Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-11-15

Of the dead king.
To answer that cotton always bring
the money, and in larger bulk, as they
used to do against those who advocated
raising less cotton in former times, viii
not do now. The crop Of this year vii
not average, so far as we can learn, one
thousand pounds lint TO the hand, OF
one hundred and Fifty dollars. Double
the price apd double the crop too, which
is more than ever will be realized again
ia the South, and you will not come to
the profit of a years work before the
war at old prices And the money cot
ton will bring will not leave q profit IN
excess Of expenses. To say there viii
be no market for grain, If every BODY
raises il, will do no better, and is a mis-
take. There is no market for the corn
Of The Illinois and Missouri farmer. II
the corn of those States was to be sold in
kind, at as low price as seven cents per
bushel. at which it has been profitably
raised by them, they would not have
money enough to pay expenses And
vet they are the most thriving agricul-
turists in the world, and have always
outstripped the cotton planter in the
race for wealth, although giving fifty or
a hundred dollars for land, when the
cotton planter was obtaining his fer
five or ten. The secret is that
they have turned their abundant grain
haryests into meat and stock, which, I'M
like the corn especially, would bear
transportation. And in this form they
raalize fifty cents at least for the corn,
which as such would not sell for seven.
And all this they can do and live like
white folks.
If the South is to prosper again, and
be made garden, as we hope it may, we
are convinced it must be by like pro
cess and the change to cereals and stock
raising. We do not believe there is 9th
erwise roy of hope, a single good reason
for expecting any return Of pecuniary
comfort and independence. Make the
change, and il the thefts Of the laboring
population continue, it will not be so OPP
pressive-there will be enough for all
There will at least be bread and meat
and a home, if no money. If no more
cotton should be raised in Tennessee,
Louisiana, Alabama or Mississippi than
is consumed in those States, and they
do what they can raising stock and meat,
we are sure they will be quite independ-
ent at once and soon begin to thrive. If
not, we pity the States which raise no
cotton.
We subjoin, as presenting some addi-
tional views in furtherance of our object,
the following sensible extract from
communication in the Selma Messenger:
Some ask, "if we don't raise cotton,
what will we raise" Suppose we take
n look at what could be done by not
raising cotton, or raising only enough for
the factories of the South. If not an
other bale Of cotton was sent North, in
less than two years each and every one
of their factories would dry up for
the want of the raw material. The
owners are too shrewd to let thar
spindles and looms rust for want Of work,
and to let their capital lay idle. They
would say, "since the Southern people
will not send us cotton, we will take our
machinery to the South and establish
our factories there" With the ma.
chinery, thousands of those who had Leen
employed in those factories would come
TO work in them again as soon as they
should be rebuilt here. The poor peo-
pie of the South, who have been living
from hand 10 mouth always, and who
have been living on charity for the last
few years, would iud employment in
those factories, and their children not
only educated, but taught to work.
Wherever those factories would be
erected, towns and villages would spring
up. and the question would no longer be
asked. what shall we do with our pro-
duce?" There would be good market
within few miles, where the farmer could
dispose of his beef, pork, mutton, poultry,
butter, eggs, cheese, fruits, vegetables
grain, etc, etc. Not only cotton facto-
ries, but all other kinds would spring up,
and in few years we would not have to
20 or send North for anything; on the
contrary, they would send to us for goods
Why cannot we be a manufacturing
people2 We have plenty of water
mower, four times as much as the whole
of New England; we have in this State
alone coal and iron enough to supply the
South; we have an abundance Of wood,
and our soil will yield enough to support
animmense population.
Let our planters turn farmers and
raise fine horses, cattle, hogs and sheep;
and instead of cotton, make hay, corn,
vegetables, fruits, etc. Let them keep
their fences and houses in repair so that
their farms will become more valuable
each year. All this could be done with
one.tenth part of the trouble that it takes
TO raise the defaRct kingj and would
prove vastly more profitable.
Should this plan be universally adop
ted throughout the South, there would be
more money in the country than We have
ever seen, and we would be once more
free and independent people.
We also further subjoin, as interesting
in this connection, the following from a
letter from q large Mississippi planter,
Thomas J. Catchings, to the Jackson
Miss Clarion. There can be no doubt
that any lands good enough to pay well
in cotton, whether bottom or bill lands,
will pay very well in wheat oats, rye,
barley, etc.