Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-07-24
THE WEST AND THE SOUTH.


The great West, without appearing tt
know the fact at this time, is the natura
ally of the South All the stormy hates
which live in her bosom, and direct hei
policy, will disappear at last, and leave
common sense and corrected reason
free to combat the great error she makes
in turning her face to New England,
and her back to the South But we need
not expect any sudden conversion of the
men who control Western interests.
There is too much power yet in the
hands of her politicians, and too little
remaining to the people. There was no
good policy in joining the East In the
Abolition crusade against the South.
There was something astounding In the
spectacle of Ohio surprising Massachu-
setts in the bitterness of her Southern
hatred, championing the doctrines OF
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS and WENDELL
PHILLIPs. That establishment culmi-
mated in the great Western armed inva-
sion a the South Ii seems to the mn
Outstanding of cool spectator OF the
past six years, development of mad
ness Why should a whole people go to
war to destroy their best market, and
gain nothing but the boon of taxation to
nav the debt thus created, and give New
England protection ? The historian of
the events of these times, will scarcely
admit to record, as veracious links of
history, incongruities so remarkable.
The South is lost to the West, if the
dominant class of politicians shall
be permitted to rule Western policy.
By impoverishing the South, does
the West not impoverish herself2 How
does New England benefit herr As DIR.
SANGRADo benefited his patients-by
bleeding them. When the loss of South
ern trade is added to the taxes paid TO
New England, we have the sum of Wes-
tern profits under Radical rule. We
have said that the West is the natural
ally of the South. Western rivers, upon
whose banks thrive great populations,
flow to the South. The tendency of com
merce, following the laws of Nature, is
to the Gulf, not backwards to the sources
of the streams in the mountains Before
the war, circumstances were adjusting |
themselves to the logic OF climate and |
con6guration. We produced cotton
in great quantities, and bought from the
West what we could not produce
without detriment to the larger in
terest We bought -four, corn and meat
for our field hands. Labor was compul-
sorry, and while the master ordered the
largest possible amount of cotton, he
was compelled to feed his hands. He
could not produce the requisite food. 1t
was not at all necessary that he should.
He had some friendly neighbors up the
western rivers whom he employed to do
that But labor not being compulsory
now, the former master cannot command
it, nor is he compelled by interest or law
TO feed his former hands. Hence, the,
general attention we discover ia the
South to the production of the articles of
necessity we bought from the West We
are too recently out of the war to per.
ceive any practical results from changed
policies. Russia furnishes nearly
ten times as much grain to Great
Britain as that exported abroad
from the Western States. Why Be
cause it can be purchased cheaper in
that market The South, under the free
labor system, will produce the nseessi-
ties Of life, allow the cotton interest, az
YER few disastrous experiments, to flag,
and yield the palm of cotton to the bal
ance Of the world, who can supply any
possible demand for the great staple.
fhe combined cotton countries caught
lp during the time the West was down
iere crushing out the South, destroying
he cotton interest and running her own
market. What will she do now? viii
he become our friend, form an alliance
With us, and be wise enough to pour her
in channels that flow, like
Ter rivers, to the South