Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-11-18
THE ROAD FOR THE SOUTH.
What Boston Conservative Thinks
About 1.-THE south Must Make IFS
Future for Itself 80 Eschcw Politics
aud 20 Heartily TO work.
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aud 20 Heartily TO Work.
From the Boston Post. llthl
Il is obvious to uz since the result Of The
| October and November elections has become
known. that all that now remains for the
people Of the Southern States 10 DO Is TO de-
vote themselves TO their local interests. The
soil is lelt them; they have their health and
strength still the earth will yield at least a
support. even il their agricultural imple-
ments are few, and impaired; they have the
| stimulus TO exertion which their dependent
families give; the war has relieved them OF
the support OF a class which must now work
| voluntarily with them, at It's own cost, or
| siarve; and there Is almost as much TO be
done in repairing the waste and developing
resources bither untouched, As If Il were
Today virgin country. Whichever way
they turn. the people Of the South find
enough to do, with such encouragement for
the energetic and prompt doing Of 1t as
occur to no other population on the face OF
the civilized globe
| By thus attending strictly to their own
| concerns the South will soonest become rich
and strong again, and when the result is
reached, they may be sure Of being counted
in with as great eagerness as they are now
counted out The effect of this general sus-
pense over their political status IN the Union
has been both 10 withhold capital and dis
courage immigration from that section
the very thing they chiefly needed; now
they see that the true way, and the only way
in fact, is 10 fall to with such means and IA
cilities as a crippled agricultural COMMUNE
ty can command, and bring up their condl-
ton to SUCH point as will challenge the
consideration at present denied them. Cot
ton will command Two and three times more
than it ever did in its palmiest days before
the war. for some time to come; and the la
Dor the Southern planter and farmer is TO
employ in making his crop will not be sup
ported by him as when he owned it and
was entirely resposible for it, but will have
TO be satisfied with the simple wages of an
unskilled farm hand If it is TO be better
thus for the black man in the end, in car
not fail to be better also for the planter 10 |
whom he must look for hire and regular |
wages.
The South must make its future for itself. |
1t should not trouble itself any further about |
national politics for the present. Let it bend |
all its thoughts and energies 10 the work OF /
regeneration; that will bring the rest much |
sooner than if the latter was attempted first. |
What is to restore that section to political |
importance and make those who would now |
tyrannize over it eager to restore il to the |
enjoyment of its full rights in the Union, Is |
the development and consolidation Of its i'm |
perial resOurces-so vast and SO numerous |
as TO stagger the belief of one who has not |
examined the long list with patient intelli- |
genee and care. Material power is at the |
bottom Of social and political power by |
hanging at the door Of 4 Congress that is |
opened and shut by the keepers Of the Radi- |
cal party, who can see no craftsmanship IN |
anything but punishment and revenge, the |
South can actually neither advance its own |
claims nor increase its stock of self-respect; |
whereas if it holds aloof altogether, and re-
mains Indifferent TO threats and the cajolery |
ofthose who thrive by its present condition,
il will have nothing TO draw off its attention |
from the work requiring to be done at home, |
and It's enemies will be suddenly astonished |
with the new strength it will shortly be |
able to display. This is the policy for the |
South 10 pursue, we are fully persuaded. Let |
il accept the situation without any more |
words. even Of protestatiOn. Let it waste |
no time or strength in demanding its rights |
in the Union or debating the grounds on |
which they rest. IL will soonest determine |
the whole question in its own favor by bend |
ing its undivided energies to the immediate |
development which it contains.
Some Of the Southern journals advocate |
the borrowing of money 10 repair their |
broker. lines OF railway; others, more wise |
and practical, advise the production Of cot |
ton, and other crops first, but cotton in par |
ticuar, arguing that after produce is &C |
cumnated in sufficient quantities there will |
be no trouble about opening highway for |
il 10 market. What they need is to plant |
and hoe and harvest for some time to come. |
In this way they may get back all their |
former strength very soon, and become |
rapidly rich. The whole world waits i'm |
patiently for what their soil alone can pro- |
duce The profits on its production would |
very soon rciit all the plantations in that
va-t country. Then immigration will set in
upon them, and capital will organize and
present itself for their largest possible en-
ployment and benefit. Meantime the Radi-
Gals in Congress can wrangle over them TO
their hearts content and the general disgust
OF the country.
II the South NAV not be represented on
the floor Of Congress, though ready and
willing 10 resume its place and duties in the
Union. il can speak for itself aud its impor-
lance in another way, more excessively than
in the language Of politicians, by its perse-
vering industry. Let the manufacture OF
cotton proceed in that section with the en-
ergy with which it is begun in Georgia and
Mississippi let mining interests continue
to be developed; let each citizen study how
to do his part where he is, in lieu of look
ing to Washington or anywhere else for
help and we undertake to say that the
South, equally with the North will be as
tonished at the progress that will be secured.
4 favorite party weapon against the South
has been the comparison of its industrial
condition with that of the North it should
now be the aim Of the Southern people to
turn that weapon against those who were
so eager TO use it, until the latter are salts
fed that it is capable Of cutting both ways.