The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-11-21

"e nave u'eoruer, ana instead oil profts,
we have losses. Shall we be able to drive
out competition in The future, as we have
in the pasti Surely not. But few
years before the war, one Of our most in
telligent planters represented this State at
the Worlds Exhibition in Paris, and, upon
h's return, reported that he saw upon ex,
h'bilon there the cottous from Algiers
and from the East which were in every
WAY tfnal to the finest productions Of the
Onlsed States. lie asked why cannot
these cottons compete with the American
cos'ons! The answer was, because we
cannot produce the article for the same
price; we are compelled to hire the labor
which you own-ours is unreliable, Idle
and costly, while yours is under control,
steady and cheap. For these reasons,
you will always be able TO drive us on, of
the market. But what now is the condi.
ton of the Southern pIsnterl His labor
's much more costly than that Of Alyiers
or the East, equally unsteady, and, pro
bably, les. under his cou,roI, and he finds
himself now, after an exhaus,ing war,
driven from the market by prices which
his former competitors can afford to take.
The present low price Of cotton is bu; the
evidence Of the causes already stated
And i, may be that, in a few wears, we
shall la importing cotton and rice into
the United States, instead Of exporting
these great commodities. We are now
eating, in the interior Of South Carolina,
rice imported from China, and we have
been credibly informed that East India
cotton has been imported into New York.
How soon the State craft Of Great Britain
may find it expedient to impose an impor,
duty upon American cottons, who can
tell
Blu. it may he asked, is there no RENE
Gy for these calamities TO the Southern
people We answer, most probably, no
immediate remedy. Time IA the grea,
master OF the situation. II our people
will give up the delusive hope Of growing
rich by the cultivation of cotton-,hereby
probably working their utter run-if
they will cultivate less cotton and more
breadstutfs raise for their own u,e and
for sale horses, mules and stock OF all
kinds cure their own hay, make their
own butter. and sell the surplus; il they
will labor TO I'll the land with plenty,
they will, in short time. realize change
for the bette. in their own condition and
the condition Of The South at least they
shall not have debts and disapuointmen,s
added 10 their other calamiles. And in
raising our own food and supple. at the
South, we should also manufacture our
own cloths and Implements, upon our own
soil. There can be no more auspicious
moment than the present to begin, at the
South. the manufacture Of goods from our
own raw material. This was done to a
great extent during the war. No matter
on how small a scale, let the work begin.
10 be succsssfuI, We must begin at the
beginning, and work upward. as our pop
ulation aud wealth increase. We repeat,
that We would not now re establish slave
~ at the South. II is too late 10 correc,
the error Of its sudden extinction. I. ia
to our interest to make the most OF the
circumstances by which we are surround
cd. We cannot recall the past. "Let
the dead past bury its dead" But ls, US
not he entirely hopeless OF the future.
Little more than half a century ago,
the great commodity exported from thi.
State was indigo. 1t ceased TO be prof
table here. because it could be more cheap
ly cultivated elsewhere. Cotton WAS in.
troduced in its stead, and was cultivated
with unparalleled success. Tobacco and
rice contributed to increase the wealth oi
the South. II these staples cease to be
As remunerative in the future as they
have been iu the past, We still have a
great country left to US, AID, with some
.hing Ike good geveTnmsn,, our nsce.si
tiss will give rise to new ezpedients. To
conquer our difficulties, we must meet
them with patience, for,itude and courage.
But shall We have good goyernmen. T.
That is the great question presented in
the next point sha. We propose to con.
sider
To admit as fact, as has been assum,
cd 10 be the result Of the war, that the
Government Of the United States is su,
Preme. and that the States have no rights,
or, II they have rights, that they are sub
ordinate to the Government ofthe United