The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-30

and - Hau oeeh dragged into the armies
ma;,,aa very Mrse portion of them killed or
ianheu, in, SO tnat the physical possibility of
largely producing had departed When ,ha' po -
Deinou was over. The people U SNEAK Of The
whites only now llaughterI nearjv hal, tha;.
ability to work had been DESTROYED nv tho NJ,
All their fences, to large extent. had sana. ma,
and even in the one poor last necessity nSm
-seed to plant-there We're millions and nil
lions OF dollars lost to the South last year. be-
cause the seed they put into the ground, the
only seed they had to plant, being several
years old, was SO miserable that nothing
could be produced from it. III there had been
simple seed to put into the ground where seed
was wanted, all over the South, the necessity
of the South to-day would not be one-half
what it is. II the South had had the men at
home in the strength and vigor as they were
when the war began, simply for want of imp,e-
ments and draught animals it would not have
Deen possible TO have produced more than
nan crop at the South; but now you are
told, and very correctly told, that there were
Terrible TERI hoods in the Spring, over large por-
tion OF the country, and after that an un-
precedented drouth that swept over probably
nan the entire South. Ali this is very true,
but the want OF the means to plow the earth
70 any proper depth, and cultivate the crop
properly, aggravated the effect of this drontb
to four times what 1t would have been under
OrQlnaTy circumstances.
Now, here is the fact They are peonle of
all kinds-not of one kind, but OF different ra.
ces, different politics, and different views. and
they are all alike suffering throughout all the
States which were formerly in rebellion. ex-
cept perhaps Texas. From Mississippi up to
the Potomac there is one universal cry OF dis
tress. There is not to-day in the hands OF
the poor the seed which they need very soon
to begin TO plant the little ground they have
They have not the food togive to them the
strength wherewith to make crop, and they
have none OF the materials, the means where
by labor, especially in our day, is rendered eff
cient. Now, then, il the Northern people
should look at this, if it were possible to look
at it in the light of narrow sell-inteiest, say
ten millions OF dollars diifused through the
South, Immediately, in the form OF food, and
seed, and implements, would return hundred
millions in the amount of the crop of the
present ear-(applause land thereby large
ly contribute to the wealth and the prosperity
OF Northern industry and Norlhern COM
merce, as well as that OF the Svutb. 1t has
pleased God to make us one people for all
these purposes, not only politically, but COM
mercially and socially; and it is not possible
that there should be prosperity at the North
real, genuine, hearty prosperity-while
there is prostratiOn and want and suffering
and incapacity at the South. IApplause.l We
are bound, for our own sake, II for nothing
else, to take hold to-day and so aid the South
that she may be encouraged to produce at
least as large crop as possible in the wear
1867. 1t will be small enough at best You |
cannot replace the animals they need there. |
and cannot seasonably replace even the i'm |
plements the poor need-and some who were |
rich few years ago are as poor as the poor
est. You cannot any more than Just help |
N 70 a fltax h. -,
this year. They did not make half crop of
food last year. They made nearly half crop
OF cotton, by turning their energies to that one
thing; but there needs to be complete re-
construction OF the society, manufacturing,
mechanical, as well as agricultural, to nv
mind, very much more than any political re-
construction. Applause.
And If it is only said that the North will try
to help the South, tens of thousands will be
encouraged to help themselves and help each
other. by the mere fact that we here are put
ting forth exertions to help them. A few
bushels of corn in a neighbOrhood, and of use
ful seed, is what they need to plant and need
now and at once-a few dollars win give to
the poor the implements they need. Let the
North say to the South, "Try to help YOUR
selves, and we will give what help we can,"
and there will be revival of national pros
perity and brotherhood which will be twenty
times Lne Vaiue OF all 1t Will cost us. do be- |
lieve then that, apart from all questions that / |
would sink as subordinate all past differences, |
1t Is the present pressing necessity of the North
to say to the South, "Do your very best to
make a crop this year and trust to us to help"
Soon, trust, the manufactures will be re-
built that the war destroyed, and hundreds
and thousands of women and children will be
employed there who could not1 he effectively
employed IN cnltivating the soil. Friends of
New York, beseech men without any
thought OF party or past differences, to give
their energies to this work. / believe that
New York City can well afford to commence
with asubscription of 81 100000 for this pur-
pose, tApplause.) l am sure if she does this,
she will stimulate Philadelphia, Boston,
Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, and the West
ern cities, and the smaller towns, to initiate
her example. Let me say to the South, be of
good cheer, the dark hours have passed away.
She needs to be cheered, she needs to be ell
cOuraged, she needs TO feel that suffering is
not her eternal inheritance, that there are
better days come, and thai there are cheerful
WORDS spoken to her by the people oi the
North. Friends and neigl bors, in behalf OF
your whole country, in behalf of the North,
and OF the prosperity and growth OF this
great and think this generous commercial
emporium, l beseech you speak to YOUR
friends and neighbors and make great be-
ginning for this work in the city of New
York. Great applausel.