The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-01-07
4 Issk isse lie osass q our fsiifissi
Troublog,

Eek into the 0auso OK our fensaen
Troubles.
There is no Disgusting the fact that the
| commercial and monetarF depression now
| pervsding the county Is more stringent ana
| disAstxons than anything Of the kind which
hns hem experienced for years. Various
| causes have been assigned for this state Of
| thinps: among others the contraction OF the
curreucy by the secretary of the treasury;
but In our judgment Il is not so much the
lack of amount in currency. as the lack q
| commercial activity-the stagnstion of trade,
| that causes existing evils. Experience has
sufficiently attested that no amount, however
| large, of circulating medium, can make
good times" in the absence Of trade and
commerce. Unfortunately, the political aud
partizan proclivities of large number of
leading journals, make them shy of looking
at that subject in its true light, as we think;
and under such sinister influence they are
disposed to avoid the discussion of the prin
cipal cause of our difficulties. assigning other
and minor causes.
What, then, is principal cause of our
present commercial and monetary embar-
easements? In our Judgement our present
distress is due, in large and chief measure,
to the condition ofthe cotton-growing states
IA condition produced by mistakes and un
wise partizan Legislation. We have hereto
fore shown, what all intelligent men know,
that in former years by far the largest part
of our export wealth consisted in our cotton
| product. When the southern states were &C
lively engaged in the cultivation of this great
staple, they furnished a profitable market for
all oar western productions, mules, horses,
| hemp, pork, corn, -four, whiskey, &C.; for the
reason that the planters found it more prof.
| table to devote their energies to the raising
| Of the products we have mentioned. New
England, which is now complaining as
| loudly as the west, also found ready mar
ket in the south for her fabrics, boots, shoes,
&c, In those times, too, St. Louis and other
| western cities, furnished the south with
plows, harrows, hoes, axes, wagons, harness,
and all other products of mechanical skill
necessary to an industrious and thriving peo-
| pie. This state of things might in large
measure have been restored after the late
war, If mere partizan and unwise passion
had not taken possession of our federal leg
isiature. 1t should have been obyious, even
! to superficial observer. that the interests
of the whole country demanded that the in
| dustry ofthe south should be restored at the
earliest practicable period, and that with a
view TO this end the culture of cotton should
which the government could offer. Far bet
ter would it have been that premium
should have been offered, to stimulate the
production of cotton, than that it should be
taxed. when produced, at the rate Of three
cents per pound. The country could have
much better afforded such a premium, for q
brief period, than to exact this tax, which,
among other policies, has proved so disas
| trous. But there was no need of such o
premium; all that needed to be done was TO
hand over at once to the southern people the
inslenable right of self government so that
they could, after their late disasters, shape
their local legislation TO their own necessi-
ties. Under such auspices their own inter
ests would have been a sufficient spur 10
| their industry.
But how is it now? short experience
has shown, what history has taught over
and over again, in all ages of the world,
that industry cannot thrive under the blight.
| ing shadow of despotism. We converted the
states OF the south into military districts
| sent down our military despots with an ar
my OF bayonets; proclaimed 10 the negro
laborers that they were the special pets OF
| the government, and should be housed, fed,
clothed and educated at the public expense !;
and they at on, concluded that, if all these
| necessaries were offered them as gratuity,
| labor was unnecessary. They accepted the
offer; they entered "loysl leagues" they be-
| came politicians, voters, the governing class /
| What then? Why the south no longer fur
| nishes a market for the products of the west /:
| she no longer purchases the fabrics Of New
| England; and for the best reason in the
rid-,he prevailing policy has ruined her
| industry, and she has not the means TO buy
| However great her necessities, she has not
the means TO pay; and she cannot pay be-
| cause her industry cannot flourish under the
| whitening shadow of the despotism we have
| fastened upon her. Was ever policy adopt.
| ed by mortal man so shallow, so short-sight-
ed, so ruinous, in full view of the
nature of the case and all the lights of histo-
ry? 1t is said that madness precedes self
destruction, and we have verified the truth OF
the proverb.
By the fatal policy to which we have re-
ferred, the best market for the west, the bes,
for New England, has been ruined. We
| used to 60 to the south with our products
| and return with the gold but now, so far as
commerce and trade are concerned, there is
| no longer south. Despotism laid its hand
| upon it, and all the sources OF its prosperity
are dried up. In view of these facts, 10 II
any wonder that there is a want of CONNER
cial activity? Is it any wonder that trade
languishes, when the great region of our
trade has been blasted by the sirrocco breath
exhaled from the halls of congress? There
is money enough, never fear. if we had our
old market. Ii is not the scarcity of money
so much as it is the presence of despotism
that spreads this malarious influence through
| out all branches of trade, commerce and in
dustry. What then7 Why, let us make
haste to retrieve our errors and to profit by
our experience. Let US no longer trust
those who have betrayed us, those who, from
passion and prejudice, are incapable of gov
erning themselves, much less great people.
st Louis Republican.