Weekly national intelligencer., 1864-02-25
THE REBELS AND KING COTTON.

The Confederates are slowly learning some things
After their three years terrible experience they are even
coming 10 doubt the omnpoence OF King Cotton The
.oyere On to whom they bowed, and to whom they de-
clsred the whole world must bow They began Inc
sh.on with the belief and the declaration that, if need
be- they could bring not only the North but Europe 10
.ar. bv cutting OH the supply Of cotton What graphic
mixtures they drew Of the desoate appearance which the
Dsnufnctnrne towns on both des Of the Atlantic would
s.sn ot the susriug and the starvation of the opera
,;s and AZ the riots and anarchy which would ensue
IN, ,bv have begun TO see their folly and mistake They
learned that they do not hold the world in bondage
- ,,am The Richmond papers have all recently been
a;.on..;,, ,be subject The Enquirer thu" speaks:
Th thaorv ~ ar Southern statesmen hss been fairly
snd tuv tested For tSvee years have we, with com
mend,bi. selfdena forbJTne The use 2. THESE sleeping
energies Of which possessC': mug S1tson has
basn hound down in doubl, irons--Lincoa bockaders-
whilst We embargo this unfortunate arber oi ciVNaip
Our policy subordinated TO Lncolns policy holds this
captye monarch ia solitary confinement there to waste
IN neglect and disease Meanwhile the machinery Of the
world il fast adapting itsrf tJ fabrics from other mate
ras and when king s restored To liberty thousand
interests will obstruct his resumption 10 power
This experience Of three years now an open book,
inviting our earnest study Has this dsuse OF cotton
this wul imprisonment Of our own powers by our own
Goyernment-forced recognition from foreign NATIONS
III this book u experience teaches us thing II teaches
IA one thing never 10 be forgotten Cotton to he king
must act aud play bs part on the theatre Of the
industrial world At large and 10 uurestralned freedom
every where to visit the shops OF industry thus Southern
monarch wields an almost undsputed sceptre But
chained up by and nOned to the earth by our
own embhrgoes this mighty potentate, like the Stuarts
ar BourboOs becomes unhonored sham and an empty
pretension.
Cotton AZ a prisoner, cotton in confinement, cotton
hid in swamps.or burnt in depos has brought us no re-
ef-it has procured no influence m The cnunses OF
foreign nations Let us therefore, abandon policy that
ads this harvest Of domestic rum aud only bears Tor US
these fruits of natOus abatement abroad Ii s most eyi
dent that we cannot foreign nations by withholding
cotton from their workshops The empire OF cotton exists
only in s use and when is withdrawn from com
merce Let us partially change our administrative policy
in reso ct 10 the great staples Of cotton tobacco and naval
store, Let IA freely license the export Of these prime
aud give them free passage though our nes 10
auy direction and any market that Individual enterprise
may elect"
In another article the Enquirer says that Confederate
currency has nearly lost its purchasing power and that
the use Of the strong Of mpressment has almost failed
and in few months more will have lost its potency alto
aether It, therefore recommends that the cotton and
tobacco which the Government hold be exchanged Tor
supplies for the army The Richmond Wbig strongly
urges the adoption Of the plan II this suggestion OF the
Richmond journalists is adopted, X probably will be,
the European holders Of the cotton loan will be very much
Interested in hearing Of the fact This cotton which It s
proposed 10 exchange for food the very cotton which
pledged for the payment Of tho loan The agents who
went abroad 10 neqotate the loan took great pains TO
sure the purchasers that the cotton was sale from our
troops that il carefully stored in sheds remote from
other buildings and little danger Of being burnt
But they did not far know, furnish any guaranty
that the rebel Government would not it for some other
purpose than that specified Providence Journal