CT the Legislature, as look
OF il, Was marked by much of merit The Leyis-
iaiare is, composed mainly Of farmers and plant
era. II looked stern facts in the faco and showed
itself e4ual to the task OF yielding the expectation
OF private gain TO the public venl, which ia one OF
the highest evidences Of true patriotism.
But wha: are tho facts to. Justify the passage Of
the Cotton Act? Toe people of the Confederate
States are engaged in a. struggle far their indie
pendsnce. ,. struggle which denr"nds oil their
powers and energies. To maintain this struggle
entire white male population Ct the Confederate.
States, between the ages of eighteen and forty
years, is under arms in the tented field. A large
proportion Of the men who are in the field fight.
ing nobly ard beroically for Southern i%ndcpen-
,i.,,a -, t;,pas sc a, o,3 o,.a, - fha loho
ress Of the country. They have lhoir families and
their hcusehOlde, comprising a very large proper
ton Of the population Of the Confederate States.
Many Of them are BOT SHAREHOLDERS. In ordinary
times they support themselves and their families
hy their OWE. labor. Their labor heirg mainly
directed toihe production of the prime necssssrlcs
of life, in times Of peace adds vastly to the setu-
al amount Of provisions in the. country, and is
nue of the chief sources from which the tuiplus
provisions lows This class of labor .is almost
entirely withdrawnf from agricultuIaipursuiss, and
ipstesd,oi feeding themselves and thor families,
as they are accustomed to Do, they and their fam
lilies must DO fed from other sources. Lot no one
conclude thai tie amount OF provisions from this
quarter is uncomfortable, because. tho amount
produced By each ono is small, The aggregate
products Of tn. class Of our people is large, and
when lost TO the country and forced 10 BIO made
up from other sources must be seriously felt: And
to one who Is forced to look at things rs they are,
and WIN cannot avoid tho responsibilities re.ting
a?on him ne n legislator, aud whose duty it is to
meet tho contingencies of those trying timer,
fairly and firmly. With a due regard to the rights
Of all parties rs Q consideration Of startling i'm
p~ortance. $40 = r.
The q%uostion Of adequate supplies is one Of Vi
tai Importance. Itiics at the bottom Of all, other
movements, and without supplies all other move
mepts muet terminals and cease. Tho Ysndal foe
who ID .sesing oufntter destruction has been and
ia now calculating. upon our failure to work out
oar Independence. because they expect to s,arvc US
Hat. Hunger and starvation ara evils thst are
much moro Formidable than TIE abolition armies.
Oar Generals by their strategy end foresight,
backed by the sAlor and strong prms Of s0uthern
soldiers, have bean able to meet and to foil the
a.temptsaof the Yankeot hopds; sad the produo-
tive industry Of the patriotic citizens at home can
meet all the pressing demands Of eur armies for
supplies II their energies are directed in that chan
a-i. 1t is gravely eontsndod By the opponents of
the Cotton Act that there is an abundant supply
oe provisions in the country to feed our armies in
the field and for BONE consumption. !?ut this as
sertion Is ma ie in tho face Of the startling fact
that our armies have been previous to the hrst Of
April, and are nov; on half ratisns. And in the
face of the fact too that all kinds of provisions
.ro selling at enormous prices, aud that ogcn at
the psosent exorbitsnt prices there are none or ut
lsass u worry small qushtty for sale. The best
evidence Of plenty and abundance of any COM
nudity is the quantity in the market at fair and
reasonable prices. Now,1i if We apply this test to
ascertain whether there is IN abundant supply of
provisions 10 the country, We must come TO the
,o,,,usiop that there is not only not m abundance
ii provisions, but that there is actu-.iy q scarcity.
And II our armies ARE on half rations. this early
). III. yesr v hat may we. pot expect before tho
.,rc.c of the present year shall be gathered? The
small xexin crop i, at present promising, and our
s<ople are aDakins large calculations upon that
rrop. ssA Justly too, bat suppose that crop should
a., wS,s,3 II In not vat secured. and !