The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-03-08
COLUMBIA.
Friday Morning, March 8, 1857.


ness and trade, both North and South,
is admitted by men of al parties;
this, united with heavy taxation, is
terribly crushing on business enter
prise, and reduces the profits i'll all
departments of trade and commerce.
The cause of this disheartening con
dition of affairs is subject which is
engrossing q large share of public
attention, and, as usual, political so
phistry has been brought to bear,
and evasiye arguments used, to show
that it is not the political situation
of the country which has naturally
produced these unfortunate results.
We are sincerely impressed with
the conviction that the trade and com
merce of the country are crippled
because the South has been crippled
for the past rwo years, and has not
been able to produce those great
staples which, prior to the war, con-
stituted fve-eights of the total ex-
ports Of this country. She has been
crippled in many ways, which, com
binel, have deprived her of the abili-
ty to contribute her full complement
of products to the wealth Of the
whole. Her labor system has been
broken up, and no new One substi-
tuted for it. Her lands were wasted,
her farm houses and enclosures de-
stroyed; her agricultural implements
shared the same fate, while her work
ing stock-horscs and mules-were
Lost, or absorbed in the ravages Of
war. Sucn is the crippled condition
Of the Soutl, and in such a condition
she produces only l ,000.O 900 to l, 800
900 bales Of cotton, instead Of from
1000, 1000 to 5000, 200 bales.
Any man, however unacquainted
with the details of the healtlful
working of the laws of trade and
commerce, must see that such con-
traction in the production of the
chief exporting staple must of necas-
sity operate unfavorably, from the
most extensive transactions in imDor-
tations down 20 the business If the
retail merchant. 1t follows, then,
that causes must be at work to pre-
vent the necessary production-if not
SO great as formerly-to keep busi-
ness from stagnation. It is unwisc,
it is mischievous, therefore, to put
forward such arguments. as we per
ceive writer in the Cincinnati Go
sette did before the fate OF the South
ern States was determined bv Con-
gress, viz: That the restoration Of
the Southern States and the recogni-
ton OF their equality Of rights in the
l Mon was not material to the full
development of their natural re-
sources, for the reason that the
Southern people made as earnest
efforts last year, and labored with as
much zeal and industry, as during
any year in their history. Now, this
brings us to another point, and one
which is the natural deduction from
fair reasoning, and not founded upon
sophistry.
We believe. IS We have often said,
that the crippled condition of the
Sonth, which so injuricusly affects
her producing power, is, and has
been, the result of the uncertainty
Of her political status in Tor rather
out of the Union. We are convinced
capital would have sought investment
III these States, had they been rcha-
bliltated promptly, and although it
would have taken time TO reach the
volume of productive wealth which
flowed from them in former times,
yet capital and labor, thrown gene
rously into them, would have
wrought such change IS would have
prevented business prostration.
But~sa reconstruction polioSshas
been adopted, and nov is law. Let
the capitalists Of the North now come
down and invest in the military dis
tricts, to enable the people to plant,