The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-01-03

upon it to create animosities, breed or rather
nurture dissensions and mar orr otherwise
great homogeneous fabric?
1t is hard to maintain republican and reg
ulated liberty under the most favorable au-
spices, and we owe it to them, not to try dan
gerous experiments, which will be barren of
any incidental good. In government limi-
ted in area andpopulation, and restrained In
its will by outside pressure, republican lib
erty may possibly be well maintained even
by weak and vicious citizens The terror of
infringement orpunishment from without may
force them to wholesome administration at
hcme
But in one so vast in area, as ours now is
and so great in population as it is soon des-
tined to be, and whose will scarcely reco-
gnizes any restraint from abroad, none but
enlightened citizens of civil equality can be
safe depositaries of constitutional liberty
The negro cannot be made such a citizen ex-
cept by long training, if at all. But that
training is not feasible, because ifhe be held
in civil inferiority he must continue to feel
and to be abiect, dependent and demoralized.
Whiletoraise him to civil equality in his ignor-
ance poverty and vices must vitiate the whole
mass He cannot be elevated to the standard
of the whites, but they may and would lie
drawn down towards his level. And the
whole political mass in the South with this
element infused into it, would become I'M
steady, wild and corrupt The action ofthe
free States has shown their recognition OF
this principle, even where the element
is sosmall as it is with them. If such
an infusion would be unsafe, where the
proportion is as one to fifty or hundred,
how startling the idea when it is in equal
proportions or as two to one the other way,
as it would be in some localities Can the
most logged abstractionist, or widest fanatic
entertain such proposition for a moment
Dangerous experiments can hardly ever be
justified in great and vital matters, but they
may be partially extenuated, where they
serve to present great damage, or tend in
cidentaly effect a great good; material or
otherwise. And we have accordingly heard
an argument against the removal of the negro
as follows 1t is all important to every sec
ton of the Union, that cotton, rice and sugar
he largely produced and that negro taJor alone
can raise them to advantage. Now this calls
to mind the old exploded humbug that
cotton is king" 1t was loudly proclaimed
by superficial secessionists. that by with
holding it from tine North the South could
speedily bring her to terms, and that by
keeping it from France and England they
would be forced incontinently into our al
lance.
The result is known. only mention it
because see lurking in the above PROPOSE
ton the same fallacy upon which the cotton
king humbng was enthroned. 1t is sort of
set idea with superficial people that all things
will remain as they are, and that when one
thing changes Others may not accommodate
themselves to that change, and especially
that governments, communities and indi-
viduals will not endure inconvenience or
resort to necessary alterations rather than to
sacrifice great and cherished principles. But
the truth is that if the change be to their
advantage and without the sacrifice of princi-
pile it will be gladly accepted; if otherwise
they will obyiate it as far as may be and thus,
or in some way, accommodate themselves to
it. To illustrate. A railroad was proposed
to be built from market town to the inte-
rior OF a farming country. 1t was strenuously
urged that the stock would be valueless be-
cause the the town was in wagoning distance,
the farmers had teams, wagons &c, they
and their fathers had Always hauled to the
market, and they would continue to
do 50 even if the Rail Road were built
But it was built with difficulty, the grass
soon grew in the old wagon road, the
freights were remunerative on the railroad;
the wagons, teams and drivers found ample
employment in hauling manures and cult
waiting more land, and the prosperity of the
country was secured The result of the
King cotton humbug illustrates the other
side of the picture. And so will it ever be-
Mere prejudices sustained by shallow dog
mas often maintain a long and tyrannical
sway, but they must eventually succumb be-
fore the steady march of truth And may
not the notion that negro labor is necessary
to produce the great staples mentioned, be-
long to such prejudices! l think it does.
1t had two-fold origin-partly in truth and
partly in fallacy. 1t was true that the ne
gro, as a sldce, could be more prCfitably
employed in the production of those staples
than otherwise. But to detect the fallacy,
we should premise little. The Southern
States feared that the institution of slavery
was in jeopardy, and they desired to perpet-
uate it. 1t was chiefly assailed in the North
ern States and in England-both of which
WIZ bCcpiy anu SlCdtiE iutL-
titled with cotton through their man lfac-
lures; and it was not deemed bad stroke
Of policy to impress them with the idea that
that depended upon negro labor, in TIC ca
paeity Of slares. But the folly of extremists
North and South, has worked the destruc-
ton of the institution, and the fallacy ought
to be exploded with it. And the naked
question presents itself to sensible men,
whether the white man, with equal physical
powers, more judgment, more industry, pride
and perseverance, and a greater stimulus to
exertion, cannot and will not produce more
in any field of labor than his inferior, the ne
gro. | know that the heat and insalubrity
OF the climate, where these staples are most
prolific, are brought forward in support of
the fallaey; but l am satisfied that they are
stand-props, which must fall before search
ing truth.
First, In reference to cotton. In very
large proportion, perhaps in nine-tenths of
the cotton territory, the heat of midsummer
IS hardly more intense than in the Northern
States. 1t is true, the summers are longer,
but the heat is not generally intense except
about midsummer, when it is equally SO in
the more Northern States, and especially in
the large cities. More than half of North
Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas,
and nearly all of South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisi-
ana, are adapted to cotton. IN North Caro-
lima, however, though the soil is propitious,
the yield has been moderated by the short
ness OF the warm season, the weed not hav-
ing time fully to deyelope and mature. And
probably the same is true as to the interior
and colder portions of most of the other
states mentioned. But recent experiments
prove that this difficulty can be surely and
! profltably remedied, by the use of stimula-
ung manures, such as guano, ashes, lime,
. MOI e.. Ill