The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-25
q COTTON IS KING.

With cotton quoted at 1Ofd. in liverpool Inc INC
market glutted with cotton goods, a continental
war impending, and a great financial crash III
prospects the question may very reason
ably be askedz-a question that has been pro-
pounded again and again: Why do our people
plant so largely Of cotton, to the exclusion OF
everything else? Why do they not plant corn
and wheat, sufficient at least for home con-
sumption? Why is cattle neglected, bacon
brought here from Cincinnati, and hay from
New York and the Eastern States? Many reasons
may Of course be given by way of answer, but
the true reply unquestionably is, that wea are
too anxious to be rich in haste, and by general
consent this consummation 50 devoutly TO- be
wished ish ISr can only be attained ~ the plant
ing Of the largest possible. oropof cotton. = p e
This course; sin aour opinion, was not wise
one, even under our former system Of slave
labor. It is now, ruinous. We should raise
ABUNDANT crops, of all the. necessaries OF hfe'
such. dis. are adapted to our soil and climate,
and t6en use our surplus only Of capital to- and
labor for the. production Of cotton We cannot
see. how there. can be solid, substantial pros
perity for an agricultural country, so. largely
dependent for its bread and itsImeat on tine
unoertaiaty of distant market. 20 -. 80. !.
Ia Louisiana exchange complains of this same
evil, which in fact prevails Ill over the South
This paper. says: ..sThe scarcity .Eof grain,
breadstuffs and other food is now q serious In
convenience to our people 1t is felt by no 40
class more than by the planters themselves; ;
grain, l. grain, grain is the want of our planters.
Crops cannot be made without food for man
and beast z: The bands must be fed, the teams
must be fed; the great mass of our planters
have to buy all that is food for either 1s this
state;of things to be the same another year
We can. never, be . prosperous. people until q
change is effected. The wholesbusiness of the
rish-agricultural, mechanical and merca1l-
tle=i suffering by it. The greater part Of
the ftsig from tie river are corn oats, hay,
aour and pork. S Other sfreights are detained
On account ofthe pressing necessities Of our Peo-
ple for these articles, and. until their wants are
supplied this must continue to be the case. We
dohope our planters VIM endeavort to change al
this By planting full crops # corn, potatoes,
peas, AID raising q large provision crop
Our argunentwould gain additionals strength
il pursued the subject further, and pointed
to tie sti1l further lselining tendency q. our our
staple; to the fact the war,Sands the high
prices Of scottonsprevalents during that period,
stimulated: India, Egypt Algiers, and other re-
gionlss t. grow large quantities Of cotton, no
longer leaving us the monopoly: When cotton
shall have come to something like anormal
figure, which, We fear, will be considerably be-
low thespresent quotation, with a tax of-23 cts.
a pound, and the largely increased price Of
labor, to SOY nothing of the uncertainty Of its
character, we confess we cannot see how our
planters can promise themselves much profit.