The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-05
THE war AND COTTON.

Until the Southern States rebelled against
The Federal Government, they possessed al
most exclusively the cotton market of the
world. That Is 10 say, all the non-cotton
producing countries Of the civilized world de-
pended on our American Southern States for
their chief supply Of cotton. That one fact
gavo the South great wealth; and presuming
on that, the planting interest Of that section,
which had grown arrogant and aristocratic
under the baneful influence Of the institution
OF slavery, claimed, and for long while ac-
itually exercised, an undue political power In
our national politics. Cotton, In being a staple
of superior commercial Importance, and pro
duced principally In the Southern States, was
positively converted into a potential ele-
ment Of government among US, so that In the
SeSurse of time, 1t came TO be a common and
accepted motto, that "Cotton is King"
But the moment the Cotton States seeded
from the Union and took up arms to maintain
that act Of treason, those States lost the ad-
vantage they had long derived from the cotton
trade. That act Of revolt against the national
Government not only brought on war which
stopped the production Of the plant in the
South, but 1t so efectually closed the ports Of
that section OF the country against the market
of the world, that il 1t had raised the usual
amount oil cotton for export, the product could
not have been shipped. Thus the folly of the
Southern cotton pl anters and Shareholders,
has destroyed the only or main source Of all
their prosperity and power. They literally
killed the goose that laid the golden egg when
they initiated civil war, which has prevented
the foreign world from getting its usual guam
tity of cotton from the United States, and
forced 1t to seek that indispensable commo-
dity from other sources.
We are not at all gratifed to think that this
country has forever lost 30 valuable an ele-
ment Of commercial wealth and power. We
would much have preferred that the United
States should keep prolonged and undisputed
possession, or monopoly rather, Of the cotton
traffic, even though the South enjoyed the i'm
mediate and largest benefit Of that monopoly
But 1t Is too late now to cry over split milk
The infatuation of the Southern cotton lord
provoked a conflict with the Federal Govern
Inent that has, by cutting England and Europe
off from their supply of the staple from thh
country, forced them to get cotton from
other countries, and the consequence is
that the accustomed amount obtained from
America has been so nearly made up from
other sources, that when the present civil wa
ends, 1t may be seriously doubted whether
the trade which the Southern cottsn planter
have lost can ever be wholly regained. Th'
only thing that could save it in such contin
gency IS has happened, would be the cheap
ness Of slave labor; but as slavery must per
ish In this country in the progress of the wa
to its final conclusion, that important advan
tage in growing cheap cotton must pass ava!
from US forever. Late statistics of Englisl
cotton receipts for 1853 and 1854, show tina
cotton is coming forward in increased quanti
ties TO compensate the deficiency of this coun
try. The augmented supply Of the last twely
months amounts to 81 ,105 bales, or more thai
fifty per cent. increase over the receipts Of th
previous year. This supply has been as fol
L.