Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-05-17

look the facts m The lace and not be misled by
hope, or by the ASSURANCE of those who are not
accustomed % jpdge Of the necessary foundations
70 successful commerce and trade Ii mar be
that the c&reer Of prosperity now opening before
the south will be such as TO cast in The shade all
10 pAst history IL may be that agriculture will
fhrive as never before, cotton and sugar be raised
10 quantities hitlesto unknown: supplies be de
msnded from the north ADD from Europe IN fab
slous amounts- IL il possible that the destroyed
labor system Of the south may BE Immediately
and fully replaced bv new and better system,
and The negro o. the white substitute make the
lands OF the southern states yield a. never before
All ibis l. possible, and all this let hope But
it viii not be wise TO make business calculations
and ans snch expectations The sad iacts are
before o. aud We must take them as they ere
and study tkeD By The light Of history
In former times, and 10 other places the sub
stitutioa Of a new labor system for old has
not beea Immediately successful The living
generation seldom sees the result Of such a sub
stiiution successfully realized 1t takes long
tine TO teach negroes TO work on contract for
their osn wages We inclined TO think that
the people Of the north have been generally mis-
led in their idea Of the amount OF wages hereto
fore paid for southern labor. Taken a whole,
that amount 70 each laborer was the equivalent
of support, food and clothing, in sickness aud
beaItbs from the cradle to the grave This was
wages heretofore established on government
plantations have Appropriated TO this. Nor is it
possible 10 Approximate 10 it until some public
provision 10 made for the poor, the aged, the in
firm, and the sick Ia short, the new labor sys
TEN must involve the provision by public
charge for that deficiency between the price paid
for labor and the amount necessary 10 support
laborers aud their families 10 all the contingen
cies OF life. This deficiency is partially measur-
= f. - "A
countries by the establishment of poor rates.
warehouses, county poorhouses, &c. Atten
ton i detected to this point now, not for the pur
pose of discussing it, but only 10 show the radi
cal change which is to be established in the
southern states and the consequent delay which
must naturally ensue in bringing the new sys
TEN jnto active and regular operations.
. .fThs common idea seems TO be that the negroes
may at once contract with their masters for hire.
But this all accounts from all parts of the south
agree in saying, they decline to do. The plan
tations are az present nearly deserted. Nor is il
likely that immigration will Immediately supply
the deficiency in labor. AS general rule white
men do not 90 into the southern states 10 work.
Their select more fruitful fields OF labor when
they expect 20 use their own hands Pine,
therefore. must be patiently allowed before the
south can again become prosperous and product
i've, and the time will in all probability. be mark
poverty. suffering, and want. especially among
the negroes. The latter fiocking TO the
large cities aud crowding them toexcess. They
generally ina CINE that their working days are
oyer. Liberty has been somehow OF other mixed
up in their minds with rest from labor, and they
seem to think il synonymous with freedom to do
nothing. Alas for them. that they must learn
that lesson, too little understood by many phi
lanthropists that there is no such liberty in this
ifa INIT hat he iuex law of ne
cessity make all men servants Of labor and slaves
TO the lash of want. unless they work in the
sweat of their brows.
That the slog education OF time and the com
pensatons which time provides will one day re
invigorate the south, We all trust aud confidently
expect But meantime let us bear in mind that
We have now. conquered rebellion, and thus es-
tabished these south ern states as part OF our
own body polite No longer to be viewed as a
hostile country, let US remember that the south
il one Of our own limbs, portion OF our own
system, which 4roeds our fostering care, our
nursing and cautious attention, 90. restore to
health. Otherwise we shall all suffer. One part
OF the body cannot be diseased and neglected or
81 treated and the whole health be maintained
We are nettpeaking ofthe treatment OF individ-
uas. nor does the question at all involve the set
Element of the questions of punishment. Those
questions must be kept as far as possible separate
from the general subject OF restoring healthy
prosperity To- southern agriculture and business
We believe that all sensible men Of all political
parties agree with in approaching the object
now tn be accomplished, and the only difference
OF opinion arises from the confident expectation
of many that the work IL easy and requires but
little aid.
In looking at the great question OF the cotton
crop. so important not only to the south but to
the whole country, it will be seen that these
labor questions are of vast importance Until
some labor system Is practically ut work. it can
hardly be possible that the cotton will amount to
much. The interruption OF four years has not
only set other nations at work in raising cotton.
but has made changes IN the machinery of mills,
adapting them 10 a different staple of cotton and
otherwise reduced our commanding Importance
as a cotton growing nation IL we could at once
come into the markets with our old annual sup
ply, we might readily repair our losses and re-
cover our position in this respect. But ii long
continued Interruption in the labor system re
duces our annual production to low amount, or
10 the cost Of labor makes the crop expensive
and keeps up the prices of our product, il is too
plain thar the rival nations will gain on us more
and more: the changes in machinery will not be
rapidly changed back again. and our supremacy
in the market win be seriously endangered. so
that only the peculiar quality of our product can
be relied on Toe Ultimate resumption OF our
superior position in the maeket after many years
These same considerations present to northern
merchantssuhject of serious thought with regard
70 Their opening &ade with the south
liz may be that in this. as in other things the
history of our nation will be against old rules.
add not according to the common historical pre-
cedents But Il i not safe to calculate any
such possibility The south Is poor. non pro
ductive. broken down u is in the position OF
right leg which has been crushed. Let the man
not aspect 10 walk on IL until il has had long
and careful nursing. and the blood again flows
through its veins with some degree OF life and
health.
There are exceedingly pleasant indica-
tiops OF the future in the private intelligeucere
ceived by our merchants from then old south
ern customers. These are not so much indica
tions of ability ofhopeiulness and intention 20
start again on the right track We have seen
many letters giving good promise OF vigor and
activity in the cities, though all agree in repre-
sentins the condition OF things beyond descrip-
ton, depressing and dispiriting.
a vel known southern merchant, writes TO
one of the largest houses in this city letter,
from which We extract
Understanding now that the mails are going
north We avail ourselves of the first opportunity
20 say thai we regret exceedingly that debt
Justly due you shonld have remained 80 long un
paid We are Of the opinion that. however war
NAV affect public property and interests. private
contracts should not be interfered with. and We
sincerely hope that it may always be in our
81. Il h. 80