Clarksville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867, 1867-02-15
our FIRST GiEAr NEBD.


own views, that we adopt it in full, 4
and bespeak for it the careful and
earnest consideration ef-our readers
+" Food ! Food Foodl This is
the first, pressing want Of our South
erh land. In many portions Of Ala:
bama, Georgia, and the Carolinas,
the widows and orphans Of our Con-
federate dead are actually starving |!
Not from their "misfortunes," as a
city contemporary has IL; nor from
the acts of their friends" But,
first, a ruthless, demon soldiery,
marched through their fields, de-
stroying and burning as they went,
as Edward /. moved through unhap-
Ply Scotland, and devastated the land
because the people loved the Bruce.
Then, before widows and orphans
could repair these damages, came
such drouth 1885, as has not been
known in thirty years. Want and
suffering and death, in appalling
forms, have visited our already woe
stricken people; and in fine, the
whole country is arousing to the
duty Of succor and help. Societies
are being formed in almost every.
county Of the South, for sending
food and clothing to the naked and
hungry widows and children of the
gallant men who bravely laid down
their lives that the South might be
free. Howpcommanding is this call
for belp. How pleasantly and cheer
ingly is it answered, from every hill
and valley Of our own land, though
abundance has not been among us
for years. And, even in the distant
North--the country ruled by fac.
ton which sets the obligations CT a
common Constitution at defiance
even, there, we have been forcibly
taught the sad lesson that our foes
are in power, and do not recognize
US as "in the Union" even their
sympathy has warmed up the human
heart, and our friends, at least, are
holding meetings to aid our suffering
poor. Could we do ought else than
thank them for this? Surely not I;
and we do SO honestly, sincerely, in
the name of sorrowing people.
"But while the pressing ills of life
are thus evoking the warm energies
of natures better side, let us not
forget here, at the South, that ano-
Their important lesson is thus taught
us. 1t is within ourselves to say
that this suffering shall never be re.
peated among us. In any year we
can raise two or three times as much
food as We can consume. Let us do
so henceforth and forever. Give us
full barns and hay stacks, and we can
defy want. AS long as we pitch our
crops for cotton alone, trusting to
buying from the Northwest all the
food we need, just so long shall we
be liable to suffer for food. Every
Northern farmer always has enough
food on hand to last him a year
ahead, and if the season should fail
him, he never suffers, though he
may not grow rich. He always has
enough on hand to feed men and
animals, and we can do so here. We
have never been so forcibly reminded
of the value of having enough on
hand for all our wants, as we were
in perusing the following opinion Of
of the United States Commissioners
Of Agriculture, touching the advan
ges Of Northern and Southern agri.
culture. Who, among all our read.
ers, would have thought that the
butter crop of New York, in 1860
was worth twice as much as the cot
ton crop of Georgia -? And YET
Georgia has the decided advantage
of being able to produce not only
this cotton crop, which New York
cannot do +; but she can also raise al
the butter she needs, if she will but
! do it. New York can raise no cot.
. ton, while Georgia can |; but New
York makes her butter crop twice as
valuable as both the cotton and but.
ter Of Georgia, OF course, if she
has this amount of butter, she has
the cattle too and thus her people
live on the fat of the land. They
know nothing of want, such as We
are now experiencing, and such as
We may always suffer if we are not
true to ourselves, We again say to
our farmers and planters" food
food This first, then cotton and