Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-19
THE PROSPECT BEFORE Us.

men Of business in this city, referring to
a contemplated investment, remarked in
our hearing, a day or two since, that it
would not be entered upon at present
He gave as a reason that there existed
depression in every department Of in
dustry and trade, and that the spell Of
Encouragement that rested on the face Of
things almost amounted to fright lie
said, indeed, that the gloomy present and
the uncertain future had eneryated the
entire COMMUNICATED all healthy
honest and real enterprise was destroyed
that men Of small capital had use for
all their eneWg TO obtain current means
for their present business-and that any
thing like activity that was displayed,
was in the nature Of visionary, hap
hazard speculation as questionable in
its uprightness, as it was doubtful Of
success.
Il is too true that the people Of the
Southern States, have ample grounds for
dependency Two years have elapsed
since the cessation of the war, that
has scarcely been better than the
period Of the war itself The utter
prostration Of every interest, while the
war lasted, and the unwrenching of
the whole industrial fabric which it
caused, has not been recovered from, or
readjusted lnundating rains and ex
hausting droughts, and every variety Of
uniavorable circumstance, have hams
pered the husbandman, and diminished
the yield Of the fields, as well in the great
staple which this region was wont to
afford to commerce, as in the cereals upon
which man and beast are supported.
Large numbers who engaged in the culture
Of cotton have lostmoney; the amountpro-
dueed has not been disposed Of at remn
neratiye prices and the consequence is
that instead OF making Roadway in the
discharge Of former pecnniary obliga-
tons, new ones have been added In
many regions breadstuffs have been so
scarce, that the poorer classes are depend
ent on bounty to escape starvation
The present year, now advanced to the
planting season, is as yet unpropi
tious. None Of us can look into the seeds
of time and say which grain will grow,
and which will not, but to all appearances
"the earth and the fullness thereof is to
be again denied to great portions of the
Southern territory
In addition to these unshunnable causes
Of disaster the Southern States are to be
made the theatre of experiment of a
fundamental organic change in their poll
teal institutions 1t was under the red
hoof of war that the evils which they now
labor under were produced The military
rule from which, for two years, they have
been partly relieved, is to he reapplied
and their industry is to be subjected to
the accidents which attend state Of law,
lesmess, for as u great authority has Just
ly said, martial law is no law at all The
spring of 1865 offered the Southern
agriculturist his first experience with
hired negro labor TWAS not success.
Last year, many Of that class Of laborers
had recovered from the intoxication of
emancipation, and although the results, in
many sections, were not much better, the
people had become habituated, and it was
generally thought there would be AN i'm
proyement But, now, the negro is to be
put under another influence which will
distract his attention from work and dis
qualify him, in degree, for usefulness,
while its novelty lasts, at least la the
very season when his labor is most neces
sary to farming operations, he is to be
harrangued from the hastings and drilled
as a voter, in other words converted for
the time into an idler. Throughout all
the Southern country, 1867, whose skies
still frown, is to see the owner Of the
soil and the tiller, in state of fermenting
change the one to be placed in lower
political grade, the other to be elevated
and general upheaval Of things to be
made La such a condition of affairs,
thrift and prosperity is impossible
But what can be done We for one
are unable to advise. We can only say
to the people thus passing under the
yoke, that faith, hope and courage are
olty virtues, and that the season of ad-
'ersity is the most fitting one for their ex-
Use and cultivation This is poor eonso-
alton, perhaps, to the farmer who sees
room~sedge waving over his acres in
tead of corn, aud wheat, and cotton, |
nd rice; TO the merchant who sees
teamers rotting in idlenessatthe wharyes,
and silent, and trade almost
tagnant; but unless something more
romising, either from Providence or
oliticians, should be in immediate store
lr us, it is all we can give.