The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-05

AEDsELvEs.
u mere w. ssy one special folly in which
sou'nese were prone to indulge, in ante
oe''um % q, It was our utter dependence upon
'ne NOT for every article, either Of use or luxu
~ v" II We could possibly avoid producing at
no"@ : Surrounded by his slaves the planter
~ - Of the large majority Of our peopie)-re-
esed n the midst Of bis fertile acres, eatis6ed,
provided the proceeds Of his crop we're sufficient
to maintain his otis,ns cum dignitate for another
year to let that year roll on. the past one had
done, without an effort either by the investment of
capital or by the even verbal encouragement Of
Southern enterprise and Southern talent, to make
the Houths prosperity and influence greater.
The North manufactured our cotton and our
| literature. New England furnished us with our
caIcoes and our school books, and ii was suffi-
cient to condemn any enterprise to state that il
was supported solely by Southern capital and
Southern talent. Bot between those days and
now is long distance; while tresding the dreary
path which led out Of rthe bright and prosperous
past lfor bright and prosperous 1t was, spite
OF our almost criminal neglect Of our
own best interests) into the stern, hard
present, we learned a lesson which II behooves
| us not too soon to forget. Walked up, as we sud-
denly we're. to the fact that relying upon our fu-
ture'si proving the same as our past, the North
would have us stay in the Union because we were
useful to her there it did not take Us long to find
out that in all the essentials Of life we were a
completely self-sustaining people. The long dor
msnt powers which then sprang into active being
demonstrated to us our capacity Of making our
selves what we chose. So much for the lesson
hi ko
tive of good in the future as almost to make it
worth the four years Of blood and war it took to
teach 1t to US. Now for its practical applica-
ton. ft ei l.fet
Our farmers have already commenced it. The
men who formerly bought their corn in st. Louis
and their pork in Cincinnati now raise enough Of
both on their own places to supply themselves.
Nor are our mechanics behind hand. The splen-
did railroad car recently turned out OF the factory
at Independence, La, sufficiently demonstrates
what Southern men can do, and the erection Of
mills and formation Of manufacturing companies
In various parts of the South show that our people
are at last awakened to the importance of con-
centratiEg our every energy where IL will be Of
most benefit to ourselves Such enterprises should
receive encouragement and assistance from every
man whose lot is east with the South. There is,
however, one more clsss in the community who
have right to demand our patronage. They are
the capitalists--the men of large means. What
guarantee have such men for the success Of
any enterprise in which they largely
engage, unless our own people heartily aud SUBJ
stantially indorse them, What encouragement
have they to keep their money at home, if our
own people, who are most interested 10 their 50
doing, neglect every means of making such an
investment profitable! Why should our people
complain las they do) of lack of home directed
enterprise amongst our capitalists, if, when such
enterprises are set foot, they persistently dis.
conference them, by refusing to place their
money in the hands Of men who, by reinvesting
it here. benefit the city and every man in it; and,
instead, giving it to Northern capitalists. who en-
ploy it in building up Northern institutional
Our remarks on this latter point are occasioned
by the recent formation in this city Of company
styled the Equitable Life Insurance Company. the
fundamental principle of which is that every dol.
lar of its earnings shall be invested in city State
or United States securities, or in real estate To-
Gated in his city. The immense benefit which
the successful operation of such company will
prove to our city can be seen at glance. The
dollar which the mechanic pays out to the COM
paDy to-day may be returned to him, In the course
Of trade tomorrow; the dollar he pays to q COM
psny whose domicil is elsewhere, he will never
see again. As to the idea that Southern men
cannot conduct an enterprise like this-sn idea
long since exploded-we simply point to the list
of directors. self-made men, most of them, and
ask what cannot such men do, This ia not ex-
uavagsnt language, for individual success in trade
is certainly high enough guarantee Of the success
Of company directed by men who have achieved
it. r ~.
We have endeavored to show the possibility
and necessity of the South making herself self
sustaining. The one way to accomplish this is to
assist each other in our efforts. to let occasion
pass when we can, by our money or by our iaflu-
ence give Southern men and Southern Institutions,
rkom ,oe knoso TO be Of equal soortt 10Th their
competitors. the preference over all others. THIS
seems terribly selfish, but it is a sefshness taught
MS by the stern logic Of necessity-a selfshness
which were better named were it called self
preservation. True it is that " the gods help
those who help themselves Take that old
heather maxim for text. o men of the South,
and let your every future action be sermon
upon il.